Mobsters now overlap with cybercrime gangs, says Europol

Infosec In Brief Organized crime networks are now reliant on digital tech for most of their activities according to Europol, the European agency that fights international crime on the continent and beyond. "The very DNA of organised crime is changing," Europol executive director Catherine De Bolle said last week at the launch of the org’s annual Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment (EU-SOCTA). "Criminal networks have evolved into global, technology-driven criminal enterprises, exploiting digital platforms, illicit financial flows and geopolitical instability to expand their influence,” De Bolle added." Organized criminals are rapidly adopting AI to automate tasks, expand operations at scale, and stay a step ahead of law enforcement by making their activities harder to detect, the document states. "The same qualities that make AI revolutionary – accessibility, adaptability and sophistication – also make it a powerful tool for criminal networks," Europol said. Even crimes rooted in the physical world—like human smuggling or drug trafficking - almost always come with a digital component today, Europol said. The internet has become "the primary theatre for organised crime," while data is now "the new currency of power" traded, stolen, or exploited by criminal groups. The report also highlights how organized crime, supercharged by technology, has become a more potent threat because its activities undermine the European Union’s institutions and social fabric. Criminal netw...