New Europol Protocol Addresses Cross-Border Cyberattacks

The Council of the European Union has adopted a new EU Law Enforcement Emergency Response Protocol that is intended to aid in the response to large-scale, cross-border cyberattacks.

The protocol determines secure communication channels, contact points for exchanging critical data, and the procedures, roles, and responsibilities of key players inside and outside the EU. It's meant to complement the EU's crisis management processes by streamlining international cooperation and enabling collaboration between cybersecurity pros and the private sector.

Europol's European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) has a central role in this protocol and is part of the EU Blueprint for Coordinated Response to Large-Scale Cross-Border Cybersecurity Incidents and Crises. The protocol aims to help law enforcement immediately respond to cyberattacks.

"Only cyber security events of a malicious and suspected criminal nature fall within the scope of this Protocol; it will not cover incidents or crises caused by a natural disaster, man-made error or system failure," officials report.

Further, they explain, the protocol is a multistakeholder process with seven core stages, from the early detection and identification of a major cyberattack, to threat classification, to law enforcement operational plan, to emergency response protocol closure.

Read more details here.

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