Interpol seizes 22,000 IP addresses used for cybercrime, arrests 41 people in major international investigation involving police from 95 countries

On November 5, 2024, the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) announced that a global investigation involving law enforcement agencies from 95 countries had resulted in the arrest of 41 people and the seizure of numerous items, including 22,000 malicious IP addresses and servers related to cybercrime.

INTERPOL cyber operation takes down 22,000 malicious IP addresses

According to Interpol, in Operation Synergia II, which took place between April 1 and August 31, 2024, 22,000 IP addresses, or 76%, were deleted out of the approximately 30,000 IP addresses suspected of being linked to cybercrimes such as phishing, infostealers, and ransomware.

The investigation led to the seizure of 59 servers, the seizure of 43 electronic devices, including laptops, mobile phones and hard drives, and the arrest of 41 people. In addition, investigations into the whereabouts of 65 people are ongoing at the time of writing.

Operation Synergia II involved law enforcement agencies from 95 countries around the world, and private cybersecurity partners Group-IB, Trend Micro, Kaspersky, and Team Cymru also assisted in the investigation and contributed to the crackdown.

Interpol cites the following activities as noteworthy initiatives:
In Hong Kong, China, police assisted the investigation by taking offline 1,037 servers associated with malicious services.
Mongolia conducted 21 searches, seized servers, and identified 93 individuals involved in illegal cyber activities.
In Macau, China, police took 291 servers offline.
In Madagascar, law enforcement officials identified 11 individuals connected to the malicious servers and seized 11 electronic devices for further investigation.
In Estonia, police seized over 80GB of server data and are working with Interpol to further analyze it for links to phishing scams and banking malware.

Neil Jetton, Head of INTERPOL's Cybercrime Division, said: 'Cybercrime is global, so a global response is essential. This is evident from the contribution our member countries made to Operation Synergia II. Working together, we not only dismantled a malicious infrastructure, but also prevented hundreds of thousands of potential victims from falling prey to cybercrime. INTERPOL is proud to have brought together a diverse team of member countries to fight this ever-evolving threat and make the world a safer place.'