Breaking Down Borders: Why Cybercrime Is Winning the Jurisdiction Game

Picture this: A ransomware gang launches an attack from Eastern Europe, crippling hospitals in Italy, while their command servers sit in the cloud, bouncing through five countries before vanishing. Local police try to follow the trail, but the evidence is scattered across borders, each with its own bureaucratic hurdles. Welcome to the new frontline of cybercrime, where geography means little, and digital threats move faster than the law can keep up.

At the 2026 CyberSEC conference in Rome, Ivano Gabrielli, Director of the Postal Police and Cybersecurity Service, pulled no punches: “In an interconnected world, cybersecurity cannot be addressed within national borders alone.” The digital realm, he argued, has outgrown the old doctrines of law enforcement, where jurisdictions ended at the border and police could only act within their own territory.

Gabrielli described a radical shift. “We live in a sea of information,” he noted, with technology enabling law enforcement to collect, analyze, and turn vast data sets into credible evidence. But while investigative tools have evolved, so have the obstacles. Cybercriminals exploit the very gaps between national laws, orchestrating attacks that can cripple critical infrastructure while remaining out of reach of local authorities.

Traditional cooperation, based on slow, formal legal processes, is often too sluggish for the breakneck pace of cybercrime. The new EU e-Evidence regulation is a step forward, allowing judicial authorities to directly request digital evidence across borders and even freeze data before it can be deleted. But as Gabrielli pointed out, this framework is mostly limited to Europe and doesn’t address the full scope of global cyber threats.

Some attacks demand immediate action, yet states are hamstrung by legal delays and incompatible systems. “It’s urgent,” Gabrielli insisted, “to rethink international cooperation.” The future, he suggested, lies in building agile, rapid, and permanent mechanisms that allow countries to respond collectively-without sacrificing civil liberties or legal safeguards.

But legal frameworks are only part of the battle. Gabrielli highlighted another Achilles’ heel: the shortage of skilled cyber investigators and the lack of standardized, practical training. While some countries have robust systems to identify and nurture young talent, others-Italy included-lag behind. He argued for investment in research and education, proposing a unified training pathway for public sector cyber professionals, combining foundational skills with hands-on experience. Such a system could not only boost individual capabilities, but also strengthen public administration’s overall resilience against evolving threats.

The message from CyberSEC2026 is clear: In a world where cybercriminals have no borders, defenders can’t afford to be confined by them. The race is on to build international alliances, harmonize laws, and train a new generation of digital guardians. The future of cybersecurity depends not just on technology, but on the willingness of nations to break down their own barriers-and work as one.

WIKICROOK

• Ransomware: Ransomware is malicious software that encrypts or locks data, demanding payment from victims to restore access to their files or systems.
• Jurisdiction: Jurisdiction is the legal power of a court or authority to make decisions about specific people, companies, or actions, often within a set geographic area.
• e: E-commerce sites are online marketplaces where goods or services are bought and sold globally, connecting buyers and sellers for legal or illegal transactions.
• Public Administration: Public administration manages government agencies and public services, playing a key role in cybersecurity to protect sensitive data and maintain service integrity.
• Critical Infrastructure: Critical infrastructure includes key systems-like power, water, and healthcare-whose failure would seriously disrupt society or the economy.