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EU Law Enforcement Agencies Prepare for Cross-border Cyber Attacks
Large-scale cyber attacks that can cripple entire industry sectors or society are no longer unthinkable, according to Europol’s EC3 Cybercrime Centre.
The EU is preparing for “major cross-border cyber attacks” and will adopt a new emergency response protocol that gives Europol’s EC3 cybercrime unit a central role in combating attacks.
This new Law Enforcement Emergency Response Protocol is part of the EU’s blueprint for coordinated response to large-scale cross-border cybersecurity incidents and crises.Â
It is designed primarily as a tool to support EU law enforcement authorities in providing “immediate response” to major attacks through rapid assessment, the secure and timely sharing of critical information and effective coordination between international stakeholders.
Europol said that the crippling effects of the WannaCry and NotPetya cyber attacks in 2017 highlighted inadequate responses to the ever-evolving tactics of cybercriminals around the world.
Large-scale cyber attacks that can cripple entire industry sectors or society are no longer unthinkable, the crime agency added.
The new protocol will complement current crisis management standards currently in place and will help to streamline transnational activities while facilitating deeper collaboration between organisations and law enforcement agencies throughout the EU.
Furthermore, Europol said, it “further facilitates the collaboration with the network and information security community and relevant private sector partners”.
The crime agency insisted that only cybersecurity events of a “malicious and suspected criminal nature” fall within the scope of the protocol and will not cover incidents or crises caused by natural disasters, man-made errors or system failures.
Commenting on the announcement, Europol’s deputy executive director of Operations, Will van Gemert, said: “It is of critical importance that we increase cyber preparedness in order to protect the EU and its citizens from large scale cyber attacks.
“Law enforcement plays a vital role in the emergency response to reduce the number of victims affected and to preserve the necessary evidence to bring to justice the ones who are responsible for the attack.”
