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The EU Police Authority of Europe has warned that criminal organizations are increasingly using artificial secret services to extend attacks within the name of enemy powers and to present an “unprecedented” security challenge for national governments.
In his report on the threats published on Tuesday by organized crimes, Europol warned that criminals turn out to be “deputies” for hybrid attacks resembling sabotage, which were allegedly committed by Russia and China.
“Geopolitical tensions have created a window for hybrid threat players to make the most of criminal networks as interference instruments,” wrote Europol, adding that this had destabilizing effects on the EU countries.
AI and other technologies resembling blockchain or quantum computing have turn out to be a “catalyst” for crime because they “increase the efficiency of criminal operations by strengthening their speed, reach and class,” said the agency.
“Cyber ​​crime is developing right into a digital arms arm,” said Catherine de Bolle, Executive Director of Europol. “AI-controlled attacks have gotten increasingly precise and devastating. Some attacks show a mix of profit motifs and destabilization, since they’re increasingly oriented and ideologically motivated.”
Cyber ​​attacks were increasingly politically motivated and were more aimed toward governments and significant infrastructure than on corporations or individuals carried out by criminal groups within the name of state actors resembling Russia. According to Europol, criminal actors used weaknesses, as violated by government corporations.
“We observe growing cooperation between criminal networks and actors who organize hybrid threats, exploit geopolitical tensions and undermine our institutions,” said De Bolle, adding that the crime of AI and other technologies was “accelerated”.
The use of AI by criminal gangs is a brand new development in comparison with Eurol's last report, which was published in 2021, as artificial intelligence was only mentioned once. The technology is used to create sophisticated malware used for cyber attacks or to generate targeted messages to deceive victims, for instance by imitation the voices of the family and friends, the voices, writing styles or their pictures for fake live videos.
“By creating highly realistic synthetic media, criminal victims can deceive themselves, pretend to be individuals and discredit goals or blackmailed,” wrote Europol.
AI had also “accelerated” online fraud and helped the criminals to access personal data, for instance through automated phishing attacks. “The order of magnitude, variety, sophistication and reach of online fraud programs are unprecedented,” said Europol and cited strategies resembling the attracting consumer to take a position in dubious programs, for instance with cryptocurrencies or to pay money for alleged romantic partners or victims of ongoing conflicts or humanitarian crises.
The organization also warned that AI models generate child abuse material that has increasingly been shared online in private forums and chats. De Bolle previously called for the implementation of recent EU rules to combat online child abuse material by setting encrypted intelligence services resembling WhatsApp. However, they’ve blocked countries like Germany because of knowledge protection concerns.
Europol also warned that more traditional cross -border crimes resembling the smuggling of immigrants, drugs, firearms and waste remained a significant issue, and in some countries the violence got here in reference to organized crimes and quoted attacks in Germany, for instance.
It is claimed that “parts of the processes of criminal activities change more into the web domain, especially on the subject of attitudes, communication, marketing or retail and relevant applications from AI”.
Europol said that the assorted criminal activities made “immense” profits that were washed by illegal means and cryptocurrencies but were very difficult to recuperate – the estimate that only 2 percent of the illegal proceeds were confiscated.
