A quick look on a search engine for Cyber Fusion Center, and you’ll see that multiple cybersecurity companies have set up their own security divisions under this moniker. But when it comes to the very best Cyber Fusion Center, you need to look towards the one created by Interpol. What is a Cyber Fusion Center? What goes on inside? And what is Interpol doing with theirs? We have a look at what goes on behind closed doors.
The super police
We don’t always hear so much about Interpol. Perhaps that’s because TV shows and movies are always about FBI or CIA when it comes to TV shows and movies. Occasionally somebody from Interpol might show up as a special guest star, but there’s a lot about Interpol we don’t know. For example, did you know it was created in 1923 in Vienna? Or that its headquarters are in Lyon in France? Or that it stands for the International Criminal Police Organization? Things start to make a bit more sense. Interpol is a global police presence that provides support, expertise, and training to law enforcement across the world. It gets involved in almost every type of crime, from human and drug trafficking to political corruption and more. Cybercrime is now an area that is top of its agenda.
“There are no borders in cyberspace”
Wise words from Interpol, and we wouldn’t expect anything else. Charged with helping law enforcement across the world, cybercrime is now one of the biggest threats the world faces. That’s why experts have come together to work within the Cyber Fusion Center, a place that brings together cyber gurus from law enforcement and industry to gather information and act on it to stop cybercriminals. It would be interesting to imagine what it’s like to work there – it’s already set a precedent with other cybersecurity companies creating their own Cyber Fusion Center. But with some of the world’s best people on the case, it would certainly be enthralling.
So, what are they doing? Working together, the Cyber Fusion Center experts work closely with the world’s leading cyber security consultants and create public reports to let countries know about new, imminent or evolving threats to the online landscape. These threats have brought up things like malware and phishing before, so they’re the ones who let individual countries know what to do. Though you don’t have to rely on Interpol – you could just see more cybersecurity news and find out the same type of trends without having to rely on the global police filtering it through your law enforcement agency and eventually making its way to you.
Saying that, though, Interpol does pull out all the stops to ensure the best in digital safety. It has a range of developments and projects that they’re always working on to ensure the best in cyber defense.
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Digital Security Challenge – a test for Interpol’s cyber investigators, to hone their skills in a race against the clock to solve a complex scenario. This is held each year to tackle some of the biggest problems we face in the digital world and has previously covered areas such as ransomware attacks and blackmail involving bitcoin.
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Cybercrime Capacity Building Project in the Americas – funded by the Canadian government, this year will mark the end of the three-year project: designed to enhance the capacity of 35 countries to combat cybercrime. It saw assistance in enhancing networks, supporting officers, and mentoring cybercrime units to be efficient forces to be reckoned with.
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Cybercrime operations – Interpol works closely with the national Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) on international cybercrime operations. For instance, they worked on a global crypto jacking campaign, looked at email-based cyberattacks, investigated compromised websites, and led numerous operations across regions with surges in cybercrime.
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#WashYourCyberHands – as the global coronavirus pandemic spread, so too did the amount of cybercrime, and Interpol was at the forefront of it all, delivering much-needed advice. Not only did they, and continue to do so, provide information to keep yourself safe, but they pass it on to member states so they can inform you too. If you’ve noticed adverts telling you how to stay safe online, it may very well have come originally from Interpol.
Here for you
Even if you don’t know it, Interpol is working hard to make sure you’re as well prepared as you can be against the threat of cybercrime. Their Cyber Fusion Center is diligent in identifying new threats and methods on how to protect yourself. And with the constant and projected rise of cyber threats, that’s definitely a good thing.
