Periodic Reporting for period 3 - CYCLOPES (Fighting Cybercrime – Law Enforcement Practitioners’ Network)
Reporting period: 2023-11-01 to 2025-01-31
The CYCLOPES project, launched in May 2021, aims to create a European network of law enforcement agencies, LEAs, combating cybercrime. The five-year project, funded by the EU funding programme Horizon 2020, is coordinated by the Polish Platform for Homeland Security, and 20 partners from 14 European countries are involved in the project.
The CYCLOPES project’s main goals are to define the capability gaps and requirements of practitioners fighting cybercrime, and to monitor the development of new technologies, research activities and innovations applied to combatting cybercrime. It also aims to indicate priorities regarding domains requiring standardisation and innovation uptake, and cooperate with other networks of practitioners and relevant stakeholders fighting cybercrime. Although the project brings together practitioners in a ‘network’ of actions – the goal is to integrate with established European networks to utilise existing communication channels and structures. This is critical as another primary objective is not to duplicate the efforts of other projects and initiatives. In contrast, the CYCLOPES project hopes to decrease redundancy and provide other initiatives such as ENLETS, Europol’s Innovation Lab, EACTDA, ECTEG and CEPOL with results that will further benefit their actions.
Finally, CYCLOPES focus on the ongoing dialogue with the industry including SMEs and academia, who are delivering products and conducting research on solutions that help fight cybercrime, in addition to sharing best practices. The main engine of the project consists of practitioners’ workshops where gaps and requirements, as well as current capacity of authorities combating cybercrime, are identified.
The CYCLOPES project’s main goals are to define the capability gaps and requirements of practitioners fighting cybercrime, and to monitor the development of new technologies, research activities and innovations applied to combatting cybercrime. It also aims to indicate priorities regarding domains requiring standardisation and innovation uptake, and cooperate with other networks of practitioners and relevant stakeholders fighting cybercrime. Although the project brings together practitioners in a ‘network’ of actions – the goal is to integrate with established European networks to utilise existing communication channels and structures. This is critical as another primary objective is not to duplicate the efforts of other projects and initiatives. In contrast, the CYCLOPES project hopes to decrease redundancy and provide other initiatives such as ENLETS, Europol’s Innovation Lab, EACTDA, ECTEG and CEPOL with results that will further benefit their actions.
Finally, CYCLOPES focus on the ongoing dialogue with the industry including SMEs and academia, who are delivering products and conducting research on solutions that help fight cybercrime, in addition to sharing best practices. The main engine of the project consists of practitioners’ workshops where gaps and requirements, as well as current capacity of authorities combating cybercrime, are identified.
The project has been progressing according to its work plan and managed to achieve its objectives for the reporting period. The project is divided into 8 work packages where each WP contains a set of associated and related tasks.
WP1 Project Management & Security Matters. This WP is dedicated to the management of the project and the main objective of this WP is to coordinate and manage all project-related actions in order to guarantee its successful execution and the adequate advance of the project in terms of schedule, resources, scope and expected impacts. The management of the project has been carried out in an efficient way. The project management office (PMO) plays an integral role in maintaining connections between the project partners and facilitating an environment conducive for integration and cooperation.
WP2 Identification of practitioners’ capabilities, gaps and requirements. This WP shows adequate progress in relation to the DoA. WP2 is the driving force in CYCLOPES that works to identify current capacities of authorities combating cybercrime and the capability gaps and challenges of LEAs from across Europe in relation to cyber and digital related criminality. From the beginning of the project, 11 workshops dedicated to a specific topic related to fighting cybercrime have been conducted where CYCLOPES identify practitioners’ capabilities, gaps and requirements: 1)Mobile Devices and Wearables Technologies 2)RDP Protocols 3)Social Engineering 4)Automotive Digital Forensics 5)Cryptocurrency 6)Cloud Services Investigations 7)Internet of Things 8)Investigating Cybercrime Related Services 9)Law Enforcement Investigation of the Misuse of VR Technologies and Use of Generative AI to Generate Child Sexual Abuse Material 10)Enhancing DF Investigations using OSINT/Cyber Intelligence 11)Business model of ransomware, including Crime-as-a-Service.
