Kaspersky has contributed to the fight against transnational cybercrime by taking part in operation Synergia, involving INTERPOL and its Gateway project partners — an initiative promoting collective efforts of national law enforcement and private sector organizations in combating ever-evolving cyberthreats. The operation – spanning more than 50 INTERPOL member states – focused on the disruption of malicious infrastructure involved in phishing, malware, and ransomware attacks.
During
the three-month operation (September-November 2023), INTERPOL coordinated cyber
intelligence exchanges between law enforcement agencies from member states and private
partners, resulting in the production of more than 60 Cyber Activity Reports. Kaspersky
supported the operation by sharing data on malicious infrastructure identified
worldwide, including globally-sourced threat data from Kaspersky Threat Intelligence, which is continuously
updated by the company’s world-class experts.
Some
1,300 suspicious servers relating to various cybercrimes have been identified
as part of the joint effort. As a result, investigators were able to take
actions on 70% of those malicious servers and also apprehend suspected
perpetrators across multiple states.
Operation
Synergia highlights:
- Authorities detained 31 individuals and identified an additional 70 suspects.
- Most of the C2 servers taken down were in Europe, where 26 people were arrested.
- Hong Kong and Singapore Police took down 153 and 86 servers, respectively.
- South Sudan and Zimbabwe reported the most takedowns on the African continent, arresting four suspects.
- Bolivia mobilized a range of public authorities to identify malware and resulting vulnerabilities.
- Kuwait worked closely with internet service providers to
identify victims, conduct field investigations, and also offer technical
guidance to mitigate impacts.
Bernardo
Pillot, Assistant Director to INTERPOL 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.”
“Kaspersky has been an active contributor to
INTERPOL’s operations, which have proved themselves as an effective instrument
for taking down cross-border cyber offences,” comments Yuliya Shlychkova, Vice-President
of Public Affairs at Kaspersky. “While
Kaspersky has data, knowledge and technologies to track a wide range of cybercrime
operations worldwide, international law enforcement agencies like INTERPOL
possess legal authority and resources to further investigate and prosecute cybercriminals.
Promoting a more comprehensive and holistic response to crime, our partnership
strengthens overall security efforts and enables timely reactions and proactive
measures to safeguard individuals, businesses, and society as a whole.”
The
data sharing exchange between Kaspersky and INTERPOL is part of a cooperation
agreement, signed by both parties in 2019, which also provides for delivering
human resources support and training to the law enforcement agency. Since the
document was signed, Kaspersky and INTERPOL have maintained a positive momentum
of joint
operations aimed at combating cybercrime and awareness-raising
projects to help people become more aware of modern-day cyber risks.
About Kaspersky
Kaspersky is a global cybersecurity and digital privacy company founded in 1997. Kaspersky’s deep threat intelligence and security expertise is constantly transforming into innovative solutions and services to protect businesses, critical infrastructure, governments and consumers around the globe. The company’s comprehensive security portfolio includes leading endpoint protection, specialized security products and services, as well as Cyber Immune solutions to fight sophisticated and evolving digital threats. Over 400 million users are protected by Kaspersky technologies and we help over 220,000 corporate clients protect what matters most to them. Learn more at www.kaspersky.com.
