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INTERPOL reported that 31 people were detained during Operation Synergia, a cross-border crackdown on phishing, malware and ransomware that ran from September to November 2023. Authorities also identified 70 additional suspects; INTERPOL did not report those people as detained.
What was Operation Synergia?
Operation Synergia was an INTERPOL-coordinated investigation involving 60 law-enforcement agencies from more than 50 INTERPOL member countries. The effort targeted cybercrime infrastructure and activity linked to phishing, malware and ransomware. INTERPOL published the results on 1 February 2024, describing searches and seizures as well as efforts to identify and disrupt systems used in attacks. (INTERPOL, 1 February 2024)
How many people were arrested?
INTERPOL said authorities detained 31 individuals and identified a further 70 suspects. These are separate categories: the announcement does not say the 70 additional suspects were arrested or detained. The headline’s “arrested” wording is therefore less precise than INTERPOL’s reported figure of 31 detained people.
What cybercrime infrastructure did authorities disrupt?
INTERPOL reported that investigators identified about 1,300 suspicious IP addresses or URLs. It also said 70% of identified command-and-control (C2) servers had been taken down, with the remainder still under investigation at the time of the February 2024 announcement. The 1,300 figure refers to suspicious addresses or URLs, not 1,300 confirmed servers; the C2 takedown percentage is a separate measure and a status report from that date.
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INTERPOL also reported that 153 servers were taken down in Hong Kong and 86 in Singapore. Officers conducted house searches and seized servers and electronic devices as part of the operation.
How did countries and private partners contribute?
National agencies pursued different investigative and assistance activities. In Bolivia, public authorities were mobilized to identify malware and vulnerabilities it had caused. In Kuwait, authorities worked with internet service providers to identify victims, conduct field investigations and provide technical guidance.
INTERPOL credited Gateway partners Group-IB, Kaspersky, Trend Micro and Shadowserver, as well as ad hoc partner Team Cymru, with analysis and intelligence support. Group-IB separately reported identifying more than 500 IP addresses hosting phishing resources and over 1,900 IP addresses associated with ransomware, Trojans and banking-malware operations. It shared that information with the task force for coordinated action, according to the APCERT Annual Report 2023. Those are Group-IB’s partner-reported indicators, not figures to add to or treat as a breakdown of INTERPOL’s roughly 1,300 suspicious addresses or URLs.
Is this the same as Operation Synergia II?
No. Operation Synergia was conducted from September to November 2023. Operation Synergia II was a later, separate operation that ran from 1 April to 31 August 2024. INTERPOL reported 41 arrests for Synergia II; that result is not part of the 2023 operation’s 31 detained individuals. (INTERPOL, Synergia II announcement)
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What INTERPOL said about the operation
Bernardo Pillot, Assistant Director of INTERPOL’s Cybercrime Directorate, said: “The results of this operation, achieved through the collective efforts of multiple countries and partners, show our unwavering commitment to safeguarding the digital space. By dismantling the infrastructure behind phishing, banking malware, and ransomware attacks, we are one step closer to protecting our digital ecosystems and a safer, more secure online experience for all.”
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