Listen to this Post
A New Era in Cyber Defense Collaboration
In early 2025, a powerful alliance between Trend Micro and INTERPOL triggered a major victory in the global war on cybercrime. Dubbed Operation Secure, this multi-national campaign targeted the heart of a sprawling infostealer malware infrastructure plaguing the Asia-Pacific region. The operation wasn’t just about disrupting digital threats — it marked a strategic shift toward international cooperation, real-time intelligence sharing, and large-scale takedowns of cybercriminal networks. With over 26 countries participating, this operation has set a new benchmark for how law enforcement and private sector cybersecurity firms can work hand-in-hand to protect millions.
Strategic Summary of the Operation (40 Lines)
Operation Secure, conducted from January to April 2025, marked a turning point in global cybersecurity efforts, thanks to the collaborative muscle of law enforcement agencies from 26 countries and key private sector partners like Trend Micro. This initiative successfully dismantled a vast web of infostealer malware campaigns targeting victims across Asia and the Pacific. More than 20,000 malicious IP addresses and domains were identified and taken offline, and 41 criminal servers were seized. Importantly, 32 individuals involved in cybercrime activities were arrested. A notable 216,000 potential victims were proactively notified, enabling them to take swift protective actions.
Trend Micro played a pivotal role by supplying real-time threat intelligence, leveraging its advanced global telemetry systems. This input proved crucial in achieving a remarkable 79% removal rate of malicious IPs. The firm’s analysis also helped identify 117 command-and-control (C\&C) servers spread across 89 hosting providers. Among the most active malware families detected were Vidar, Lumma Stealer, and Rhadamanthys — each known for stealing credentials, cryptocurrency wallets, and sensitive system data.
Authorities in Hong Kong, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and Nauru took significant action during the operation, leading to multiple arrests and the seizure of digital assets like SIM cards and fraudulent devices. In Vietnam alone, 18 suspects were apprehended, while police in Sri Lanka and Nauru arrested another 14 individuals. This cross-border synergy highlights the power of combining forensic analysis with real-time server identification.
The operation went beyond takedowns by aiming for sustainable disruption. Mapping malicious servers not only dismantled active campaigns but also enabled a deep forensic dive into the infrastructure supporting these crimes. By cutting off the command centers of infostealers, the initiative also interrupted their ability to deliver malware payloads or control infected systems. These actions strengthened cyber resilience in the region and created a framework for future operations.
Trend Micro’s ongoing cooperation with INTERPOL includes past successes like Operation Synergia, which dismantled over 1,300 C\&C servers, and Operation Red Card, which resulted in 306 arrests. This latest operation underscores a shared commitment to proactively tackling cyber threats, reinforcing that cybersecurity is no longer a solo effort but a global responsibility.
What Undercode Say: (50 Lines of Analytical Insight)
Strategic Importance of Public-Private Cyber Alliances
Operation Secure
Infostealers: The Silent Thieves of the Digital World
Vidar, Lumma, and Rhadamanthys represent a new generation of silent cyber threats. These malware types don’t make headlines with ransomware-like destruction but instead operate quietly, harvesting sensitive data for long-term exploitation. Their use of everyday platforms like GitHub, Discord, and even cracked software download sites shows how infostealers blend into digital environments without raising alarms. This stealth factor makes proactive intelligence gathering even more critical.
Globalization of Cyber Threats Requires Global Defense
No single country could have achieved what 26 nations accomplished together. The scale of the infrastructure taken down — over 20,000 IPs, 41 servers, and 100GB of criminal data — reflects the global nature of modern cybercrime. Servers identified in one region were being accessed or used for attacks in another. This confirms that cybercrime syndicates operate without borders, necessitating joint response models.
Real-Time Victim Notification: A Game-Changer
Notifying 216,000 victims in real time
Emerging Threats from Infostealer-as-a-Service Models
The rise of infostealer-as-a-service (IaaS) models such as LummaC2 proves that cybercrime has become more democratized and accessible. Even low-skilled actors can rent or buy access to powerful malware kits, making widespread distribution easier and faster. This trend is likely to grow, reinforcing the need for cybersecurity firms to focus on disrupting the backend infrastructure rather than just the malware samples.
Post-Takedown Forensics & Future Protection
The real power of seizing servers lies in what they reveal. Stored stolen data, logs of communications, and malware payloads provide law enforcement with forensic gold. They allow not only the identification of current actors but also the development of signatures and defense strategies for emerging threats. These insights feed into global cybersecurity ecosystems and benefit everyone from governments to private users.
Reinforcing Regional Cyber Resilience
Asia-Pacific has long been a hotbed for both digital innovation and cybercrime. Operation Secure’s success in this region sends a strong signal: cross-border cyberattacks will be met with cross-border defense. This improves overall regional resilience and sets a precedent for other areas to follow.
The Shift from Reactive to Proactive Cyber Defense
The 79% removal rate of malicious IPs shows that with the right tools, coordination, and intelligence, proactive cybersecurity is possible. Rather than simply responding to attacks after they happen, agencies and firms can now prevent damage by removing threats at their root — the servers and IPs controlling the malware ecosystem.
A Broader Message to Cybercriminals
Perhaps the most valuable takeaway is the psychological impact on threat actors. Takedowns like Operation Secure tell cybercriminals that they are being watched, traced, and dismantled — regardless of geography or obfuscation techniques. It creates a hostile environment for cybercrime to flourish.
Blueprint for the Future
Operation Secure is more than a case study — it’s a working template. It proves that through mutual trust, real-time intelligence, and decisive action, global cybercrime can be contained, if not eradicated. What lies ahead is whether this momentum can be sustained and replicated globally.
Fact Checker Results ✅
Trend
Was infrastructure really dismantled across 26 nations? ✅ Verified
Are infostealers like Vidar and Lumma currently active? ✅ Still active and evolving
🕵️♂️🔍🛡️
Prediction: What’s Next in the Cybercrime Battlefield?
The next wave of infostealers will likely be even more covert, using encrypted C2 communication, decentralized hosting, and AI-driven payload delivery. As cybercriminals adapt, law enforcement and cybersecurity firms must evolve faster. We expect greater investment in automated threat mapping, predictive intelligence models, and global takedown protocols. Moreover, the rise of infostealer marketplaces will trigger more targeted actions, especially against MaaS platforms and dark web infrastructure. Future operations will likely include more real-time monitoring capabilities and victim response systems, making cyber defense not just reactive, but anticipatory. 🌐🔐💥
References:
Reported By: www.trendmicro.com
Extra Source Hub:
https://www.reddit.com
Wikipedia
Undercode AI
Image Source:
Unsplash
Undercode AI DI v2
