The sheer volume of data has been cited as a major hurdle for law enforcement fighting cyber-crime, according to a new report from Europol.

Problems around data were highlighted in the organisation’s Common Challenges in Cybercrime report, which was produced with input from Eurojust.

Challenges largely centre around data – its volume, and its potential to be deleted, anonymised, and accessed.

The report found that the amount of data related to investigations – which can amount to terabytes or even petabytes of data, can make it difficult to store, manage, or analyse without specialist knowledge and tools.

The way these masses of data are stored and packaged can also add further complexity and requires in-depth technical skills.

Further, agencies often lack a common data model, making it more complex to share data access and collaborate on cases.

This often results in significant delays in processing data due to a lack of interoperability.

Improved methodology in how cyber-criminals obfuscate data can make matters more complicated, enabling criminals to hide their identity, including their IP address which can be vital in location tracking.

These issues bring into the foray other challenges cited by law enforcement when relying on data for their investigations into cyber-crime.

A lack of interoperability is connected to a lack of overall data protocol surrounding the models of data made, and how it is retained.

One of the major challenges cited was the deletion of data – there is currently no standardised legal framework for data retention of law enforcement in the EU. In some cases, data access requests reach organisations long after data has been deleted, often stalling or disrupting investigations.

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The report also highlighted an oft-cited conundrum in the data regulation and crime prevention debate: access to encrypted data is continually complex legislatively and technically.

The ability of law enforcement to access and de-crypt encrypted data is varied across EU member states, as privacy advocates fear overreach by authorities and online safety advocates warn of encryption’s use by criminals.

The report also had gripes about the use of cryptocurrencies by cyber-criminals, as well as the anonymisation of criminals and data points online.

Overall, interoperability and the ability for international collaboration continue to be a challenges even for a confederation, as data regulations and protocols vary between law enforcement organisations.

Europol’s report also called for improvements in private-public cooperation to aid in data sharing needs for investigations.

“In conclusion, while significant strides have been made, the road ahead remains steep and fraught with challenges that will demand a dynamic and adaptive approach,” the report said.