A teen boy from Oxford is said to be a leader of a cyber-crime gang accused of making more than £10m from hacking, according to reports.

City of London Police have arrested seven people aged between 16 and 21 in connection with the Lapsus$ gang, although the force has not said whether the Oxford teen was among them.

The BBC reported that a 16-year-old from Oxford had been named as a member of the Lapsus$ gang by rival hackers.

The father of the boy, said to have been using the online nickname ‘White’ or ‘Breachbase’, told the BBC: "I had never heard about any of this until recently. He's never talked about any hacking, but he is very good on computers and spends a lot of time on the computer.

“I always thought he was playing games."

Oxford Mail: Lapsus$ has claimed responsibility for attacks on the Brazilian government, Microsoft and Vodafone Picture: PEXELSLapsus$ has claimed responsibility for attacks on the Brazilian government, Microsoft and Vodafone Picture: PEXELS

Bloomberg reportedly spoke to the boy’s mother this week, describing her as living in a terraced home five miles from central Oxford.

The woman was unaware of the allegations against her son but concerned his name and address had been broadcast online, the US news agency reported.

The Lapsus$ group has been linked to attacks on Microsoft, Samsung and Vodafone.

Last December, the group reportedly claimed responsibility for hacking the Brazilian Ministry of Health.

City of London Police said: "Seven people between the ages of 16 and 21 have been arrested in connection with an investigation into a hacking group. They have all been released under investigation. Our enquiries remain ongoing."

Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

For news updates straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here

Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on news@nqo.com or 01865 425 445.