The European Union (EU) has agreed to set up the new European Cybercrime, whose main focus will be illegal online activities by organized crime groups.
In the wake of various hacks from groups like Anonymous and LulzSec, this new center has its sights set on large criminal profits, such as online fraud involving credit cards and sensitive bank information.
The center also aims to prevent online crimes affecting e-banking and online bookings, protecting social network profiles from crime infiltration, fighting online identity theft, eliminating online child sexual exploitation and preventing cyber-attacks affecting critical infrastructure and information systems.
The center, located in The Hague, the Netherlands, will also be a knowledge base for national police in the EU countries and pool European cybercrime expertise and training efforts.
"As the online part of our everyday lives grows, organized crime is following suit – and these crimes affect each and every one of us," said EU Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem.
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced the filing of charges against six members of hacker groups linked to high-profile cyberattacks on government and corporate websites.
More than one million victims have been affected by action from the six hackers, who the FBI said belong to Lulz Security (LulzSec), Anonymous and AntiSec.
"Five computer hackers in the United States and abroad were charged today, and a sixth pled guilty, for computer hacking and related crimes. The six hackers identified themselves as aligned with the group, Anonymous, a loose confederation of computer hackers and others, and/or offshoot groups related to Anonymous, including 'Internet Feds,' 'LulzSec' and 'AntiSec,'" the FBI said.
The Hacktivists said the arrests may mean the end of LulzSec, but not of Anonymous.
"Will this mean the end of Anonymous? No. It will mean the end of LulzSec, but Anonymous existed before LulzSec and will continue existing,” said FBI officials. “However we probably won’t see any more hacks as the ones LulzSec had been perpetrating, and Anonymous will only use their known childish tactic of DDoS using their LOIC tool."