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‘Dr Hex’ - the suspect’s signature name which he often left on webpages he had targeted - is accused of credit card fraud, defacing websites, targeting companies and banks with malware, and even developing ‘kits’ sold to other cybercriminals online, to carry out similar campaigns.
Among other things, these kits allowed their users to easily impersonate online banking sites and steal victims’ bank details for financial gain.
His capture is the result of a two-year joint investigation, “Operation Lyrebird,” carried out by Interpol, Moroccan police and cybersecurity solutions provider Group-IB, which established Dr Hex’s involvement in campaigns against 134 websites between 2009 and 2018.
Interpol’s Executive Director of Police Services, Stephen Kavanagh, called the arrest “a significant success against a suspect who is accused of targeting unsuspecting individuals and companies across multiple regions for years, and the case highlights the threat posed by cybercrime worldwide.”
With cybercrime on the rise, last year Interpol launched two campaigns, #WashYourCyberHands and #OnlineCrimeIsRealCrime, to raise awareness of phishing campaigns and cyber threats among individuals, businesses and organizations.
