CYCLOPES - Cybercrime Law Enforcement Practitioners' Network

🌐💻 At the recent CYCLOPES Practitioner Workshop in Lisbon, top law enforcement experts joined forces to address the rising threats of ransomware and Crime-as-a-Service (CaaS). 🚨🔒 CYCLOPES - Cybercrime Law Enforcement Practitioners' Network 💡 PPHS is proud to support these critical efforts, leveraging its cybersecurity expertise to foster innovation and operational excellence. Through partnerships with industry, academia, and projects like CYRUS, PPHS is driving impactful change by: ✅ Creating novel tools to stay ahead of evolving cybercrime. ✅ Transforming academic insights into actionable strategies for real-world use. ✅ Enhancing collaboration among organisations to safeguard critical infrastructure. 🎓📈 Additionally, PPHS’s cybersecurity training programs are empowering public institutions and private sectors with the knowledge and skills to combat emerging threats. #CyberSecurity #Innovation #Collaboration #DigitalSafety

The highly anticipated CYCLOPES Practitioner Workshop on "Business Model of Ransomware, including Crime-as-a-Service (CaaS)" took place in Lisbon on 27-28th November, bringing together some of the brightest minds in #cybersecurity. #ransomware has become one of the most devastating cyber threats globally, affecting organisations of all sizes and industries. This workshop dived deep into understanding the ransomware ecosystem - a web of tactics, from extortion to the exploitation of advanced technologies, that has grown increasingly sophisticated. Law enforcement experts across Europe gathered together to: 👉 Explore innovative approaches to ransomware investigations 👉 Strengthen collaboration in tackling cyber threats 👉 Identify new technologies and methodologies to disrupt cybercrime ecosystems 👉 Address the challenges of rapidly shifting technologies and threats The workshop included presentations from various organisations, such as the Dutch National Police practical application of TNO research on ransomware ecosystems and the UK National Crime Agency (NCA)'s insights from Operation Cronos, offering a practical perspective on combating ransomware. Additionally, several LEAs delivered concise practitioner presentations, fostering a rich exchange of expertise and approaches. European Anti-Cybercrime Technology Development Association (EACTDA) showcased a ransomware investigation process map, highlighting a unique academic and law enforcement collaboration aimed at improving investigative methodologies. Discussions sought to identify capability gaps, legal barriers, and innovative solutions for combating these ever-evolving threats. By fostering dialogue and collaboration, this workshop was not just about tackling ransomware - it aimed to redefine how #cybercrime was approached in an era of rapidly shifting technologies and threats. Thank you for all contributors and participants! ➡️ Stay tuned for more insights and updates from CYCLOPES and visit the website for further information: https://lnkd.in/ejntEFjj #projectcyclopes #crimeasaservice #lawenforcement #h2020

❗ ❗ CALL FOR ABSTRACTS ❗ Our hugely popular conference returns once again next year, and we're inviting researchers and practitioners to submit papers for consideration. IPPPRI25 will take place from 19-21 May 2025 at the Renaissance Hotel, Heathrow, London. The conference will bring together leading voices dedicated to tackling the growing threat of online child sexual abuse, with a focus on ‘Tackling Online Harms: Research into Practice’. We welcome papers that demonstrate the impact of research on the 'whole system' response to online CSAE under the following themes: - Education and awareness in response to the growing threat of OCSAE - The emerging link between pornography and CSAM - The role of regulation - The Industry response to improving trust and safety - The law enforcement response - The wellbeing of officers and staff investigating OCSAE - The digital forensic response - The identification of victims and supporting victims, the families of victims and offenders - Offender intervention and prevention - Management of offenders Abstracts are invited until the closing date of 20th December 2024. Find out everything you need to know on our website: https://lnkd.in/edm6KDww

