Interpol – Operation Synergia III leads to 45,000 malicious IPs dismantled and 94 arrests worldwide

INTERPOL dismantled 45,000 malicious IPs and servers and arrested 94 suspects in a global cybercrime operation.

INTERPOL announced a global cybercrime operation (codenamed Operation Synergia III) involving 72 countries that dismantled 45,000 malicious IP addresses and servers linked to phishing, malware, and ransomware. The international law enforcement operation led to 94 arrests, 110 ongoing investigations, and the seizure of 212 devices.

Authorities also carried out raids, disrupted criminal infrastructure, and seized 212 electronic devices and servers.

“Law enforcement from 72 countries and territories took part in Operation Synergia III (18 July 2025 – 31 January 2026), coordinated by INTERPOL. The operation led to the arrest of 94 people, with another 110 individuals still under investigation.” reads the announcement published by Interpol.

“During the operation, INTERPOL transformed data into actionable intelligence, facilitated cross-border collaboration, and provided tactical operational assistance to member countries. Preliminary investigations led to a series of coordinated actions by national authorities, including raids on key locations and the disruption of malicious cyber activities.  In total 212 electronic devices and servers were seized. “

During Operation Synergia III, authorities uncovered diverse cybercrime schemes across several countries. In Macau, investigators identified over 33,000 phishing sites linked to fake casinos and fraudulent bank or government portals used to steal money and personal data.

In Togo, police arrested 10 suspects running scams such as social media account hacking, romance fraud, and sextortion. Meanwhile, in Bangladesh, authorities arrested 40 suspects and seized 134 devices tied to loan, job, identity theft, and credit card scams. The operation was coordinated by INTERPOL with support from cybersecurity firms Group-IB, Trend Micro, and S2W.

“Cybercrime in 2026 is more sophisticated and destructive than ever before, but Operation Synergia III stands as a powerful testament to what global cooperation can achieve.” Neal Jetton, INTERPOL’s Director of the Cybercrime Directorate, said. “INTERPOL remains at the forefront of this fight, uniting law enforcement agencies and private sector experts to dismantle criminal networks, disrupt emerging threats and protect victims around the world.”

Operation Synergia III is the third phase of the global crackdown run by INTERPOL. Conducted from July 2025 to January 2026, it follows earlier operations in 2023 and 2024 that exposed other malicious infrastructures and led to multiple arrests.

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Pierluigi Paganini

(SecurityAffairs – hacking, cybercrime)