In the area of malware, one of the main tools of cybercriminals, we predict a further increase in the use of information hiding techniques such as steganography to avoid detection, hide communication and exfiltrate data.

I therefore welcome and fully support the Criminal Use of Information Hiding Initiative, which is a cross sectorial approach combining the knowledge, expertise and experience of academia, industry and law enforcement in this area.

Europol's European Cybercrime Centre has been involved in the setting up this initiative from the very beginning.

I see this as an excellent practical example of a public-private-partnership to tackle an emerging threat in an intelligence-led and targeted way.