Enhancing cybersecurity, improving cooperation and the reporting of cyberattacks in the EU

Challenge

Since cyber hacks and attacks impact virtually everyone – governments, businesses, individuals – all stakeholders need to co-operate in defending themselves and repelling attacks (including deterrent strategies). To improve reporting, LEAs and CERTs need to respond to those who report cybercrimes, just as they would (or should) if the crime were committed in the physical world. This information exchange is complicated by the fact that national authorities do not systematically gather and share information which could help assess the state of cybercrime in the EU. The EU Cybersecurity strategy claims that “Only a fraction of incidents are reported by Member States, and information sharing is neither systematic nor comprehensive.” CYBERSPACE will build on the results of the H2020 CC-DRIVER cybersecurity project to improve cooperation and information sharing among LEAs – for example, in the LEA Working Group and the cluster of EU-funded projects with LEA partners. Similar working groups, especially bringing together LEAs and businesses, will help build trust and information sharing.

Objectives

CYBERSPACE will provide LEAs, policymakers and the private sector with a better picture of the extent of cybercrime and cyberattacks in the EU. The project will stimulate stakeholders to report such attacks to their LEAs and CERTs. CYBERSPACE will map to whom such attacks should be reported and the actions taken in response. We will enhance the capacity of LEAs and forensics institutes to investigate cybercrimes and cyberattacks.

The consortium will aim to enhance the detection of hacks and attacks and to improve cooperation between LEAs and between LEAs and the private sector in accordance with the EU Cybersecurity Strategy.

Our Role

Privanova is uniquely positioned to contribute to the CYBERSPACE project. Besides our participation in EU-funded projects of interest to the global law enforcement community such as CC-DRIVER and TRACE, Privanova is also a member of the INTERPOL’s Cybercrime Knowledge Exchange – a global operational network of LEAs we can use as a two-way communication channel between the project partners and its end-users.

In the CYBERSPACE project, Privanova will engage and collaborate with stakeholders such as the European Cyber Security Organisation (ECSO), Information Security Forum (ISF), SME associations, LEAs and CERTs to increase the reporting of cybercrime. Together with our consortium partners, Privananova will conduct a dissemination campaign targeting businesses to report cybercrime and cyberattacks. Our campaign will include quotes from leading figures in cybersecurity emphasising the importance of reporting cybercrimes, policy briefs and videos.

Another key activity Privanova will lead within the CYBERSPACE project concerns leveraging existing clusters and networks such as ECSO, EOS and EARTO, and the involvement of the consortium partners in numerous ongoing projects. Relying on our experience with Clustering in Horizon Europe and H2020, we will create a cluster of EU-funded cybercrime and cybersecurity projects.

Thanks to Privanova’s extensive network of high-ranking law enforcement officials and forensic experts, Privanova will also create and interact with the project’s Stakeholder Board, comprising about 20-30 stakeholders, carefully selected to represent the different stakeholder groups, especially including LEAs and judicial authorities.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and Innovation programme under grant agreement N°101038738. All information on this website reflects only the authors’ view. The Agency and the Commission are not responsible for any use that may be made of the information this website contains.