November 6, 2024 at 05:24AM
INTERPOL’s Operation Synergia II successfully dismantled over 22,000 malicious servers globally from April to August 2024, targeting phishing and ransomware. Approximately 76% of 30,000 identified suspicious IPs were taken down, leading to 41 arrests. The operation included cooperation with private sector partners and significant discoveries in multiple countries.
### Meeting Takeaways: Cyber Threat / Cybercrime Overview
**Date:** November 06, 2024
**Topic:** INTERPOL’s Operation Synergia II
**Key Highlights:**
1. **Operation Synergia II Overview:**
– Conducted from April 1 to August 31, 2024.
– Focused on combating phishing, ransomware, and information stealers.
2. **Results:**
– Takedown of **over 22,000 malicious servers** connected to various cyber threats.
– **76%** of approximately **30,000** identified suspicious IP addresses were taken down.
– **59 servers** seized along with **43 electronic devices** (laptops, mobile phones, hard disks).
3. **Arrests and Investigations:**
– **41 individuals arrested**; an additional **65 under investigation**.
4. **Country-Specific Outcomes:**
– **Hong Kong:** Takedown of **1,037 servers**.
– **Mongolia:** Seizure of a server and identification of **93 individuals** linked to illegal cyber activities.
– **Macau:** Disruption of **291 servers**.
– **Madagascar:** Identification of **11 individuals** and seizure of **11 electronic devices**.
– **Estonia:** Seizure of **more than 80GB** of data.
5. **Private Sector Contributions:**
– **Group-IB** identified **over 2,500 IP addresses** connected to **5,000 phishing websites** and **1,300 IP addresses** related to malware across **84 countries**.
– **David Monnier** from Team Cymru highlighted efforts in identifying and categorizing malicious infrastructure.
6. **Previous Phase:**
– First phase of Operation Synergia occurred between September and November 2023, resulting in **31 arrests** and the identification of **1,300 suspicious IP addresses** and URLs.
**Next Steps:**
– Continue monitoring the developments and outcomes of ongoing investigations related to Operation Synergia II.
– Encourage team members to share thoughts on further enhancing collaboration with private sector partners in cybersecurity efforts.
**Follow-Up:**
– Suggested to follow INTERPOL’s updates on social media for the latest developments in cybercrime initiatives.