❓❓Why do users continue to contribute to darknet CSAM forums❓❓ On behalf of the #ARICAproject team, we invite you to explore this insightful article: 🔍 Key insights: ▪️ Only a minority of darknet CSAM forum members participate in public communications. ▪️ Among active members, a small group generates the majority of public interactions. ▪️ Continued participation is linked to self-presentation and prolonged exposure to the forum environment. ▪️ Interestingly, peer feedback seems to reduce continued activity. 💡This article examines the social dynamics and motivations driving user behaviour on darknet CSAM forums, based on quantitative analyses of digital trace data. 👉 Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/d4F_UZYW #Darknet #CSAE #ARICA #ChildProtection Arjan Blokland Colm Gannon Salla Huikuri Meike de Boer

The report published today provides further insight into the dynamics of group based child sexual abuse and exploitation. Importantly it takes place in many settings and perpetrators come from many backgrounds. Our collective response needs to take account of this to ensure we tackle the wider threat. In doing so we can prevent more offending, keep more children safe, bring more offenders to justice and importantly recognise all victims and survivors.

“Each day that it is legal to train AI models to create child sexual abuse material brings incalculable harm.” Speaking in the House of Lords, Baroness Kidron underscored the need for Government to bring forward the offence of possessing, sharing, creating, or distributing an #AI file that is trained on or trained to create child sexual abuse material. The IWF has been aware for a long time of the tendency among perpetrator communities to ‘collect’ content featuring their ‘favourite’ child sexual abuse victims. The consequence of this is a new way of adding links to the chain – each time re-victimising survivors of child sexual abuse – and potentially without end, since perpetrators can generate as many images of those children as they like without fear of detection or prevention. 📊 Read more about our recommendations for Government here: https://lnkd.in/dAPxJtFN 📺 Watch more below.

Our next practitioners' workshop is held on 27th and 28th November in Lisbon, Portugal! ✨ Theme of the workshop is Business model of ransomware, including Crime-as-a-service. Tune into the theme for example by reading an article Reconceptualising organised (cyber)crime: The case of ransomware (Whelan, Bright & Martin, Journal of Criminology, 2024): https://lnkd.in/dQkkg9Pu #projectcyclopes #crimeasaservice #cybercrime #ransomware

Why standards matter in cybersecurity? Standards play a crucial role in improving efficiency and ensuring safety in various aspects of our lives. Although the adoption of standards is voluntary, it is highly advisable to implement them due to wide variety of benefits they bring. These benefits include: Common terminology and understanding Accuracy, trustworthiness and compliance Robust processes Interoperability Harmonised methods Reproducible results By adopting and following standards, organizations and individuals can enhance efficiency, improve safety, and build trust among stakeholders – values that are of utmost importance especially in investigations and court cases. In short, standards are a shield against crime you can trust. Read more about the role of standards in fighting cybercrime: https://lnkd.in/dJkCaH2f

Korea has seen a sharp rise in deepfake sexual exploitation materials, particularly following a major deepfake pornography scandal in August 2024. In response, the Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC) has strengthened its efforts to combat these alarming developments through: 🔍 Platform Monitoring – Tracking major platforms to swiftly identify and address deepfake content. ⚡ Rapid Action – Issuing corrective measures within 24 hours to prevent harm. 🚨 Law Enforcement Referrals – Referring offenders to law enforcement for further investigation. KCSC’s commitment doesn’t stop there. They’ve expanded their team, collaborated with governments, launched a reporting hotline, and taken proactive steps to engage international partners and platforms. Swipe to read KCSC’s full position statement ➡️

✨Today, November 18th, the CYCLOPES project stands united with the #EU against child sexual exploitation and abuse #CSAE. ✨ #CYCLOPES helps to connect practitioners across the EU, sharing good practices and enhancing capacity and capabilities across various forms of cyber-related crime - including online child sexual abuse and exploitation. #CYCLOPES is a member of the Sparks in the Dark community, a platform that amplifies campaigns addressing all aspects of CSAE, and we're glad to support this important day! #UnitedAgainstCSAE