Troels Ørting said that EC3 would follow Europol in co-operating with “the FBI, Secret Service and Immigration and Customs Enforcement from the US agencies”. Ørting is a former Danish police intelligence chief with more than 30 years’ experience in serious, organised international crime.
The EC3 will focus on illegal online activities carried out by organised crime groups, especially attacks targeting e-banking and other online financial activities, online child sexual exploitation and crimes affecting the EU's critical infrastructure.
In addition to the 27 EU member states Europol also regularly works alongside law enforcement colleagues in Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, Australia, Canada, Croatia and Colombia, amongst others, he said.
New centre to send ‘flying squads’ to assist
“We are building a new cyber lab and we have implemented a ‘cyber innovation room’ for supporting member states’ investigations,” Ørting told EurActiv, explaining that the opening of the EC3 marks a significant shift in the EU's response to cybercrime.
The new office will roll out a “secure outreach platform” to exchange strategic information and best practices across the EU and deploy experts with mobile offices – a kind of “flying squad” – to deliver on-the-spot assistance.
Addressing the difficulties of discovering who perpetrates cybercrime, Ørting said: “You will see espionage, preparation for cyber war and cyber attacks, terrorist activities, state-sponsored activities and hacktivism and extremism. You will see criminals – either organised in loose or more tight networks and individual criminals.”
Swarming is the new phenomenon
He said a buzzword to watch for is ‘swarming’: “A new word for sharing of a criminal modus, where lots of criminals will do the same scam for a short time.”
“We will focus on criminal groups or networks who steal your money, your information or your identity and people who engage in online abuse of children,” Ørting said.
The new EC3 chief – who has advised scriptwriters involved in Denmark’s buzzing TV crime-drama scene – acknowledged that cybercrime is extremely unpredictable.
Asked if the new centre itself was satisfactorily attack-proofed, he said it was "hopefully sufficient – but I realise that nothing is 100% secure in cyberspace and we have to be prepared for this!”
