According to Europol’s 2014 Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment (iOCTA), this ‘Crime-as-a-Service’ business model provides access to a range of services that facilitate almost any type of cybercrime. The report highlights that, as a consequence, entry barriers into cybercrime are being lowered, allowing those lacking technical expertise, including traditional organised crime groups, to venture into cybercrime by purchasing the skills and tools they lack.
The report indicates the abuse of Darknets that are used by criminals for the illicit online trade in drugs, weapons, stolen goods, stolen personal and payment card data, forged identity documents and child abuse material.
The 2014 iOCTA also reveals that criminals predominantly operate from jurisdictions outside of the EU which, combined with outdated legal tools and insufficient response capacities, allows them to operate with minimum risk.
The report delivers a set of recommendations for law enforcement to address the evolving and trans-national nature of cybercrime. Awareness raising, capacity building, standardisation of practices and procedures, international and cross-border cooperation, exchange of relevant information and intelligence, development of adequate and harmonised legislation, and the dismantling and disruption of the criminal infrastructures behind illicit online services online are some of these proposals.
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