International Police Effort Obliterates Cybercrime Network

Interpol disrupts 22,000 malicious IP addresses, 59 servers, 43 electronic devices, and arrests 41 suspected cybercriminals.

Dark Reading Staff, Dark Reading

November 6, 2024

2 Min Read
Interpol logo displayed on mobile phone screen
Source: Timon Schneider via Alamy Stock Photo

Operation Synergia II, an international law enforcement effort supported by the private cybersecurity sector, successfully dismantled a widespread cybercrime operation stretching from Hong Kong to Estonia, Interpol said this week.

Operation Synergia II was launched in April, with law enforcement collaborating with cybersecurity experts from Group-IB, Trend Micro, Kaspersky, and Team Cymru to track down thousands of servers used to commit cybercrimes involving phishing, infostealers, and ransomware attacks. Interpol discovered 30,000 malicious IP addresses and has already taken down 22,000, along with 59 servers.

Law enforcement across several countries contributed on-the-ground resources to perform house searches and seize electronics believed to support the cybercriminal operation — leading to the arrest of 41 people, with 65 others still under investigation, according to Interpol.

As part of the coordinated response, police in Hong Kong took down 1,037 servers, while in Mongolia police conducted 21 house searches and were able to identify 93 individuals believed to be linked to cybercrimes. Macau cops took 291 servers offline, and in Madagascar police tracked down 11 people linked to the servers and seized multiple devices. And in Estonia, authorities confisacted more than 80GB of server data, which is still being analyzed at Interpol.

"The global nature of cybercrime requires a global response which is evident by the support member countries provided to Operation Synergia II," Neal Jetton, Interpol's director of the Cybercrime Directorate, said in a statement. "Together, we've not only dismantled malicious infrastructure but also prevented hundreds of thousands of potential victims from falling prey to cybercrime."

Don't miss the latest Dark Reading Confidential podcast, where we talk about NIST's post-quantum cryptography standards and what comes next for cybersecurity practitioners. Guests from General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT) and Carnegie Mellon University break it all down. Listen now! 

About the Author

Dark Reading Staff

Dark Reading

Dark Reading is a leading cybersecurity media site.

Keep up with the latest cybersecurity threats, newly discovered vulnerabilities, data breach information, and emerging trends. Delivered daily or weekly right to your email inbox.

You May Also Like


More Insights