Federal Police Arrest Suspected Lapsus$ Member in Brazil

The federal police of Brazil announced the arrest of an alleged Lapsus$ group member in the city of Feira de Santana.

Law enforcement busted the suspect following an investigation of a data breach that targets information from the Brazilian Ministry of Health, Bleeping Computer writes.

The Investigation Provides A Few Details On The Incident

After an investigation that started in December 2021, the Brazilian police have finally detained the suspect, who is believed to be part of the Lapsus$ gang.

This is the same investigation launched in August that led to the arrest of the criminal organization behind multiple cyberattacks against Brazilian government agencies last year.

The recent investigation reveals that the Lapsus$, a group of criminals that extorts sensitive personal data, is in the middle of an attack that stole data from the Ministry of Health's website.

The group has allegedly compromised files from the ministry and defaced the site by displaying a message that claims Lapsus$'s involvement in the attack.

The Federal Police explained that the website is responsible for the country's National Vaccination Certificate, where data has been copied and deleted, The Record writes.

The Lapsus$ group has also targeted other federal government bodies and entities previously, like the Ministry of Economy and the Federal Highway Police.

In a statement, the Brazilian Federal Police say that the cyberhacking ring executed crimes like the invasion of computer devices, disturbance of telephone services, and preventing its restoration.

Furthermore, the Lapsus$ group has been found to be in violation of Brazilian Law No. 9,613 of 1998, which highlights the practice of corrupting minors to commit crimes.

While the federal police have provided only a little information about the suspect, they say that preparations to charge the person are already in place.

The Lapsus$ Crime Ring Is Also Prominent In Europe

The group, which is known for its erratic behavior by publicly boasting about its attacks, has been found to have expanded to Europe and America after the attack on Brazilian institutions.

The United Kingdom law enforcement arrested seven people last March for their alleged involvement in the Lapsus$ group's criminal activities, according to The Record.

London Police say that the criminals under Lapsus$ in the country are aged from 16 to 21, and two of them were charged with helping the gang in April but have since made bail.

The Lapsus$ gang has made headlines in 2022 after targeting big names such as Microsoft, Nvidia, Samsung, Ubisoft, Okta, telecom company Vodafone, and e-commerce giant Mercado.

In these cases, the group has extorted and leaked source codes and proprietary data with the goal of making a name for themselves in the hacking scene, Bleeping Computer says.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is still investigating other activities that might have been related to the group while trying to identify individuals responsible for the cyber intrusions.

While it is still unclear how many affiliations the crime group has, the FBI believes that Lapsus$ has influence worldwide based on evidence from their Telegram chats.