Interpol says it disrupted thousands of cybercrime instances in major operation

The emblem of the International Criminal Police Organization Interpol on a textured blue background.

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Interpol has taken down 22,000 crime-linked IP addresses
Multiple devices, including servers, phones and laptops were seized
The Interpol operation led to the arrest of 41 individuals globally

A global Interpol operation has shut down over 22,000 IP addresses linked to cybercrime and malicious threat actors, the agency has said.

Operation Synergia II included agencies from 95 Interpol members and seized 59 servers alongside 43 other electronic devices used in malicious activity including laptops, phones, and hard drives.

41 people were arrested as part of the operation, with a further 65 still under investigation for their participation in cyber criminal activity.

Operation Synergia II

The first Operation Synergia, which concluded in February 2024, saw 31 people arrested and 70 others investigated alongside 1,300 malicious IP addresses identified and numerous command-and-control (C2) servers operated by cyber criminals taken down.

Operation Synergia II has significantly improved on these numbers, with the main focus of the crackdown being on phishing networks, infostealing malware, and ransomware.

In China, police in Hong Kong took down 1,037 servers, with a further 291 taken offline in Macau. 21 houses were searched by authorities in Mongolia leading to one server being seized and the identification of 93 individuals with cybercriminal links.

11 devices were seized in Madagascar, and 11 individuals were identified as having links to servers used for malicious purposes. In Estonia, 80GB of data was seized from a server likely used for phishing operations and banking malware.

“The global nature of cybercrime requires a global response which is evident by the support member countries provided to Operation Synergia II,” said Neal Jetton, INTERPOL’s Director of the Cybercrime Directorate.

“Together, we’ve not only dismantled malicious infrastructure but also prevented hundreds of thousands of potential victims from falling prey to cybercrime. INTERPOL is proud to bring together a diverse team of member countries to fight this ever-evolving threat and make our world a safer place,” Jetton concluded.

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Benedict has been writing about security issues for over 7 years, first focusing on geopolitics and international relations while at the University of Buckingham. During this time he studied BA Politics with Journalism, for which he received a second-class honours (upper division), then continuing his studies at a postgraduate level, achieving a distinction in MA Security, Intelligence and Diplomacy. Upon joining TechRadar Pro as a Staff Writer, Benedict transitioned his focus towards cybersecurity, exploring state-sponsored threat actors, malware, social engineering, and national security. Benedict is also an expert on B2B security products, including firewalls, antivirus, endpoint security, and password management.