Cybercriminals Cash In on Data

Europol has released its 2025 Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment (IOCTA), unveiling the thriving underground market for stolen personal data. This comprehensive report highlights how such data fuels a vast cybercrime ecosystem, encompassing online fraud, ransomware, child exploitation, and extortion.

The report underscores the transformation of personal data into a high-value commodity within the digital underworld. Cybercriminals are increasingly exploiting social engineering, generative AI, and crime-as-a-service platforms to harvest and trade sensitive information. These stolen credentials are often sold in bulk across dark web forums and encrypted channels, enabling a wide range of criminal activities.

Edvardas Šileris, Head of Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre, emphasized the need for understanding the hidden economy of stolen data to effectively counter cyber threats. The report calls for coordinated policy responses at the EU level, advocating for enhanced digital literacy and lawful access solutions to combat the misuse of end-to-end encryption in criminal activities.

The IOCTA 2025 report draws on extensive operational insights from Europol’s investigations, highlighting the persistent exploitation of system vulnerabilities by initial access brokers and ransomware groups. It also stresses the urgent need for harmonized data retention rules to bolster law enforcement efforts in tackling the pervasive threat of cybercrime.