Authorities in Kuwait have apprehended members of an international cybercrime gang of Chinese nationality, the Ministry of the Interior has said, after large-scale attacks on telecommunication towers and financial institutions across the country.
The Cybercrime Combating Department was alerted after several telecommunication companies and banks reported cyberattacks on their networks to steal customers’ information and funds, the ministry said on Thursday in a post on X.
Officers apprehended a driver, a Chinese national, in the Farwaniya area in Kuwait City and seized multiple electronic devices in his possession. Police later found more high-tech tools at his residence.
The suspect confessed to being part of a larger network of fraudsters, who were also identified and arrested. Police also charged them for using falsified documents to forge their identities.
The ministry said it was committed to tackling cybercrime and protecting the country’s institutions from attacks, stressing that it was taking action to improve security on its networks to protect citizen’s data and financial assets.
In September, Kuwait’s Health Ministry was hit by a cyberattack that took systems at several of the country’s hospitals offline. The cyberattack also impacted the Ministry of Health website and healthcare apps.
