In July 2026, Europol released Season 4 of The Europol Podcast, offering insights from experts of the European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) into some of the most pressing cybercrime threats currently facing the EU. The episodes build on expert sessions examining key findings of Europol’s Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment (IOCTA) 2026 (→eucrim 1/2026).

The four episodes look at different aspects of the changing cybercrime landscape. The first explores cybercrime enablers, including dark web marketplaces, cryptocurrencies, and increasingly sophisticated infrastructures used by criminals to avoid detection. The second examines how offenders involved in child sexual exploitation are adapting to new technologies, including the use of AI and end-to-end encrypted platforms. The third focuses on the evolution of ransomware, addressing ransomware-as-a-service, attacks on digital supply chains, social engineering, and the increasingly blurred lines between cybercriminals and hybrid threat actors. The final episode examines the growing threat of online fraud, including the use of AI to personalise fraudulent approaches to individuals and organisations. A bonus episode on child sexual abuse material (CSAM) answers questions raised during Europol’s preceding live expert session and discusses, inter alia, the use of new technologies to detect and generate CSAM, changing offender behaviour and the role of law enforcement cooperation.

The episodes are available via Europol, YouTube, and major podcast platforms.