February 4, 2024 at 10:42AM
Law enforcement in 50 countries arrested 31 individuals in the global operation named Synergia targeting ransomware, banking malware, and phishing. Over 1,300 suspicious C&C servers were identified, with 70% taken down. Involving 60 law enforcement agencies, the operation resulted in the identification and arrest of suspects across multiple regions. Cybersecurity firms provided significant assistance.
From the meeting notes, the main takeaways are:
1. A global law enforcement operation named Synergia led by Interpol involved 60 law enforcement agencies across 50 countries, resulting in the arrest of 31 individuals targeting ransomware, banking malware, and phishing.
2. The operation led to the identification and takedown of more than 1,300 suspicious command-and-control (C&C) servers, with 70% being shut down.
3. The majority of C&C servers taken down were in Europe, with additional servers in Hong Kong and Singapore. The malicious infrastructure was spread across over 200 web hosting providers worldwide.
4. Authorities across various countries made arrests, with 26 individuals arrested in Europe and four others in South Sudan and Zimbabwe. An additional 70 suspects were identified.
5. Cybersecurity firms, including Kaspersky, Group-IB, Shadowserver, Team Cymru, and Trend Micro, assisted law enforcement throughout the operation.
6. The operation aimed to address the increasing threat of transnational cybercrime and the need for coordinated action against emerging cyber threats.
Additionally, related reports highlighted the growing ransomware threat in 2024, an international crackdown on online fraud resulting in 3,500 arrests and the seizure of $300 million, and Spain’s arrests of hackers in a crackdown on a major criminal organization.