WP3 Research, innovation and market watch. The main goal of WP3 is to establish a bridge between practitioners, academia and industry, to monitor how research and innovation can address the requirements, gaps and challenges identified by practitioners during the activities of WP2. This WP facilitated three Joint Live Exercises (JLE) 1) focused on Digital Forensics, specifically tools that support officers with cases connected to Mobile Devices and Wearable Technologies, 2) focused on crimes connected with various crypto assets and 3) focused on Automotive Digital Forensic. In addition to practitioners, selected representatives of industry and academia were invited to present their solutions during practical exercises. In addition, based on the need, CYCLOPES has created a collaborative catalogue with the list of tools identified in the CYCLOPES practitioners' workshops and covering multiple domains, including digital forensics, OSINT, threat intelligence, cryptocurrencies and dark web.
WP4 Standardisation and innovation uptake. WP4 aims to provide reports highlighting the recommendations for standardisation opportunities related to combating cybercrime. The WP4 organised three dedicated Annual Standardisation Workshops in cooperation with particular CEN/CENELEC and ISO Technical Committees.
WP5 Community building. The overall aim of WP5 is to to build, strengthen and maintain links with actions relevant to CYCLOPES; learning and developing from the collective efforts, where possible. Aside from CYCLOPES’ internal LEA community, this work package aims to bridge between the CYCLOPES project and: 1) EU and international organisations, such as EC, EC3, Europol’s Innovation Hub, Interpol, ENISA; 2) networks of practitioners, especially ENLETS, ENFSI, i-LEAD, iLeaNet, EU-HYBNET and i-ProcureNet; 3) networks and relevant stakeholders related to cybersecurity (SPARTA, ECHO, CONCORDIA) and 4) Research (CLAIR), Industry (EOS), Ethical and Social societies and organisations.
WP6 Communication, dissemination and exploitation activities. This WP intends to define the Communication and Dissemination plan for the main results and development achievements. WP6 actively disseminated the project results to the relevant target groups through the project newsletter, social media accounts, e-mails to known networks, the EC platform CIRCABC as well as kick-started cooperation with the EC Horizon Results booster programme. Currently, there are 978 followers on LinkedIn and 230 followers on X (Twitter). So far, three Dissemination Events and annual webinars were organised to raise awareness of the project and disseminate the main project findings to a large spectrum of stakeholders and ensure efficient cooperation between CYCLOPES and relevant partners; LEAs across Europe, industry and science as well as relevant networks and organisations responsible for fighting cybercrime.
WP7 Societal, Ethical and Legal Connections Related to Cybercrime. WP7 aims to provide legal guidance, monitoring and assessment to ensure compliance with GDPR and relevant national data protection legislation including the analysis of the actual societal, ethical and legal challenges related to cybercrime investigation activities and to develop recommendations and training component for the cybercrime investigators.
WP8 Ethics requirements. The main objective is to ensure compliance with the 'ethics requirements' set out in this work package. WP8 is additional WP added to the GA after Ethical Security of the proposal.
WP1 Project Management & Security Matters. This WP is dedicated to the management of the project and the main objective of this WP is to coordinate and manage all project-related actions in order to guarantee its successful execution and the adequate advance of the project in terms of schedule, resources, scope and expected impacts. The management of the project has been carried out in an efficient way. The project management office (PMO) plays an integral role in maintaining connections between the project partners and facilitating an environment conducive for integration and cooperation.
