Computer Forensics Chapter 7

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Questions and Answers

What does the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 primarily focus on?

Unauthorized access to physical property

Theft of intellectual property

Unauthorized access to a computer (correct)

Identity theft

Which statute relates to credit card fraud and software piracy?

Hacking Statute

Title 17

Computer Fraud and Abuse Act

Title 15 (correct)

What was a significant flaw of the original Computer Fraud and Abuse Act?

Considered too vague (correct)

Only allowed prosecution for government computers

Too specific to financial records

Did not address hacking at all

What type of intrusions does the expanded Computer Fraud and Abuse Act apply to?

Intentional intrusions Signup and view all the answers

Who was involved in theft of programs valued at over $1 million from Digital Equipment Corporation?

Kevin Mitnick Signup and view all the answers

Which incident involved breaking into U.S. Missile Command?

Shadowhawk incident Signup and view all the answers

What did the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act evolve to encompass?

Computers used in commerce and communication Signup and view all the answers

Which famous hacker is known as the inventor of the Morris Worm?

Robert Morris Signup and view all the answers

What is now considered a crime under the Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act of 1998?

Possessing another's identifying information without authority Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT classified as identifying information under the ITADA?

Tax benefits information Signup and view all the answers

What type of restitution can victims of identity theft seek under the ITADA?

Restitution for lost wages Signup and view all the answers

Which agency has been designated as the repository for consumer complaints regarding identity theft?

Federal Trade Commission Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is an example of unique biometric data listed under the ITADA?

Fingerprint Signup and view all the answers

Under ITADA, what intent must be present for the unlawful use of identification to occur?

To commit or aid in unlawful activity Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is included in the classification of telecommunication identifying information under ITADA?

Access device Signup and view all the answers

What aspect of identity theft does the ITADA specifically provide for to victims?

Attorney's fees Signup and view all the answers

What significant aspect did the National Information Infrastructure Act of 1996 address that was previously overlooked?

Accidental intrusion instances Signup and view all the answers

What type of criminal activity was expanded under the National Information Infrastructure Act of 1996?

Hacking and malicious programming Signup and view all the answers

Which Supreme Court ruling indicated that child pornography is not protected by free speech?

New York v. Ferber Signup and view all the answers

What year was the Child Protection Act enacted before being replaced by the Child Protection & Obscenity Act?

1977 Signup and view all the answers

Which act applied to virtual images of children, including altered images and cartoons?

Child Pornography Protection Act Signup and view all the answers

What was one of the activities included in the expanded scope of the National Information Infrastructure Act?

Transmitting classified government information Signup and view all the answers

Which act was the Child Protection Act supplanted by in 1988?

Child Protection & Obscenity Act Signup and view all the answers

What is a common type of offense related to hacking as addressed in the National Information Infrastructure Act?

Trafficking in passwords Signup and view all the answers

What does the Identity Theft Penalty Enhancement Act of 2004 primarily establish?

Criminal penalties for aggravated identity theft Signup and view all the answers

What does the Drivers Privacy Protection Act prohibit?

Unauthorized collection of Social Security numbers from vehicle records Signup and view all the answers

Which federal initiative focuses on examining existing laws related to Internet crime?

The President’s Working Group on Unlawful Conduct on the Internet Signup and view all the answers

What are the resulting approaches from the President’s Working Group on Unlawful Conduct on the Internet?

Regulation of Internet criminal activity similar to traditional law Signup and view all the answers

What is one restriction imposed by the Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act regarding personal information?

Disclosure of Social Security numbers by health organizations Signup and view all the answers

What is a key focus of the President’s Working Group regarding educational efforts?

Providing empowerment tools to minimize risks Signup and view all the answers

Which aspect does the Identity Theft Enforcement and Restitution Act of 2008 address?

Expanded consequences for identity theft Signup and view all the answers

How does the government aim to support the private sector in combating cybercrime?

Through development of curricula related to cyber ethics Signup and view all the answers

What was the main concern that led to the creation of the Financial Action Task Force in 1989?

Addressing money laundering linked to terrorism Signup and view all the answers

What is one objective of the Virtual Global Task Force established in 2003?

