Keeping a private eye on cybercrime

Through our Gateway initiative, private companies play a vital role in fighting cybercrime. INTERPOL has teamed up with banks, cybersecurity companies and technology service providers to unlock new sources of vital data.

Cyber-attacks can cost organizations millions of dollars, compromise confidential data and disrupt critical activities like health services or defence systems. To successfully investigate these attacks, law enforcement needs timely and actionable intelligence on threat actors, organized criminal networks, and evolving criminal tactics. Yet much of this intelligence is held by private sector entities, who control much of the infrastructure and data targeted by cybercriminals. And that’s where INTERPOL’s Project Gateway comes in.

Launched in 2019, Gateway provides a secure, legal framework for sharing cyber threat intelligence between INTERPOL and trusted private sector partners. The initiative currently counts eleven partners, from leading cybersecurity firms and technology service providers to financial institutions*. “We are extremely vigilant about our choice of partners and we carry out extensive assessments before entering into official agreements to work together,” says Mahdi Alaei, INTERPOL Head of Cyber Strategy and Capabilities development. “Partnering through Gateway also ensures full compliance with INTERPOL’s Rules on the Processing of Data,” he continues, “which is essential given the highly sensitive data the framework allows us to share with our member countries.

From data to actionable intelligence

By accelerating the exchange of actionable intelligence, Gateway enables faster identification, disruption, and prosecution of cyber threat actors. Analysts in our Cyber Threat Intelligence team review the data received from partner organizations, ensure it is valid and transform it into actionable intelligence and investigative leads before sharing it with the member countries concerned by the threat. “Without Project Gateway, much of this intelligence would otherwise remain out of reach for law enforcement in many of our member countries, as in many cases they do not have direct access to private-sector intelligence,” says Mahdi Alaei.

Supporting operational success 

In recent years contributions by Gateway partners have led to tangible operational outcomes. This includes individual investigations such as the dismantling of the Grandoreiro banking malware and the arrest of five of the criminals behind it, as well as major INTERPOL-led multi-country operations  including the recent Operation Serengeti 2.0. Threat intelligence from Gateway partners also enables INTERPOL to support member countries hosting major events, helping to identify and mitigate cyber risks, with recent examples including the 2024 Paris Olympics, the 2024 G20 Summit in Brazil, and the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.  

“Our Gateway partners have a major impact on the success of our operations and the cybercrime investigative support we offer our member countries,” says Mahdi Alaei. “In return, engaging with us and our 196 members countries enables them to shape the global response to one of the biggest challenges facing law enforcement today.” 

* Banco do Brasil, Bi.Zone, , Cisco, Fortinet, Kaspersky, LAC, Palo Alto Networks, Scitum, The Shadowserver Foundation, Trend Micro, Group-IB