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Operation Synergia II was an INTERPOL-supported investigation run from 1 April through 31 August 2024. INTERPOL said agencies from 95 member countries, working with four private-sector partners, targeted phishing, information stealers and ransomware. In its 5 November 2024 announcement, the agency reported that roughly 30,000 suspicious IP addresses were identified, 76% were taken down, 59 servers and 43 electronic devices were seized, and 41 people were arrested.
What Operation Synergia II was
The title refers to Operation Synergia II, a coordinated international law-enforcement effort supported by INTERPOL. The operation period was 1 April–31 August 2024; INTERPOL published its results on 5 November 2024.
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Law-enforcement agencies from 95 INTERPOL member countries participated. The private-sector partners named by INTERPOL were Group-IB, Trend Micro, Kaspersky and Team Cymru. Their role was to help identify malicious infrastructure and support national investigations; the announcement does not provide a separate partner-by-partner breakdown of results.
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What authorities reported taking down and seizing
| Reported measure | Figure | Qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Suspicious IP addresses identified | Approximately 30,000 | INTERPOL’s reported total for the operation |
| Suspicious IP addresses taken down | 76% | INTERPOL’s share of the identified addresses |
| Servers seized | 59 | Reported law-enforcement seizures |
| Electronic devices seized | 43 | Reported law-enforcement seizures |
| Individuals arrested | 41 | Reported arrests by participating authorities |
| People under investigation | 65 | Still under investigation when INTERPOL published its release |
These are enforcement and infrastructure counts supplied by INTERPOL, not an independent evaluation of the operation’s long-term effect on cybercrime.
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Which cybercrime categories were targeted
Phishing
INTERPOL describes phishing as a common initial-access technique. Fraudulent messages or sites can steal data directly or deliver malware that gives criminals a foothold in a device or network.
Information stealers
Infostealer malware is designed to collect sensitive information such as account credentials and financial data. INTERPOL noted that these tools are increasingly used to obtain access later used in ransomware attacks.
Ransomware
Ransomware was the third stated target category. These attacks typically block access to systems or data and demand payment, although the release does not quantify ransomware incidents disrupted by the operation.
Examples from participating jurisdictions
INTERPOL gave country-level examples to illustrate the investigations. They are examples, not a complete tally for every participating jurisdiction.
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- Hong Kong: Police took more than 1,037 servers offline.
- Mongolia: Investigators conducted 21 house searches and identified 93 people linked to illegal cyber activity.
- Macau: Police took 291 servers offline.
- Madagascar: Authorities identified 11 individuals and seized 11 devices.
- Estonia: Police seized more than 80 GB of server data for further analysis.
What the results do—and do not—show
The figures demonstrate a large, multinational disruption effort: infrastructure was identified, a reported 76% of the suspicious IP addresses was taken down, physical evidence was seized and arrests were made across jurisdictions. They do not, by themselves, establish how long the infrastructure stayed offline, how many criminal groups were dismantled, or whether activity migrated to replacement systems.
Neal Jetton, INTERPOL’s Director of the Cybercrime Directorate, said: “The global nature of cybercrime requires a global response which is evident by the support member countries provided to Operation Synergia II. 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.”
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The claim that hundreds of thousands of potential victims were prevented comes from Jetton’s statement. INTERPOL’s reviewed release does not explain a measurement method or provide an independent impact assessment, so it should be treated as an attributed agency estimate rather than a verified victim count.
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Cybercrime infrastructure routinely crosses borders: a phishing operation may host websites in one country, route traffic through another and target victims worldwide. A single national police force can therefore identify part of the activity without being able to seize servers or arrest suspects elsewhere. Operation Synergia II’s 95-country structure allowed participating authorities to combine intelligence, execute domestic actions and share evidence through an international framework.
The operation also shows why disruption metrics come in several forms. Taking an IP address offline can interrupt access, while server and device seizures may preserve evidence for later prosecutions. Arrests and ongoing investigations measure legal action, but they do not automatically indicate convictions or permanent removal of a criminal network.
Timeline and source context
- 1 April 2024: Operation Synergia II began.
- 31 August 2024: The stated operational period ended.
- 5 November 2024: INTERPOL published its results and attributed the figures and victim-prevention statement to the agency and its officials.
- 6 November 2024: Dark Reading published a report summarizing the operation and INTERPOL’s figures.
The Bottom Line
Operation Synergia II was a defined April–August 2024 INTERPOL-supported operation, not an unspecified permanent takedown. INTERPOL reported participation from 95 member countries, disruption of 76% of approximately 30,000 suspicious IP addresses, 59 server and 43 device seizures, and 41 arrests, while 65 people remained under investigation. Its claim of preventing hundreds of thousands of potential victims is an attributed agency estimate without measurement details in the published release.
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