African Union strengthens investigation capabilities on virtual assets and cybercrime.

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May 22, 2024

Cybercrime has a significant financial impact on African countries, particularly those with under-protected infrastructures. Forecasts by independent firms show that global cybercrime damage costs are projected to grow by 15 percent per year, reaching $10.5 trillion USD annually by 2025, up from $3 trillion USD in 2015. The Cybercrime costs encompass various aspects, including damage and destruction of data; stolen money; lost productivity; theft of intellectual property and personal/financial data; embezzlement and fraud; post-attack disruption to normal business operations; forensic investigation, restoration, and deletion of hacked data and systems; and reputational harm.

In Africa, the 2021 Africa Cyberthreat Assessment Report estimated the financial impact of cybercrime in the region to exceed USD 4 billion, representing approximately 10 percent of Africa’s total GDP. The challenge has only grown in volume, impact, and complexity since then. Nearly half of the African countries surveyed reported ransomware attacks against critical infrastructure between January 2023 and December 2023, including government infrastructure, hospitals, financial institutions, and Internet service providers.

Cybercriminals in Africa exploit human vulnerabilities as their primary method of attack, using increasingly sophisticated social engineering techniques. Email phishing remains a major initial attack vector for various cybercrimes, including ransomware and online scams. Criminals also exploit different communication channels, such as social media and instant messaging apps, aligning with regional technological and societal trends. They are integrating technological advances into their methods, including data theft for extortion and the misuse of artificial intelligence.

With the evolving and complex nature of cybercrime, the African Union Mechanism for Police Cooperation (AFRIPOL) has been extending capacity building to law enforcement officials from the African Union member states to combat the threats effectively, in addition to the provision of equipment and investigative tools. As part of its ongoing efforts to tackle transnational organized crime in all its forms, AFRIPOL, in collaboration with INTERPOL, is currently conducting training sessions on virtual assets and cybercrime investigation tools. The training sessions running from the 20^th -30^th May 2024 convened in Mauritius, aim to enhance the capabilities of law enforcement officials in the region, providing them with the necessary tools and knowledge to combat the evolving landscape of cybercrime.

The Virtual Assets Course is designed to introduce participants to the complex ecosystem of virtual assets. Participants are gaining hands-on experience with relevant analysis and investigation tools essential for identifying, tracking, and analyzing cryptocurrency transactions. This training is crucial for law enforcement agencies to understand and mitigate the risks associated with virtual assets and their misuse by criminals.

Concurrently, the Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) training is equipping participants with the expertise needed to conduct thorough cybercrime investigations. This course focuses on mapping connections and gathering intelligence from open sources, which is a critical component in identifying and prosecuting cybercriminals. The training empowers participants with advanced techniques to collect, analyze, and utilize data from publicly available sources effectively.

The training sessions are part of a broader initiative of AFRIPOL in strengthening African police cooperation at strategic, tactical, and operational levels. This initiative enhances AFRIPOL's member states operational capabilities through improved investigations, criminal analysis, and information exchange across the continent. Additionally, the Global Action on Cybercrime Enhanced (GLACY-e) project, a joint effort by the European Union and the Council of Europe, aims to bolster the capacity of countries to enforce cybercrime legislation and handle electronic evidence.

By equipping law enforcement officials with advanced techniques and knowledge, we can better prevent, investigate, and respond to cybercrime, ultimately safeguarding critical infrastructure and reducing the financial impact on the region.

Learn more about the work and the mandate of AFRIPOL here.

For further information please contact:

Ms. Doreen Apollos | Directorate of Information and Communication| African Union Commission | E-mail ApollosD@africa-union.org 