The Brazilian Federal Police detained a person they believe to be a member of the Lapsus$ extortion gang. The suspect was detained following an investigation launched in December 2021 due to the Brazilian Ministry of Health breach. Operation Dark Cloud, which was started in August to gather data on the activity of a potential criminal gang thought to be responsible for several cyberattacks targeting Brazilian government agencies since the end of last year, triggered the investigation. The hackers deleted files during the incident and altered the Ministry of Health website to display a statement claiming responsibility for the attack and claiming to have stolen data from the ministry’s network. The group also attacked other Federal Government organizations in Brazil, such as the Ministry of Economy, the Comptroller General of the Union, and the Federal Highway Police. “The crimes determined in the police investigation are those of criminal organization, invasion of a computer device, interruption or disturbance of telegraphic, radiotelegraphic or telephone service, preventing or hindering its restoration. It was also found the practice of corruption of minors, a crime provided for in the Statute of Children and Adolescents, and money laundering, according to Law No. 9,613/1998,” stated the Brazilian Federal Police.
Analyst Notes
After hacking well-known tech businesses worldwide — including Microsoft, Nvidia, Samsung, Ubisoft, Okta, Vodafone, and Mercado — the Lapsus$ gang has made news this year. In addition, seven people from the UK were detained by the City of London Police in late March on suspicion of connection to the Lapsus$ group. On April 2nd, two of them were accused of helping the Lapsus$ extortion group. Following their appearance before the Highbury Corner Magistrates Court, they were both released on bail and freed. Additionally, UK Police detained a 17-year-old teenager last month who was thought to be responsible for the Uber hack linked to the Lapsus$ gang. Most Lapsus$ members are believed to be teenagers who are primarily motivated by their desire to become well-known in the hacking community rather than by financial motivations. The FBI is also investigating Lapsus$’s criminal activities and seeking information about the group members. They were also responsible for the hacking of computer networks belonging to US-based organizations.
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/brazil-arrests-suspect-believed-to-be-a-lapsus-gang-member/
