EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

Europol’s 2017 Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment (IOCTA) has just been released and the results show plenty of room for improvement. Chief among the findings is that the collective response to cyber attacks has not been good enough, especially in view of the unprecedented scale, impact, and rate of spread.

Other key findings:

·  Ransomware has topped most other cyber threats globally in public and private sectors.

·  Botnets are responsible for the first serious attacks using infected insecure Internet of Things (IoT) devices.

·  Data breaches have left two billion records related to EU citizens exposed during a 12-month period.

·  The Darknet continues to be a supportive platform for various criminal activities.

·  Direct attacks on bank networks, which affect account balances, payment processes, and ATM systems, are among the serious emerging threats.

Read the full story here.