Interpol Cracks Down on Global Cybercrime, Seizing 22,000 Malicious IPs and Making 41 Arrests

Interpol has announced the successful results of its second phase of Operation Synergia, which resulted in 41 arrests and the takedown of over 22,000 malicious IP addresses linked to cybercrimes such as phishing, ransomware, and infostealer malware.

The operation, conducted between April 1 and August 31, 2024, was carried out in collaboration with 95 member countries and multiple cybersecurity firms, including Kaspersky, Trend Micro, Group-IB, and Team Cymru. Together, they identified 30,000 suspicious IP addresses, with over 75% of them taken offline during the operation.

Interpol’s cybercrime directorate highlighted the success of dismantling the malicious infrastructure, preventing countless potential victims from falling prey to cybercriminal activities. In addition to the arrests, authorities seized 43 devices, including laptops, phones, and hard drives. Investigations into 65 other individuals are ongoing.

Notably, Hong Kong police seized over 1,000 servers, while authorities in Macau and Madagascar took down hundreds more. In Mongolia, 21 house searches led to the identification of 93 people connected to the activities. The operation also uncovered data linked to phishing and banking malware in Estonia.

David Monnier, Chief Evangelist at Team Cymru, explained that their contribution to the operation involved identifying and categorising malicious infrastructure, providing crucial threat intelligence to Interpol’s efforts.

This operation follows an earlier phase in February, where 31 arrests were made, and 1,300 malicious servers were identified. Interpol continues to work with global law enforcement to tackle the growing threat of cybercrime.