Deter pedophiles and prevent online child exploitation Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following conventions was established specifically to address computer-related criminal offenses?

Council of Europe’s Cybercrime Conventions Signup and view all the answers

What challenge hinders international cooperation in combating cybercrime?

Legal jurisdiction conflicts Signup and view all the answers

What does UNCATOC stand for?

United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime Signup and view all the answers

What has been recognized about the problems related to cybercrime in recent years?

Recognition of issues has increased exponentially Signup and view all the answers

Why is there a continued use of traditional statutes in addressing cybercrime?

Pending enactment of technology-specific legislation Signup and view all the answers

Which group made up the collaboration for the Virtual Global Task Force?

Australian High Tech Centre, UK’s Child Exploitation Centre, RCMP, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and Interpol Signup and view all the answers

What was the main purpose of the Innocent Images initiative?

To investigate adults traveling to meet minors for illicit purposes Signup and view all the answers

Which software suite was designed to reconstruct the web-surfing trail of individuals under investigation?

Dragonware Signup and view all the answers

What is NOT a parameter used in data mining according to the content?

Real-time video surveillance Signup and view all the answers

Which program was used as an example of data mining to identify potential terrorists?

Automated Targeting System (ATS) Signup and view all the answers

What technology did the Cyber Knight project utilize to collect data from users?

Magic Lantern key logger Signup and view all the answers

What aspect does the packet sniffing software tackle?

Breaking down and reassembling internet communication Signup and view all the answers

The Terrorism Information Awareness Program (TIA) is an example of what?

Data mining for potential terrorist identification Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes the goal of data mining in law enforcement?

To analyze large data sets for various patterns and predictions Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Computer Forensics and Cyber Crime

Chapter 7 discusses avenues for prosecution and government efforts.
Learning objectives include knowledge of traditional statutes applicable to computer crime, federal legislation on online behavior, investigative tools, data mining programs, and international approaches to solving computer crime.

Introduction

Law enforcement faces challenges like smaller agencies with fewer resources, reliance on state/federal agencies, historical apathy towards nonviolent crimes, and slow legislative action.

Traditional Statutes

Primary federal provisions (Title 18) cover crimes like fraud, embezzlement, terrorism, child exploitation, stalking, kidnapping, forgery, extortion, RICO, access device fraud, and illegal wiretapping.
Supplemental federal law (Titles 15 and 17) covers credit card fraud, software piracy, and copyright infringement, respectively.

The Evolution of Computer-Specific Statutes

The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 (CFAA) initially focused narrowly on unauthorized computer access. Later expansions applied it to computers used in commerce, communications, and financial records; specifically targeting intentional intrusions rather than accidental ones.
Subsequent successful prosecutions involved notorious individuals like Kevin Mitnick, Shadowhawk, and Robert Morris.
The National Information Infrastructure Act of 1996 (NIIPA) addressed loopholes in the CFAA, particularly accidental intrusions, computer-related offenses, and instances where computer data wasn't the primary target.
Subsequent expansions to the CFAA included transmitting classified government information, accessing private sector computers, financial institutions, and U.S. government systems. Fraud related to various activities, hacking and programming, unintentional damages, and extortion are also covered.

Evolving Child Pornography Statutes

Efforts to ban child pornography include piecemeal legislation, such as the Protection of Children Against Sexual Exploitation Act of 1977, and Supreme Court rulings.
The Supreme Court has ruled in cases like New York v. Ferber (1982) that child pornography is not protected by free speech. Subsequent legislation like the Child Protection Act (1984) and Child Pornography Protection Act (1996) aimed to address increasing concerns.
The PROTECT Act offers solutions for protecting children from exploitation, including mandatory life sentences for repeat offenders, criminal checks for volunteers, and electronic eavesdropping in cases of abuse.
The PROTECT Act also prohibits pretrial release for certain offenders, ended statutes of limitations on child abduction/abuse, and established a National AMBER Alert Coordinator.
The Miller standard of obscenity has been applied to various forms of child pornography, leading to sentencing enhancements.

