The Federal Police of Brazil announced yesterday that they arrested an individual they believe to be a member of the international cybercriminal hacking group Lapsus$. Lapsus$, as you may recall, is responsible for hacking and data exfiltration from top tech companies such as Microsoft, Cisco, Samsung, NVIDIA, Okta, and more.
The arrest came as part of “Operation Dark Cloud”, which started in August, 2022 and aims to collect information from any criminal organization activity. It is believed Lapsus$ is responsible for the cyberattacks targeting the Brazilian government agencies since 2021.
Lapsus$ launched attacks against the Brazilian Federal Government, Ministry of Economy, Comptroller General of the Union, and Federal Highway Police, according to BleepingComputer.
Despite some members of Lapsus$ who are still legally minors, the cyber activities they perform include money laundering and hacking. This is illegal in Brazil—and so is older members recruiting and “corrupting” adolescents to join their criminal gang—according to Brazilian Law No. 9,613/1998.
Lapsus$ member arrests increase
Whether it is through amateur hacking tactics, police surveillance, or arrested Lapsus$ members informing authorities, increasingly members of the group are getting arrested.
In March, 2022, the City of London Police arrested seven individuals who they suspected were members of the Lapsus$ cybercriminal group. Two were formally charged in April. Both were released on bail after a court appearance, per BleepingComputer.
Just last month, the City of London Police again announced it had arrested a 17-year-old in connection with the Uber and Rockstar Games (Grand Theft Auto 6) hacks.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is also performing ongoing investigations for Lapsus$ hacks. They have formally asked the public for any assistance in regards to cyberattacks against US tech companies.
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