INTERPOL: Major cybercrime operation nets 1,006 suspects


LYON, France – Authorities across 19 African countries have arrested 1,006 suspects and dismantled 134,089 malicious infrastructures and networks thanks to a joint operation by INTERPOL and AFRIPOL against cybercrime.

Operation Serengeti (2 September – 31 October) targeted criminals behind ransomware, business email compromise (BEC), digital extortion and online scams – all identified as prominent threats in the 2024 Africa Cyber Threat Assessment Report. More than 35,000 victims were identified during the operation, with cases linked to nearly USD 193 million in financial losses worldwide.

Read more…
Source: INTERPOL


Sign up for our Newsletter


Related:

  • UK: Huge data breach at Southend-on-Sea City Council

    November 2, 2023

    Details of over 2,000 staff and councillors have been made public in a council data breach. Southend-on-Sea City Council could face six-figure fines for the mistake. The information disclosed included names, addresses and National Insurance numbers. The council leader has apologised and said that all those affected would be contacted and offered advice and support. ...

  • Mortgage and loan giant Mr. Cooper blames cyberattack for ongoing outage

    November 2, 2023

    Mortgage and loan giant Mr. Cooper says a “cybersecurity incident” earlier this week was the cause of an ongoing outage, adding that the company is “working to resolve the issue.” The Texas-based company said in a statement on its website that on October 31, Mr. Cooper “became the target of a cyber security incident and took ...

  • Boeing confirms ‘cyber incident’ after ransomware gang claims data theft

    November 2, 2023

    Aerospace giant Boeing has confirmed that it is dealing with a “cyber incident,” days after the company was listed on the leak site of the LockBit ransomware gang. In a statement given to TechCrunch, Boeing spokesperson Jim Prolux confirmed that attackers had targeted “elements of our parts and safety business.” The spokesperson added: “This issue does ...

  • New Zealand: Money-motivated cyber attacks outnumber those carried out by nation-states

    November 2, 2023

    Major financially motivated cyber attacks in New Zealand have exceeded those launched by nation-states for the first time, and AI looms as an ever-greater weapon, a new report says. In its latest annual threat report, the National Cyber Security Centre said the potential impact was growing – though the number of major attacks dropped slightly, to ...

  • Do government sanctions against ransomware groups work?

    November 2, 2023

    Earlier this year, the U.S. government imposed sanctions against Russian national Mikhail Matveev, an FBI most-wanted cybercriminal, who authorities accuse of being a “prolific ransomware affiliate” involved in cyberattacks in the United States and overseas. Authorities say Matveev played a major role in the development and deployment of the Hive, LockBit and Babuk ransomware variants, ...

  • Forty Countries Agree Not to Pay Cybercrime Ransoms

    November 1, 2023

    Dozens of US allies have signed an agreement never to pay digital extortionists, in a sign of the growing impact ransomware is having on their national security and economies. The pledge was made at the second annual meeting of the International Counter Ransomware Initiative and reported by attendant media, although there is no official word yet ...