The IOCTA is Europol’s flagship strategic product that provides a law enforcement focused assessment of evolving threats and key developments in the area of cybercrime. In previous versions of the IOCTA it was highlighted that the persistent nature of various modi operandi meant that changes of cybercrime threats were rarer than commonly perceived. Last year’s IOCTA captured the landscape by reflecting on how cybercrime is an evolution rather than a revolution. In this year’s report, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic remains visible. The accelerated digitalisation related to the pandemic has significantly influenced the development of a number of cyber threats.

During the last year, Europol has – together with its partners – coordinated takedowns of various services operating in grey areas, such as the takedowns of two VPNs that provided safe havens for cybercriminals: DoubleVPN8 and Safe-Inet. In addition, the takedowns of encrypted communication providers (also known as ‘crypto phones’) have led to the arrests of hundreds of criminals and the seizure of tons of illegal drugs, firearms, and millions of euros. However, more importantly, these operations have provided global law enforcement agencies with invaluable insights into the operations of criminals and their networks.