Discussion Week 1 - CIS170

Explosive Growth of Digital Crime and Fighting Digital Crime

Identify at least two (2) factors that have led to the explosive growth of digital crime over the past a few decades. Next, describe the most common forms of digital crime, and give your opinion as to why those forms you described are so common. Provide a rationale for your response.

Two factors that have led to the growth of digital crime over the past decades are the increased usage of computers and internet in a lawless land. Also, increased availability of high technology allows virus creation and computer hacking techniques to be learned and evolved. Because of this several types of digital crimes are prevalent and described as cybercrime which are crimes done utilizing a computer.

The most common forms of digital crimes are global wide production and distribution of child pornography, financial crimes which involve embezzlement, padding (over sale and returns as defective), extortion (pressure of blackmail due to computer invasion, theft (consists of all types of thievery to steal personal records, information removal and destruction), Gambling (an illicit and illegal gaming that is not certified, legalized and without approval), cyber stalking (the utilizing of a computer to stalk and harass an individual(s)), Hacking (the unwanted intrusion and attack into a computer’s interior) and other crimes.

The rationale behind the increase of these cyber crimes are the lack of ability to manually police each computer due to mass amount of users and increasing growth. Further, criminals or people starting to commit cyber crimes see the ease and potential to commit fraud and accomplish lack of discovery. Also the parties involved in criminal activities can range from one to many in these activities due to large amounts of money to be made.

e-Activity

Three Types of Digital Crimes

1. Committing of Hate Crimes
2. Stalking
3. Terrorism

Main agencies that enforce digital crime laws follow:

Computer Crimes and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS), Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Fraud Section,Computer and Telecommunications Coordinator (CTC) Program, National Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) Program, Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property (CHIP) units, Project Safe Childhood Coordinators

FBI

1. Cyber Division
2. Computer Intrusion Section
3. Information Sharing and Analysis Section

Federal Trade Commission

Department of Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS)

One way for the federal agencies to improve the public response is to have jurisdictions clearly delineated to be almost a self-help guide to getting assistance quicker. As far as the role of the individual citizen in the fight against digital crime is to become savvy about trends in criminal behavior and learn to safeguard themselves as much as possible.

Reply to co-student

Your post was very informative and helps delineate the situation everyone is in. One thing about stalking is that they sometimes have the advantage until they mess up and tip their hand. Further, it is hard to get a stalker arrested and prosecuted unless you can catch them pretty much red handed and no way is left for them to escape.

Further hackers are challenging authority...not just necessarily for money only. They get a high thumbing their nose to all...especially the FBI.

Thanks.

Felicia