INTERPOL and The Nigeria Police Force announced the arrest of a prominent business email compromise (BEC) actor who has been active since 2015. His apprehension marks the latest success for Operation Delilah – a counter-BEC operation that began in May 2021 and has involved international law enforcement and industry cooperation across four continents.
BEC remains the most common and most costly threat facing organizations globally. This threat held the top spot for the sixth year in a row on the 2021 FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) report. Over half a decade, global losses have ballooned from $360 million in 2016 to a staggering $2.3 billion in 2021. Despite these massive loss amounts, industry and global law enforcement continue to make considerable strides toward thwarting this activity.
Unit 42 tracks Nigerian BEC actors under the name SilverTerrier. Following the arrest of 11 BEC actors as part of Operation Falcon II in December 2021, this recent operation is significant in that it demonstrates the resolve of global law enforcement to hold BEC actors accountable despite temporary setbacks. Specifically, in this case, the SilverTerrier actor fled Nigeria in 2021 when authorities initially attempted to apprehend him. Months later, in March 2022, he attempted to return home and was quickly identified and detained as he attempted to re-enter Nigeria. This level of international cooperation, tracking of actors as they travel internationally and subsequent apprehension of actors upon returning to their home countries represents a laudable advancement in the ability of global law enforcement organizations to combat these types of crimes.
Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 was thanked for its collaboration with INTERPOL in Operation Delilah. The team provided telemetry and other insights about BEC actors.
