INTERPOL & Trend’s Battle Against Online Crime
In the face of swift, resolute, and increasingly well-equipped cybercriminals, the most effective approach for international investigators is to leverage the substantial threat intelligence and specialized knowledge of private collaborators such as Trend Micro. The strategic partnership with INTERPOL underscores the importance of forming alliances to safeguard both the public and private domains from cyber threats.
By conducting research on ransomware and the clandestine world of cybercrime, we have identified evolving strategies, including double blackmail and a heightened focus on vital infrastructure, which present substantial dangers to global security. These findings not only shape our joint efforts with INTERPOL but also offer valuable guidance to the wider cybersecurity community in proactively tackling these evolving challenges.
The extensive global customer base of Trend, encompassing commercial entities and individual consumers, provides us with one of the widest arrays of threat intelligence in the sector, explaining why the global law enforcement community regards Trend as a key trusted consultant within the public-private collaboration framework aimed at combating cybercrime.
By securely and cooperatively exchanging intelligence, we can swiftly and effectively respond to emerging threats. Trend Micro partnered with INTERPOL in the current year on:
Operation Synergia II: The dismantling of more than 22,000 malicious IP addresses/servers leading to the confiscation of numerous servers, laptops, mobile phones, hard disks, and the arrest of 41 individuals.
The Trend Micro threat intelligence played a pivotal role in disrupting the phishing, ransomware, and information theft campaigns related to this infrastructure by:
- Notifying INTERPOL of all the malicious IP addresses linked to phishing activities detected by the Trend Micro global threat intelligence between January and March 2024.
- Identifying the types of malware associated with the malicious servers during this period, particularly Backdoors and Trojan/Downloaders
Trend Micro also conducted training for 20 investigators from participating countries in Operation Synergia II held between July 22-26, 2024. The training focused on advanced malware analysis techniques including:
- Surface Analysis (evaluating infection behavior, gathering related data using hash details, etc.)
- Dynamic Analysis (assessment involving system, process, and network monitoring using malware samples)
- Memory Forensics (obtaining, analyzing, and collecting volatile data artifacts using specialized tools)
Operation Contender 2.0: A prolonged INTERPOL operation concentrated on West Africa that has already resulted in numerous cybercrime arrests and the seizure of over 2,000 financial accounts and devices, along with the confiscation of illicit funds.
As a critical partner from the private sector, Trend contributes to annual INTERPOL reports on cyber threats in various regions including Africa, Asia and South-Pacific.
Trend also maintains a vigilant watch over cyber threats, both before and during specific international events such as the Paris Olympics 2024, to assist in policing efforts and enhance event safety and security.
As a reputable and valued partner of INTERPOL, our team of threat intelligence experts actively engages in INTERPOL initiatives, sharing insights through groups like the Americas Working Group, ASP Working Group, Regional Expert Group on Malware Analysis (ASEAN), and more. This ongoing cooperation ensures that law enforcement teams worldwide remain equipped to combat the evolving cyber threats.
Building on three decades of leadership in cybersecurity, Trend remains committed to creating a secure environment for the exchange of digital information globally. Through our continued collaboration with INTERPOL and partnerships like these, our mission is to enhance global cyber resilience by fostering cooperation across the international cybersecurity community.
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