Description

A major international law enforcement operation has successfully disrupted a large cybercrime network responsible for phishing, malware distribution, and ransomware attacks worldwide. Coordinated by INTERPOL, the initiative known as Operation Synergia III was carried out between July 18, 2025, and January 31, 2026. Authorities from 72 countries and territories worked together to identify and dismantle the digital infrastructure used by cybercriminal groups. As a result of the coordinated action, more than 45,000 malicious IP addresses and servers linked to cybercrime activities were taken offline. Law enforcement agencies also conducted multiple raids across different regions, leading to the arrest of 94 individuals, while 110 additional suspects remain under investigation. During these operations, officials seized 212 electronic devices and servers believed to have been used to support cybercriminal campaigns. During the operation, INTERPOL functioned as the primary intelligence hub, analyzing threat data and sharing actionable insights with participating countries. This centralized coordination enabled investigators to track malicious infrastructure and organize cross-border enforcement actions more efficiently. Preliminary findings suggest that the dismantled networks were used for various criminal activities, including ransomware attacks on organizations, financial fraud, and social engineering schemes designed to deceive victims. By combining intelligence from multiple sources, authorities were able to identify key operators and infrastructure behind several cybercrime operations. Several countries reported significant enforcement actions during the campaign. Authorities in Macau, China, shut down more than 33,000 fraudulent websites that impersonated banks, government portals, and payment platforms to steal financial information. In Bangladesh, police arrested 40 suspects and seized 134 electronic devices linked to job scams, identity theft, and credit card fraud. Meanwhile, law enforcement in Togo dismantled a ten-member criminal group involved in social media account hacking, sextortion, and romance scams. The operation was further supported by cybersecurity companies such as Group-IB, Trend Micro, and S2W, which helped identify malicious infrastructure and track evolving cyber threats.