Europol Director Rob Wainwright says the internet is being used to facilitate international drug trafficking businesses and more
Entire containers are disappearing from European ports and the head of Europe's crime-fighting agency is warning of the growing danger of organised crime groups using cyber-attacks and managing to smuggle goods while covering their tracks.
Europol director Rob Wainwright says the internet is being used to facilitate international drug trafficking businesses and more.
His comments came after a cyber-attack on the Belgian port of Antwerp.
Drug traffickers hired hackers to breach the systems that control the movement and location of containers.
“We essentially have a service where organized crime groups pay for specialized skills of hackers who can gain direct access,” Europol said.
Prosecutors say they hid cocaine and heroin among legal shipments.
The organized crime group allegedly used hackers based in Belgium to infiltrate computer networks at at least two businesses operating in the port of Antwerp.
The breach allowed hackers to access secure data giving them the location and security details of containers, meaning smugglers could steal the cargo before the rightful owner.
Source: news.gr
