To help defend the African region against cyberthreats as they emerge, Kaspersky has recently supported INTERPOL-coordinated Operation Serengeti III combating a full spectrum of digital threats faced by both users and companies. The threat intelligence data pieced together by the Kaspersky Threat Research expertise center served as an enabler for a law enforcement action that had 1,462 suspects arrested and US$105 million recovered.
The third edition of Operation Serengeti took place from June 29 to August 31, 2026. In the law enforcement action, INTERPOL brought together its private partners, including Kaspersky, and investigators from 20 African countries* and the United States.
Serengeti III focused on neutralizing such threats as cyber-enabled fraud, ransomware, business email compromise (BEC), online scams and digital extortion and identified nearly 66,000 victims targeted by detected cybercriminal networks. The financial losses caused by this criminal activity were estimated by financial investigators at US$385 million.
To help law enforcement authorities identify targets, map criminal networks and support investigative activities, in the run-up to the operation, Kaspersky Threat Research expertise center provided critical threat intelligence and technical analysis of the threats investigated. Kaspersky experts provided data on network infrastructure used in botnet and DDoS attacks as well as information on phishing and malicious URLs targeting African users.
INTERPOL's Director of Cybercrime Neal Jetton said: "Cybercrime networks operate without regard for borders, exploiting technology to target victims on an unprecedented scale. Operation Serengeti III reinforces a clear message: while cybercrime is increasingly borderless, international cooperation remains one of the most effective tools for disrupting criminal networks, recovering criminal assets and protecting communities from digital harm."
“The borderless nature of cybercrime makes it impossible for a single organization or country to confront it on its own. This is why Kaspersky is actively cooperating with partners around the globe to share its deep knowledge of cyberthreats and is proud to be a regular contributor to INTERPOL-coordinated efforts and expand the fruitful record of joint operations year over year,” says Yuliya Shlychkova, Vice President of Global Public Affairs at Kaspersky.
Operation Serengeti III highlights:
· In Uganda, authorities dismantled two transnational fraud rings and arrested 365 foreign nationals linked to sophisticated online investment and pension fraud schemes targeting victims across Asia.
· In Angola, investigators dismantled two illegal cryptocurrency mining centers, arresting nine suspects.
· In Nigeria, authorities arrested a suspect behind a large-scale phishing and business email compromise operation that harvested software credentials and amassed approximately 2.1 million email addresses.
A separate Nigerian investigation targeted an international investment fraud scheme promoted via messaging apps, leading to the arrest of a suspect.
In addition to suspect
arrests and recovered financial damage, the operation disrupted nearly 11,000
malicious networks involved in cyber offenses. At the moment, several
investigations stemming from Operation Serengeti III remain active, with
authorities continuing efforts to identify additional suspects, trace illicit
proceeds and analyze digital evidence seized during the operation.
* Serengeti III participating countries: Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Congo,
Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana,
Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda,
United States, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
About Kaspersky Threat Research
The Threat Research team is a leading authority in protecting against cyberthreats. By actively engaging in both threat analysis and technology creation, our TR experts ensure that Kaspersky’s cybersecurity solutions are deeply informed and exceptionally potent, providing critical threat intelligence and robust security to our clients and the broader community.
