Security News > 2023 > July > Police arrest suspect linked to notorius OPERA1ER cybercrime gang

Law enforcement has detained a suspect believed to be a key member of the OPERA1ER cybercrime group, which has targeted mobile banking services and financial institutions in malware, phishing, and Business Email Compromise campaigns.

The suspect was arrested by authorities in Côte d'Ivoire in early June following a joint law enforcement action dubbed Operation Nervone with the help of AFRIPOL, Interpol's Cybercrime Directorate, cybersecurity company Group-IB, and telecom carrier Orange.

"According to the INTERPOL's 2022 African Cyberthreat Assessment Report, cybercrime is a growing threat in the West Africa region, with victims located worldwide. Operation NERVONE underscores INTERPOL's commitment to proactively combat the threat of cybercrime in the region," Interpol said today.

"Operation Nervone was backed by two key INTERPOL initiatives: the African Joint Operation against Cybercrime and the INTERPOL Support Programme for the African Union in relation to AFRIPOL, funded by the United Kingdom's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and Germany's Federal Foreign Office, respectively."

Group-IB analysts and the CERT-CC department at Orange, tracking the OPERA1ER group since 2019, have linked the threat actors to over 35 successful attacks between 2018 and 2022, roughly one-third of them carried out in 2020.

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