main activities of intervention have been ransomware, artificial intelligence, cryptography and cybercrime as a service. The number of victims recorded on a daily basis is high. Do you have any projections for how cybercrime and laws surrounding it may change in years to come? They say that artificial intelligence will be able to facilitate investigations by increasing the level of technological expertise needed and the ability to process cyber data. Change on the regulatory level must be rapid in order to catch up with the rapid development of cybercrime. In addition, action should also be taken on prevention that can be implemented by both companies and police, in terms of both human and technological resources. immateriality, with an attitude for rapid and easy circulation – it is difficult to limit the search to specific data and information; - transnationality and delocalisation – digital data are often allocated on servers or devices located in countries other than those where investigations are carried out or on the cloud, meaning problems of international judicial cooperation and territorial jurisdiction may arise; - the subject matter has a high specialised connotation and requires specific technical skills that not all investigating offices have, let alone most lawyers; - there is a high danger of manipulation and alteration of evidentiary material; - there is anonymity in operations; - there is still no international authority on the subject that would facilitate investigations, but we trust that the Proposal of United Nations Convention on Countering the Use of Information and Communications Technologies for Criminal Purposes may be realised. In conclusion, one may understand that identifying the perpetrators of criminal acts is particularly arduous. What changes have you observed in the climate of criminal law and cybercrime during your time in practice? The technological development required by cybercrime punishment changed the process; today, cyber data has become the centre of it. In its latest Annual Report, covering 2021 activities, Eurojust devotes a chapter to the fight against cybercrime in which it highlights how online criminal activities have increased in frequency, numbers and aggressiveness, and that Eurojust’s 94 LAWYER MONTHLY JULY 2023 What would your first piece of advice be for a firm that believes it has become, or is in danger of becoming, the victim of a ransomware attack? Do not give in to the temptation to offer a ransom, because there is no guarantee of the restoration of systems and the return of stolen data. Instead, immediately seek the intervention of the Judicial Authority by filing a timely complaint with the help of a legal counsel. Any omitted report increases the vulnerability of the system, so reporting is not only in one’s own interest but contributes to the collective good. In perspective, it is advisable to adopt appropriate prevention systems that control the chain of suppliers, especially the smaller and more vulnerable ones, and to increase investment in digital security to acquire highly specialised labour resources and effective IT alerting systems.
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