Enhancing tools and capabilities to fight advanced forms of cyber threats and cyber-dependent crimes

Call updates

Nov 29, 2023 6:05:25 PM

A total of 52 proposals have been submitted in response to this call. The number of proposals for each topic is shown below including the indicative budget of the topics for 2023:

- HORIZON-CL3-2023-FCT-01-06: 9 proposals (indicative budget: 8 M€)

The evaluation of the proposals will start by mid-December and will be closed by mid-February 2024. Applicants will be informed on the outcome of the evaluations in mid-April 2024.

Jun 29, 2023 12:00:05 AM

The submission session is now available for: HORIZON-CL3-2023-FCT-01-06(HORIZON-RIA)

Enhancing tools and capabilities to fight advanced forms of cyber threats and cyber-dependent crimes

TOPIC ID: HORIZON-CL3-2023-FCT-01-06

Programme: Horizon Europe Framework Programme (HORIZON)
Call: Fighting Crime and Terrorism 2023 (HORIZON-CL3-2023-FCT-01)
Type of action: HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions
Type of MGA: HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG]
Deadline model: single-stage
Planned opening date: 29 June 2023
Deadline date: 23 November 2023 17:00:00 Brussels time

ExpectedOutcome:
Projects’ results are expected to contribute to some or all of the following outcomes:

Development of modular toolbox for Police Authorities, facilitating gathering and processing of data relevant for cybercrime and cyber - enabled crime investigations;
Detection of crypto-jacking, compromised registration forms, malware attacks and other cybercrimes perpetrated using cryptocurrencies;
Development of training curricula, for Police Authorities, prosecutors, as well as judicial actors on major contemporary cybercriminal activities;
Recommendations on public cybercrime awareness actions contributing to early detection and prevention;
Identification of best practices of international law enforcement and judicial cooperation networks; and­
Development of multi-stakeholders strategies, including novel investigation schemes and information sharing mechanisms.
Scope:
While cyber-attacks, notably ransomware and distributed denials or services, are getting more sophisticated, law enforcement officers need to develop strategies to gain a comprehensive knowledge of the numerous elements contributing to the attack (Virtual Private Networks - VPNs, Bulletproof Hosting – BPH, Remote Access Trojans – RATs, botnets, Dark Web platforms, crypto-ransomware, Criminal Phone Banks, Pseudonyms, Advanced Persistent Threat groups – APTs, Internet infrastructure abuse (e.g. DNS), etc.). Having in mind that these are offered today in a form of Crime-as-a-service for anyone willing to pay, there is growing number of cases where authorities have to launch and conduct advanced inquiries. Investigators need timely access to relevant data and expertise of a different nature and belonging to different categories of stakeholders (e.g. other Police Authorities or Internet service providers). As geographical boundaries become irrelevant in the commission of crime, criminal investigations have to become cooperative, joint actions. It does not seem feasible for a comprehensive investigation of contemporary organised crime to be conducted by a single investigator or even a single force. This technical and organisational complexity together with the cross-border nature of cyberattacks requires cutting-edge investigative approaches, gathering a large range of expertise as well as trusted information sharing mechanisms across communities (including secured platforms). In addition, it is necessary to enhance cybercrime intelligence picture notably by enhancing reporting mechanism of cyber-dependent criminal activities. Development of multi-stakeholders strategies, including novel investigation schemes and information sharing mechanisms, is necessary in order to enhance prevention and deterrence of these forms of cyber and cyber-dependent crime. Project should also investigate the legal background and identify any related shortcomings so lawful access and processing of subject data has a valid legal foundation.

Coordination among the successful proposals from this topic as well as with the successful proposal under HORIZON-CL3-2023-FCT-01-05: Crime as a service should be envisaged in order to avoid duplication and to exploit complementarities as well as opportunities for increased impact.

Specific Topic Conditions:
Activities are expected to achieve TRL 5-6 by the end of the project – see General Annex B.