COW: a new ISF project to combat cybercrime

At the end of last year, FIT VUT expanded its application activities to include a prestigious European project with significant participation from faculty experts. Moreover, this is the first ISF (Internal Security Fund) project to appear at VUT, according to our data. A characteristic feature of this type of European financial instrument is its focus on security and protection of society, while emphasizing the transfer of technology into practice.

The COW: Countering privacy-enhancing challenges of cryptocurrencies, OSINT and wireless project is a two-year project. In addition to experts from FIT VUT, partners from industry and technology intermediaries are also involved: the Czech company Netsearch, which specializes in security and privacy issues in network operations, the Dutch organization TNO, which mediates initiatives for applied research and development, and CFLW, an SME from the same country that monitors the dark web. The third type of entities involved are law enforcement agencies, including the Police Presidium of the Czech Republic and institutions from Germany (e.g., the Federal Criminal Police Office) and Finland.

The problem that the consortium will attempt to solve with its results can be briefly described as criminal abuse of the privacy features inherent in cryptocurrencies, illegal online marketplaces, and wireless devices. Why is this happening? Obviously, the goal is to hide illegal activities from investigation and legal consequences. Criminal networks use the above-mentioned means, for example, to coordinate activities such as drug production and trafficking, cybercrime in general, or to carry out crime as a service.

The COW project is developing ready-to-use methods and tools that will support law enforcement agencies in investigating and combating the criminal misuse of the above-mentioned means. Their development includes, for example, the analysis of OSINT sources or dark web traffic. We are proud that FIT is coordinating the COW project—namely Dr. Vladimír Veselý and Dr. Matěj Grégr—and thus has a significant influence on scientific and research activities with a concrete impact on the fight against crime. For more information, see the press release.