Digital Computer Crime - ESSAY REPORT - CIS170

Digital Computer Crime
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Digital Computer Crime
Strayer University
Felicia McCaw
Professor Sean Hord
CIS 170
Online Spring 2016
April 21, 2016

Digital Computer Crime
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What exactly is criminology, criminal intent and its connection to digital computer crime? Crime and its pervasive state is a factor that demands study because of its interactive state to social factors that correlate to poverty, gender and unemployment and relative social norms. Because of this the affective ability of crime in society hurts all and criminology is a segment of scientific study used to gain information and overall find preventatives to discourage, deter and prevent reoccurrences.

One of the aspects of criminology being studied is digital computer crime because of its growth and technological changes involving the internet and public usage. These acts of criminality have various acts of crime that are committed using the World Wide Web in relation to the victim(s). Some of the acts of digital computer crime are identity theft, spread of computer viruses, spread of spam emails, Denial of Service (DoS) attacks, hacktivism, cyberstalking, cyberbullying, cyber pornography, internet gambling and cyberterrorism.

These acts of digital computer crime categorically fall in four major categories as follows: cyber-trespass, cyber-deceptions, cyber-pornography and cyber-violence. Cyber-trespass includes hacktivism which is the unwelcome intrusion and attack on certain businesses or electric websites using online graffiti. Cyber-deception is a category that includes identity theft which is one of the most prevalent acts of individual terrorism against an individual. Cyber-pornography is the act of distributing images and videos of underage children (under the age of 18). Cyber-violence encompasses two acts (cyberbullying and cyberstalking) that are psychologically intimidating. Both of these are dangerous to a person because both have ulterior motives and ultimately the predator means harm to the victim.

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Further because of the need for study and preventative measures to counter these attacks “fighting fire with fire” is pretty much the agenda when faced with digital computer crime explained as follows:

1. Identity Theft – theft of personal information, invasion of e-mail
2. Spread of viruses – introduction of virus into computers
3. Spread of spam emails – sending of unwanted e-mails
4. Denial of Service Attacks (DoS) – attack by a hacker on computer networks or websites to close down system
5. Hacktivism – electronic attacks using a computer to attack certain businesses or websites
6. Cyberstalking – use of internet to stalk individuals
7. Cyberpornography – use of internet and web enabled devices to distribute and solicit sexual images
8. Internet Gambling – illegal gambling on the internet
9. Cyberterrorism – Use of internet and web enabled devices to plan terrorist activities

Criminal acts of this nature are not only costly to the victim but to businesses, organizations, universities and personal users of computers and ultimately you. Because of the increase of hacking and invasionary capabilities this has phenomenally induced additional attacks as computer usage has increased. The internet therefore is considered a new horizon to invade and conquer.

Although cyberterrorism is a threat overall the combined amount of digital crimes (e.g., identity theft, spread of viruses, spread of spam emails, Denial of Service Attacks (DoS), hacktivism, cyberstalking, cyberpornography, internet gambling, cyberterrorism) poses the greatest threat with an estimated astronomical cost of $400 billion to the global economy and theft of personal information costing a staggering amount of $800 million The acts of digital crimes are increasingly expanding, growing and evolving to more technical levels of threat, intrusion and intimidation.

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These crimes commence with attack on the foundations of technological societies with increasing attacks on novices who basically are unfamiliar with all complexities of computing and internet surfing. Because of this predatorial attempts will continue and added steps (expansion of technology, security, trial and error scenarios) will have to be done to foil cyber criminals since digital crimes help facilitate and expand traditional crime which includes drug trafficking, theft, piracy, stalking, money laundering, fraud and espionage.

The role of the federal government consist of leading the attack against digital crime and works in conjunction with law enforcement to ensure the enforcing of justice for illegal activities. The Department of Justice (DOJ) has increased efforts to respond to cyber crime or cyber criminals. One of its main divisions is the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS). This unit was expanded to enable prosecutorial abilities to combat computer crimes. Housed within this segment are dozen of attorneys specializing in prosecuting crimes related to intellectual property crimes, e-commerce, encryption, electronic privacy laws, computer hacking investigation, search and seizure.

A subunit of CCIPS is called Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property (CHIPS)which primary deals with prosecution of computer hacking, fraud and intellectual property cases. In affiliation with CCIPS is the Intellectual Property Task Force that concentrates on ways to improve prosecution and focus against piracy and counterfeiting.

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The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is a division that helps thwart cyber-based attacks and high technology crimes. One of its main function is to defend and protect the United States with the fighting of cyber crime its third priority. The FBI role consists of capture the criminal(s) who orchestrated computer intrusion, introduced malicious code, stop online sexual predators and promotion of the share of child pornography and exploitation of children, stop predators targeting U.S. intellectual property, disassemble national and transnational organized criminal groups involved in Internet fraud. Lastly, the FBI is the leader against digital crimes to investigate and prosecute.

The Federal Trade Commission also deals with criminal activities that occur online such as false marketing, credit card repair scams, financial pyramid schemes and business opportunities that don’t exist. The National Cyber Security Division (NCSD) is significant in the fight against digital crime with the duties to build and maintain national cyberspace response system and the implementation of a cyber risk program to protect the infrastructure. Another agency (U.S. Immigration and customs Enforcement (ICE)) has responsibility of investigation of weaknesses with the nation, develop intelligence to foil threats, remove foreign nationals and enforce 400 federal statutes and plays a role in enforcing internet related crimes and operates the cyber crimes center with focus on child exploitation, computer forensics, cyber crimes, information technology and administration of all four subsections.

Lastly, another way that law enforcement could use in the combating of digital crime is to use investigative techniques to search out perpetrators that are otherwise invisible and make visible with use of a docking system (database). Also, work in conjunction with computer divisions to see if variations in sequence show pattern of irregularity and are trackable.

REFERENCES

Taylor, R.W., Fritsch, E.J. & Liederbach, J. (2015), Digital Crime and Digital Terrorism.
(3rd ed.). Boston: Pearson, Inc.

Wienclaw, R. (2015). Internet Security. Research Starters: Business (Online Edition),
Erbschloe, M. (2016). Computer and Internet Crime. Computer & Internet Crime - Research Starters Business, 1-5. doi:10-3331/ors_bus_1505
Donnelly, M. (2015). Social Impacts of Cyber Crime. Research Starters: Sociology (Online Edition),