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Criminal gangs paying “cyber-crime-as-a-service” experts to help with crimes (1 October 2014)

Date: 01/10/2014
Duncan Lewis, Legal News Solicitors, Criminal gangs paying “cyber-crime-as-a-service” experts to help with crimes

A report published by Europol’s European Cyber-crime Centre has warned that organised gangs of criminals are hiring the services of computer hackers and cyber-crime experts to help them plan and carry out serious and organised crime.

Online journal Computing.co.uk reports that the document IOCTA 2014 (Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment) is warning that cyber-criminals are offering their services for a fee to criminal gangs as part of a “cyber-crime-as-a-service” trend.

Hackers are able to name their price to help gangs commit crimes – and this in turn is “lowering the barriers” for criminal gangs entering the world of cyber- crime, the reports states. The cyber-crime-as-a-service” trend is especially useful for gangs whose members may not have the technical computer skills needed to use anonymisation, encryption and virtual currencies online.

Criminal gangs are also increasingly operating on the dark web – a hidden version of the Internet where drugs can be bought anonymously using virtual currencies – as well as firearms, weaponry and pornography. The dark web also makes disposing of stolen goods – such as fine art or jewellery – much more covert.

Director of Europol, Rob Wainwright. said:

“The inherently transnational nature of cyber-crime – with its growing commercialisation and sophistication of attack capabilities – is the main trend identified in the iOCTA.

“It means that issues concerning attribution, the abuse of legitimate services, and inadequate or inconsistent legislation are among the most important challenges facing law enforcement today.”

European Union Commissioner of Home Affairs, Cecilia Malmström, said:

“These days, almost anyone can become a cyber-criminal – this puts an ever increasing pressure on law enforcement authorities to keep up.

“We need to use our new knowledge of how organised crime operates online to launch more transnational operations.

“We need to ensure that investigations into payment card fraud and online child abuse don't stop at national borders,” she added.

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