November 5, 2024 at 01:59PM
Interpol’s Operation Synergia II resulted in 41 arrests and the dismantling of 1,037 servers linked to cybercrime across 95 countries from April to August 2024. The operation targeted ransomware, phishing, and information theft, backed by intelligence from private cybersecurity firms, significantly reducing cybercrime infrastructure globally.
### Meeting Takeaways: Operation Synergia II
**Overview:**
– Interpol conducted Operation Synergia II, an extensive international law enforcement action, which led to significant achievements in combating cybercrime.
**Key Statistics:**
– Duration: April to August 2024
– Participating Countries: 95
– Arrests Made: 41 individuals (further investigation into 65 additional suspects)
– Servers and Infrastructure Targeted: 1,037 servers across 22,000 IP addresses
**Significant Outcomes:**
– Intelligence collaboration with private cybersecurity firms (Group-IB, Kaspersky, Trend Micro, Team Cymru) facilitated the identification of over 30,000 suspicious IP addresses, with approximately 76% taken down.
– Seizures included 59 servers and 43 electronic devices for additional investigation.
– Highlights of law enforcement actions by location:
– **Hong Kong**: Over 1,037 servers linked to malicious services taken down.
– **Mongolia**: 21 house searches conducted, a server seized, and 93 individuals identified.
– **Macau**: 291 servers taken offline.
– **Madagascar**: 11 individuals identified and 11 electronic devices seized.
– **Estonia**: Over 80GB of server data related to phishing and banking malware seized.
**Key Insights:**
– Operation Synergia II successfully dismantled malicious infrastructure, potentially preventing harm to hundreds of thousands of victims.
– Growing use of generative AI in phishing operations and a 70% increase in info stealers as precursors to ransomware attacks highlight the evolving landscape of cyber threats.
– Phishing, ransomware, and info-stealer malware are prioritized as critical threats in current cybercrime initiatives.
**Quote:**
Neal Jetton, Interpol’s Director of the Cybercrime Directorate, emphasized the necessity of global cooperation in tackling the complex nature of cybercrime.
### Action Items:
– Continue monitoring and investigating the identified suspects and the seized electronic devices.
– Leverage insights gained from this operation to enhance future cybercrime response strategies.