N AT I O N A L CY B E R S ECU R I T Y ST R AT EGY Information Security (ENISA) in its Threat Landscape Report 2017 which was published in 2018 indicated that malware is the most frequent cyber threat that has prevailed in recent years. 19. Crimes related to the sexual exploitation of children in cyberspace are considered to be the most harmful and injurious cybercrimes, the spread of which is prompted by rapidly developing ICT and its potential. According to the Lithuanian national criminal records register and the Europol, such crimes have been increasing and spreading in Lithuania4 and in Europe.5 In seeking to prevent crimes related to the sexual exploitation of children, Lithuania has transposed Directive 2011/92/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 2011 on combating the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children and child pornography, which replaced Council Framework Decision 2004/68/JHA (OJ 2011 L 335, p. 1) into national legislation and on 6 November 2012 ratified the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse dated 25 October 2007. 20. In order to combat international cybercrimes, it is important to develop close cross-border cooperation and exchange of information, to maintain and deepen agreements and membershipbased relationships. To this end, it is necessary to have the strong political will to effectively fulfil international obligations and comply with international standards to ensure cyber security and combat cybercrimes. To express a clear political will, Lithuania ratified the Convention on Cybercrime of the Council of Europe of 23 November 2011 (hereinafter referred to as the “Budapest Convention”) and its additional 11 protocols. In addition, Lithuania transposed Directive 2013/40/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 August 2013 on attacks against information systems, replacing Council Framework Decision 2005/222/JHA (OJ 2013 L 218, p. 8) into national legislation. Obligations are successfully fulfilled on both legal and practical levels by cooperating with the International Criminal Police Organisation (hereinafter referred to as the “INTERPOL”) and the INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation (IGCI), the Europol and EC3 and the European Union’s Judicial Cooperation Unit (Eurojust). Moreover, Lithuania has taken part in the activities of continuously operating contact points of the network specialising in the field of cybercrime investigation which was founded on the basis of the European Judicial Network (EJN) and in accordance with the Budapest Convention. 21. Since cybercrimes continue to evolve, personnel of law enforcement authorities must be equipped with necessary skills to perform their allocated tasks. The appropriate competences of employees and their superior officers of the prosecution authorities and the courts must be taken into account as well. In relation to the investigation of cybercrimes, the competence of law enforcement authorities is crucial in order to detect, capture and investigate electronic evidence. 4 According to the data of the Lithuanian national criminal records register, in 2016, 123 crimes were registered as per definition provided in Article 309(2) of the Criminal Code, in 2017 – 132. 5 European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) (2017). Europol Review 2016–2017. 22. Objectives for achieving the second target of the Strategy: 22.1. The first objective of the second target is to develop capabilities and capacities of the country for combating cybercrimes. This objective will be attained by improving the legal framework, by further strengthening the professional capacity of law enforcement authorities, by creating information and/ or analysis systems, putting in practice advanced operational methods, procedures and technical tools specifically designed to combat cybercrimes. 22.2. The second objective of the second target is to strengthen the prevention and control of cybercrimes. This objective will be implemented by promoting the society’s culture of self-protection and responsible behaviour in cyberspace; by increasing the operational effectiveness of law enforcement authorities and ensuring effective international cooperation while investigating cybercrimes; by developing effective cooperation between law enforcement authorities and academia, private and public sector representatives and society.