As digital assets become embedded in everyday economic life, cyber-enabled theft and fraud have reached unprecedented levels. Governments are strengthening specialised cyber commands to protect crypto-assets, sensitive data and critical systems.
Published on Jan 26,2026 at 12:58 PM | Updated on Jan 26,2026 at 1:18 PM

Digital assets were once a niche concern, confined to specialist financial circles and experimental technologies. They quickly moved from the margins of finance to a major part of economic life, transforming how value is stored, transferred and protected. They represent a growing share of personal savings, corporate value and public infrastructure, making them an increasingly attractive target for organised cybercrime.

This shift has been accompanied by a sharp rise in cyber-enabled theft. Recent global assessments estimate that more than $2.1 billion (£1.7bn / €2.0bn) in crypto-assets were stolen worldwide in 2024 alone, with losses continuing to accelerate in 2025 as attackers increasingly targeted individual wallets, decentralised finance platforms and exchange infrastructures. A significant share of these incidents relied on compromised credentials, social engineering and malware rather than purely technical exploits, underlining the human dimension of cyber-asset risk.

As digital value becomes more widely held by citizens, businesses and public bodies, cybercrime targeting these assets has evolved into a structural security challenge. The protection of crypto-assets, sensitive data and digital financial systems now intersects with law enforcement, economic stability and homeland security considerations. In response, governments are reinforcing dedicated cyber commands and coordination structures designed not only to investigate cybercrime after the fact, but to prevent large-scale asset compromise before it occurs.


France’s COMCYBER-MI and the strategic protection of digital assets

At the heart of France’s response stands the Commandement du ministère de l’Intérieur dans le cyberespace (COMCYBER‑MI), a centralised command created to unify the cyber capabilities of the Ministry of the Interior. Its mission goes beyond technical incident response, focusing increasingly on the protection of digital assets held by individuals, businesses and public institutions.

COMCYBER-MI coordinates cyber operations across the French National Police and Gendarmerie, ensuring that investigations into crypto-asset theft, ransomware and large-scale fraud are aligned with national priorities.

Cybersecurity analyst typing on a laptop displaying data and threat monitoring interfaces
By consolidating intelligence, operational response and judicial support, the command enables faster attribution of attacks and more effective seizure or tracing of stolen digital assets. This approach reflects an understanding that cyber-assets are both financial instruments and strategic targets whose compromise can undermine trust in digital ecosystems.

Prevention is a central pillar of COMCYBER-MI’s mandate. The command works with public authorities and industry stakeholders to raise awareness of risks associated with digital wallets, exchanges and decentralised platforms. This includes promoting secure authentication practices and reinforcing cooperation with financial regulators. While not always visible to the public, these measures contribute to protecting economic sovereignty by reducing systemic exposure to cyber-enabled financial crime.


Germany’s dual model for cyber security

Germany has adopted a complementary approach that combines law enforcement action with structural cyber resilience. The Bundeskriminalamt serves as the central investigative authority for major cybercrime cases, including those involving stolen crypto-assets and large-scale online fraud. Its role is to coordinate federal and regional investigations, particularly when digital assets move rapidly across borders and jurisdictions.

Alongside the BKA, the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) acts as the national authority for cybersecurity standards and protection of digital systems. While not an enforcement body, BSI plays a critical role in safeguarding the infrastructures that underpin cyber-assets, from secure data centres to cryptographic standards used by public institutions. By working closely with industry and operators of critical infrastructure, BSI helps reduce vulnerabilities that criminals exploit to access or manipulate digital value.

Germany’s approach highlights the country’s recognition that protecting cyber-assets requires both reactive policing and proactive system hardening. Law enforcement can pursue offenders, but long-term asset protection depends on resilient digital architectures and shared responsibility between state and private actors.


The United States and the protection of strategic digital assets

In the United States, the protection of cyber-assets is organised through a clear separation between military cyber defence and criminal enforcement, reflecting the scale and diversity of digital threats. At the strategic defence level, United States Cyber Command is responsible for securing Department of Defense networks and conducting cyberspace operations in support of national security objectives. While not a law enforcement body, its mission includes defending critical military systems whose compromise could have cascading effects on national economic and security interests.

The investigation of cyber-enabled financial crime, including cryptocurrency theft and ransomware attacks targeting digital assets, falls primarily under the remit of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Within the Bureau, the FBI Cyber Division leads major cybercrime investigations, bringing together cyber investigators, intelligence analysts and technical specialists to disrupt criminal networks operating in cyberspace. The division addresses a broad spectrum of cyber threats, from intrusions and online fraud to complex schemes involving virtual assets and digital payment systems.

To reinforce its capabilities in this area, the FBI has developed specialised expertise dedicated to virtual asset investigations, enabling agents to trace illicit cryptocurrency transactions, identify laundering mechanisms and support the seizure of stolen digital assets when judicially authorised. This work relies heavily on cooperation with private sector actors such as crypto exchanges, cybersecurity firms and financial institutions, whose technical insight and data are essential to understanding fast-moving digital crime ecosystems.

Given the inherently transnational nature of cyber-asset crime, the FBI Cyber Division also plays a central role in international cooperation, coordinating with foreign law enforcement agencies and multilateral task forces.
Cryptocurrency coins placed on a keyboard, illustrating cyber-enabled financial crime and digital asset theft

Cyber-assets as a core Security Issue

The rapid expansion of cyber-assets has reshaped the threat landscape, placing digital value at the centre of modern security concerns. From France’s COMCYBER-MI to Germany’s institutional enforcement and prevention, and the United States’ multi-layered defence model, governments are converging on a shared understanding: protecting cyber-assets is essential to safeguarding economic stability and public confidence.

As cybercrime grows more sophisticated and financially motivated, these command structures illustrate a shift towards integrated, strategic defence of digital value. In this context, Milipol Paris provides a key forum for examining how cyber-asset protection fits within broader homeland security frameworks, bringing together institutions, technologies and expertise dedicated to defending the digital foundations of contemporary societies.

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