Interpol Arrests 574 In Africa; Ukrainian Ransomware Affiliate...
A law enforcement operation coordinated by INTERPOL has led to the recovery of $3 million and the arrest of 574 suspects by authorities from 19 countries, amidst a continued crackdown on cybercrime networks in Africa.
The coordinated effort, named Operation Sentinel, took place between October 27 and November 27, 2025, and mainly focused on business email compromise (BEC), digital extortion, and ransomware on the continent.
Participating nations included Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Congo, Djibouti, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, South Sudan, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Over the course of the initiative, more than 6,000 malicious links were taken down and six distinct ransomware variants were decrypted. The names of the ransomware families were not disclosed. The investigated incidents were linked to estimated financial losses exceeding $21 million, INTERPOL added.
Multiple suspects have been arrested in connection with a ransomware attack targeting an unnamed Ghanaian financial institution that encrypted 100 terabytes of data and stole about $120,000.
In addition, Ghanaian authorities took down a cyber fraud network operating across Ghana and Nigeria that defrauded more than 200 victims of over $400,000 using well-designed websites and mobile apps, which impersonated popular fast-food brands to collect payments for fake orders.
As part of the effort, 10 individuals were apprehended, 100 digital devices were seized, and 30 fraudulent servers were taken offline.
Law enforcement from Benin also dismantled 43 malicious domains and 4,318 social media accounts that were used to further extortion schemes and scams. The operation culminated in the arrest of 106 people.
"The scale and sophistication of cyber attacks across Africa are accelerating, especially against critical sectors like finance and energy," Neal Jetton, INTERPOL's director of cybercrime, said.
Operation Sentinel is part of the African Joint Operation against Cybercrime (AFJOC), which aims to enhance the capabilities of national law enforcement agencies in Africa and better disrupt cybercriminal activity in the region.
Source: The Hacker News
