Ethical Hacking News
INTERPOL's Operation Serengeti has brought together 19 African countries to disrupt global cyber threats, resulting in the arrest of 1,006 suspects and the dismantling of 134,089 malicious networks. The operation highlights the growing concern over cybercrime in Africa and underscores the importance of international cooperation in addressing this threat.
INTERPOL brought together 19 African countries' law enforcement agencies for the "Serengeti" operation.The operation resulted in the arrest of 1,006 suspects across the region between September 2 and October 31, 2024.The operation dismantled 134,089 malicious networks and infrastructures posing a threat to individuals and organizations worldwide.Financial fraud was a significant focus, with losses estimated at nearly $193 million and over 35,000 people victimized globally.African law enforcement agencies collaborated on the operation, including Algeria, Angola, Benin, and others.Russian cybersecurity vendor Kaspersky contributed to the operation by sharing threat actor information and malware data.
In a major operation, INTERPOL has brought together law enforcement agencies from 19 African countries to disrupt the global cyber threat landscape. The initiative, dubbed "Serengeti," aimed to tackle some of the most pressing cybercrime issues in the continent, including ransomware, business email compromise (BEC), digital extortion, and online scams.
The operation, which took place between September 2 and October 31, 2024, resulted in the arrest of 1,006 suspects across the region. These arrests were part of a coordinated effort to dismantle 134,089 malicious networks and infrastructures that had been posing a threat to individuals and organizations worldwide.
One of the most significant aspects of Operation Serengeti was its focus on tackling financial fraud, including Ponzi schemes and investment scams. According to INTERPOL, these activities had resulted in financial losses amounting to nearly $193 million, with over 35,000 people victimized across the globe.
The operation also saw authorities targeting virtual casinos that were luring unsuspecting gamblers with promises of easy wins, only to defraud them through online platforms and entice new subscribers. In one notable example, a virtual casino in Luanda was dismantled by authorities, revealing a sophisticated scheme that had targeted Brazilian and Nigerian gamblers.
The success of Operation Serengeti highlights the growing concern over cybercrime in Africa. According to Valdecy Urquiza, Secretary General of INTERPOL, "the increasing volume and sophistication of cybercrime attacks is of serious concern." He added that the operation shows what can be achieved by working together, and that these arrests alone will save countless potential future victims from real personal and financial pain.
The operation was a collaboration between law enforcement agencies from Algeria, Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Group-IB, a private sector partner in the operation, identified approximately 10,000 distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks originating from Africa-based servers over the past year.
Russian cybersecurity vendor Kaspersky also contributed to the operation by sharing information on threat actors, data on ransomware attacks, and malware targeting the region. The company stated that it was "pleased to have been able to contribute to this important initiative" and emphasized the need for continued collaboration in the fight against cybercrime.
The success of Operation Serengeti underscores the importance of international cooperation in addressing global cyber threats. As the threat landscape continues to evolve, it is clear that law enforcement agencies will need to work together to stay ahead of these threats and protect individuals and organizations worldwide.
Related Information:
https://thehackernews.com/2024/11/interpol-busts-african-cybercrime-1006.html
Published: Wed Nov 27 05:47:10 2024 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
