IOCTA 2021 unveils the most recent cyber threat (r)evolutions

The new edition of Europol’s Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment has said that the accelerated digitalisation related to the coronavirus pandemic has significantly influenced the development of a number of cyber threats.

Criminals have been quick to abuse the current circumstances to increase profits, spreading to various areas and exposing vulnerabilities, connected to systems, hospitals or individuals. This has seen ransomware groups take advantage of widespread teleworking, scammers abuse pandemic fears and, with children spending a lot more time online, especially during lockdowns, grooming and dissemination of self-produced explicit material have increased significantly.

On top of this, grey infrastructure, including services offering end-to-end encryption, VPNs and cryptocurrencies continue to be abused for the facilitation and proliferation of a large range of criminal activities. This has resulted in significant challenges for the investigation of criminal activities and the protection of victims of crime.

Awareness raising and prevention are key components in reducing the effectiveness of cyber attacks and other cyber enabled criminal activities.

Catherine De Bolle, executive director of Europe, said: “Worldwide operations, such as the successful takedown of EMOTET botnet, have demonstrated the effectiveness of international cooperation. Ransomware groups have attempted to disrupt critical infrastructures, such as service providers and government institutions, to increase their profits with no concern for the possible damages such interceptions may cause to public safety and security. To this, the collective response of our international law enforcement community is clear: the authorities and the private sector worldwide stand strong and ready to mitigate together any threat that blackmails the stability of our societies.”