WP2 Identification of practitioners’ capabilities, gaps and requirements. This WP shows adequate progress in relation to the DoA. WP2 is the driving force in CYCLOPES that works to identify current capacities of authorities combating cybercrime and the capability gaps and challenges of LEAs from across Europe in relation to cyber and digital related criminality. From the beginning of the project, 11 workshops dedicated to a specific topic related to fighting cybercrime have been conducted where CYCLOPES identify practitioners’ capabilities, gaps and requirements: 1)Mobile Devices and Wearables Technologies 2)RDP Protocols 3)Social Engineering 4)Automotive Digital Forensics 5)Cryptocurrency 6)Cloud Services Investigations 7)Internet of Things 8)Investigating Cybercrime Related Services 9)Law Enforcement Investigation of the Misuse of VR Technologies and Use of Generative AI to Generate Child Sexual Abuse Material 10)Enhancing DF Investigations using OSINT/Cyber Intelligence 11)Business model of ransomware, including Crime-as-a-Service.
WP3 Research, innovation and market watch. The main goal of WP3 is to establish a bridge between practitioners, academia and industry, to monitor how research and innovation can address the requirements, gaps and challenges identified by practitioners during the activities of WP2. This WP facilitated three Joint Live Exercises (JLE) 1) focused on Digital Forensics, specifically tools that support officers with cases connected to Mobile Devices and Wearable Technologies, 2) focused on crimes connected with various crypto assets and 3) focused on Automotive Digital Forensic. In addition to practitioners, selected representatives of industry and academia were invited to present their solutions during practical exercises. In addition, based on the need, CYCLOPES has created a collaborative catalogue with the list of tools identified in the CYCLOPES practitioners' workshops and covering multiple domains, including digital forensics, OSINT, threat intelligence, cryptocurrencies and dark web.
WP4 Standardisation and innovation uptake. WP4 aims to provide reports highlighting the recommendations for standardisation opportunities related to combating cybercrime. The WP4 organised three dedicated Annual Standardisation Workshops in cooperation with particular CEN/CENELEC and ISO Technical Committees.
WP5 Community building. The overall aim of WP5 is to to build, strengthen and maintain links with actions relevant to CYCLOPES; learning and developing from the collective efforts, where possible. Aside from CYCLOPES’ internal LEA community, this work package aims to bridge between the CYCLOPES project and: 1) EU and international organisations, such as EC, EC3, Europol’s Innovation Hub, Interpol, ENISA; 2) networks of practitioners, especially ENLETS, ENFSI, i-LEAD, iLeaNet, EU-HYBNET and i-ProcureNet; 3) networks and relevant stakeholders related to cybersecurity (SPARTA, ECHO, CONCORDIA) and 4) Research (CLAIR), Industry (EOS), Ethical and Social societies and organisations.
WP6 Communication, dissemination and exploitation activities. This WP intends to define the Communication and Dissemination plan for the main results and development achievements. WP6 actively disseminated the project results to the relevant target groups through the project newsletter, social media accounts, e-mails to known networks, the EC platform CIRCABC as well as kick-started cooperation with the EC Horizon Results booster programme. Currently, there are 978 followers on LinkedIn and 230 followers on X (Twitter). So far, three Dissemination Events and annual webinars were organised to raise awareness of the project and disseminate the main project findings to a large spectrum of stakeholders and ensure efficient cooperation between CYCLOPES and relevant partners; LEAs across Europe, industry and science as well as relevant networks and organisations responsible for fighting cybercrime.
WP7 Societal, Ethical and Legal Connections Related to Cybercrime. WP7 aims to provide legal guidance, monitoring and assessment to ensure compliance with GDPR and relevant national data protection legislation including the analysis of the actual societal, ethical and legal challenges related to cybercrime investigation activities and to develop recommendations and training component for the cybercrime investigators.
WP8 Ethics requirements. The main objective is to ensure compliance with the 'ethics requirements' set out in this work package. WP8 is additional WP added to the GA after Ethical Security of the proposal.
The CYCLOPES project will likely provide results with significant immediate or potential impact. All CYCLOPES partners bring together the necessary expertise to achieve the project’s objectives.