I527-290 ESRIF Final Report (WEB).indd - European Commission

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The threats of cyber criminality comprise a broad range: from direct threats to individuals (e.g. online child sexual
abuse) to threats to the national security of entire countries (large scale attacks on information systems) and
occasionally a global impact cannot be excluded.
Some of these threats are listed hereafter:
- Cyber and physical attacks against IP distribution centres resulting in the paralysis of the Internet
- Dissemination of fear, recruiting, propaganda, fund raising – cyber terrorism
- Interfering, gaining remote control of systems that are strategic for state security and air transport (e.g. water, energy
supply networks; communication, aircraft)
- Dissemination of child sexual abuse materials
- Internet as a medium for anonymous exchange of information on criminal activity
- Data mining (open sources and hacking) Internet resources to fi nd potential targets for terrorist attacks and/or
information on them
- Anonymous access to the Internet leading to e.g. cyber stalking or identity thefts
3. Organised abuse of fi nancial or payment systems
According to the Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on the prevention
of and the fi ght against Organised Crime in the fi nancial sector dated 16/4/2004 COM(2004)262, organised fi nancial
crime is taken to mean activities of organised crime groups which abuse fi nancial or payment systems with a view to
fi nancial gain, a defi nition which is wide enough to embrace certain recent scandals in the corporate sector. This category
comprises a number of important fi nancial threats, from money-laundering to payment systems fraud, to direct attacks
against the critical fi nancial infrastructure of private banks and/or public authorities involved in handling and exchanging
fi nancial information. Organised fi nancial crime can potentially result in a broad societal impact due to lost revenues, loss of
reputation and degradation of public standards. High levels of such crime can discourage the creation of new enterprises,
deter potential investors and distort competition.
As categories of fi nancial crime one can distinguish:
- Counterfeit banknotes and coins. Modern digital equipment off ers growing possibilities for reproduction of banknotes
including some of the specifi c machine-readable features incorporated in Euro banknotes
- Fraud and counterfeiting of non-cash means of payment (principally credit and debit cards and cheque
payments)
- Tax fraud. Especially VAT fraud is a major concern for the Member States and the European Community, because this
fraud jeopardises legitimate trade in certain economic sectors and hampers the functioning of the internal market
- llegal transactions related to e.g. export of armaments and weapons, trade of drugs, money laundering,
underground banking
1.2.2.2 Required capabilities
Private players and (inter-)national authorities at all levels have to take care of public security. In order to cope with the above
indicated threats they have to provide for a number of capabilities:
Enhanced resilience of supply chains against pollution with counterfeited products
Improved branding of products or of sealed packages of products can contribute to better and easier possibilities of
authentication in diff erent stages of the supply chain. Also the development of tracking and tracing of goods during
transport is relevant in this context. Standardization of the approach for special product categories seems needed for
successful application. Furthermore the investigation for tracing counterfeited products should be made more professional.
(See Working Group 2 on food and agriculture tracking and tracing).
Enhanced resilience and protection of ICT-infrastructure
Protecting the cyberspace from serious abuses is an important challenge for the years ahead. New protective
technological measures and cooperation between law enforcement agencies cannot lag behind modern
forms of crime. Our citizens expect an adequate response from authorities. An adequate strategy includes a
combination of exploring new avenues and better use of existing instruments to ensure an optimal use of
all available resources at EU level. The elimination of redundant duplications and a better and more intensive
ESRIF FINAL REPORT - PART 2 • Working Group: Security of Citizens