Three Nigerian men were arrested and convicted as a result of an Interpol-led operation code-named Killer Bee. They were accused of using a remote access trojan (RAT) to reroute bank transactions and steal business credentials. Two possible accomplices were also apprehended.
The trio, aged 31 to 38, was apprehended as part of an 11-country sting operation involving law enforcement agencies from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nigeria, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Agent Tesla is a prominent "malware-as-a-service" Remote Access Trojan (RAT) tool used by malicious attackers to collect information like credentials, keystrokes, and clipboard data from the victims. It was initially identified in late 2014.
Due to Agent Tesla's stability, flexibility, and functionality, which allows for the sampling of sensitive data and exfiltration from the victim, it is used by both cybercriminal groups and actors involved in espionage operations.
While the authorities did not say how much money the hackers allegedly took, the companies targeted included oil and gas enterprises in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa. As per INTERPOL arrested three Nigerians in relation with a global scam The other two men are still facing charges. As per Interpol, one of the scammers, Hendrix Omorume, was prosecuted and convicted of three counts of significant financial fraud and now risks a sentence of 12 months in prison. The other two men are still facing charges.
Interpol and the Nigerian Police Force, with the help of various cybersecurity firms (Group-IB, Palo Alto Networks Unit 42, and Trend Micro), identified a 37-year-old Nigerian man as one of the SilverTerrier cybercrime group's commanders last week.
"Cybercrime is growing at a rapid pace, with new trends continuously appearing," stated Abdulkarim Chukkol, Director of Operations at the EFCC. INTERPOL and the EFCC collaborate on operations like Killer Bee to keep up with emerging technologies, understand the opportunities they provide for criminals, and how they may be used to combat cybercrime.