Identity Theft and Financial Privacy Statutes

The Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act of 1998 (ITADA) criminalizes possessing another person's identifying information and knowingly transferring/using such information for unlawful purposes.
Identifying information encompasses names, social security numbers, dates of birth, driver's licenses, alien registration, passports, and employer/taxpayer identification numbers.
Unique biometric data (fingerprints, voice prints, iris scans) is also covered under this act
Financial institutions were required to disclose privacy practices and provide "opt-out" options for disclosing personal information.
The Financial Modernization Act of 1999 contains safeguarding rules that stipulate security measures for protecting such information.
The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA) of 2003 introduces free credit reports, fraud alerts, and truncation of credit/debit information to combat dumpster diving, and social security numbers.
FACTA also mandates investigation of address changes, blocking of fraudulent information, and requirements for consumer reporting agencies. Card issuers must also investigate new card requests due to address changes
Debt collectors now must apprise third-party employers of potential identity theft-related debts.
These statutes are intended to prevent and prosecute fraud, limit the comingling of medical and financial information, and require more protections for victims and to provide appropriate recourse.
The Identity Theft Penalty Enhancement Act of 2004 established criminal penalties for aggravated identity theft, often including mandatory sentences. The Identity Theft Enforcement and Restitution Act of 2008 further expanded consequences for identity theft, including restitution.
The Drivers Privacy Protection Act and the Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act (HIPAA) restrict the use of personal information from motor vehicle records and the disclosure of social security numbers and health information.

Federally Funded Initiatives and Collaborations

The President's Working Group investigated the sufficiency of existing laws, the need for new technologies, legal authorities to investigate and prosecute, and the efficacy of education in minimizing risks.
Resulting approaches involve regulating internet criminal activity paralleling traditional law. Recognizing and addressing the special needs of investigators and agencies involved in investigations (interagency and international cooperation), developing cyber ethics curricula, and supporting private sector training.
Presidential Decision Directive 63 (PDD 63) established the National Infrastructure Protection Center (NIPC) and Infragard to bring together various entities for threat discussions. A notable initiative, the Innocent Images initiative, focused on investigating and prosecuting interstate travel associated with illicit activities involving minors.

Law Enforcement Operations and Tools in the United States

Technologies like packet sniffers (Carnivore, Packeteer, Coolminer) and key loggers (Magic Lantern) are utilized during investigations.
Data mining, encompassing statistical modeling, algorithms, AI, uses large datasets to analyze associations, sequences, classify events, cluster previously unknown facts, and forecast future activities. The process is used to identify potential terrorists, including programs like TIA, Secure Flight, CAPPS II, MATRIX, and ATS.
Collaboration within federal, state, or local task forces, as well as interagency partnerships like the Cyber Science Laboratory and groups like the High Tech Computer Investigators Association (HTCIA) promote knowledge sharing and training.

International Efforts

OECD and the Council of Europe's Select Committee initiated efforts to harmonize laws for computer-related offenses. Recommendations were produced to make behaviors like data/program alteration, computer espionage, and unauthorized computer use, among others illegal.
Mandatory offenses (e.g., computer fraud, forgery, computer sabotage) were suggested for all countries.
Agencies like the Council of Europe and Interpol have taken steps to tackle transnational cybercrime. The Virtual Global Task Force and the United Nations' Convention against Transnational Organized Crime contribute further to the fight against cybercrime.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) shows a shared interest in training, criminal legislation, and international collaboration to counter cybercrime.

Conclusions

Recognition of cybercrime problems has substantially escalated, but significant work remains.
Despite ongoing international cooperation, issues concerning national sovereignty pose challenges to ongoing efforts in cybercrime investigation/prosecution.
Continued reliance on existing traditional statutes alongside updated legislation relevant to technology remains a key strategy for addressing this challenging issue.

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Description

Explore the legal frameworks and governmental efforts in prosecuting cyber crime in Chapter 7 of Computer Forensics. This quiz covers traditional statutes relevant to computer crime, investigative tools, and the evolution of computer-specific laws. Assess your understanding of these critical issues facing law enforcement today.