21St Parliamentary Intelligence-Security Forum – Cyber Threat Landscape: Criminal Organizations & Motivations, Current Threat Vectors and Government Regulations

Mr. Art Cummings, drawing upon his 25 years of experience at the FBI and 12 years in global corporate leadership, addressed strategies to combat cybercrime. He emphasized the need to move beyond defensive measures to proactive legal frameworks. While technological defenses are necessary, long-term success requires identifying perpetrators and dismantling criminal organizations, rather than focusing solely on individual actors. Cummings drew parallels to the U.S. experience with organized crime in the 1960s, noting that legal tools like the RICO statute allowed authorities to target entire organizations and seize assets, a model now being adapted conceptually to large-scale cybercriminal networks. He emphasized a risk-based approach over mere compliance, particularly regarding critical supply chains, and stressed the importance of mapping vulnerabilities and protecting what differentiates an organization in order to maintain operational resilience. Overall, his message reinforced the necessity of combining law enforcement, legal authority, and strategic risk management to significantly reduce cybercrime activity.