Chapter-3-What-is-Cybercrime.pdf

Introduction to Cybercrime and Environmental Laws and Protection 1 Chapter 3 What is cybercrime? At the end of this chapter the student should be able to: Define Cybercrime...

Introduction to Cybercrime and Environmental Laws and Protection 1 Chapter 3 What is cybercrime? At the end of this chapter the student should be able to: Define Cybercrime Gain knowledge about the History and Development of Cybercrime Gain knowledge about the Classification of Computer Crimes HISTORY OF CYBER CRIME The first recorded cybercrime took place in 1820. That is not surprising considering the fact that the abacus, which is thought to be the earliest from of a computer, has been around since 3500 B.C. In India, Japan and China, the era of modern computer, however, began with the analytical engine of Charles Babbage. The first spam email took place in 1976 when it was sent out over the ARPANT. The first virus was installed on an Apple computer in 1982 when a high school student, Rich Skrenta, developed the EIK Cloner. Cybercrime first started with hackers trying to break into computer networks. Some did it just for the thrill of accessing high level security networks, but others sought to gain sensitive, classified material. Eventually, criminals started to infect computer systems with computer viruses, which led to breakdowns on personal and business computers.  Introduction to Cybercrime and Environmental Laws and Protection 2 Banks and other financial institutions were amongst the first large scale computer users in the private sector, for automate payroll and accounting functions. Therefore, fraud in a computer scheme emerged. One of the first cases cited as an instance of the computer fraud involved equity-funding Corporation in the US, fraud was simple. The frauds succeed because the auditors and regulators accepted computer printouts as definitive evidence of policies and did not ask original documentation. When the fraud was discovered, some 64,000 out of 97,000 policies allegedly issued by the company proved to be false, almost 1 billion pounds estimated to be the loss. Therefore, as the technological advance, the number of cybercrime cases increased. There is no reliable and precise statistics of the losses the victims gain as the fact that victims do not detect many of these crimes. Therefore, fights against computer crime began Several individuals were engaged in the fight against computer crime from the early development. The founder and father of the knowledge of computer crimes are by many observers considered to be Donn B. Parker, USA. He was involved in the research of computer crime and security from the early 1970. He served as a Senior Computer Security Consultant at the SRI International (Stanford Research Institute), and was the main author of the first basic federal manual for law enforcement in the USA: "Computer Crime -Criminal Justice Resource Manual" (1979). This manual became soon an encyclopedia also for law enforcement outside US. Development of Computer Crime and Cybercrime  Introduction to Cybercrime and Environmental Laws and Protection 3 The criminal abuse of information technology and the necessary legal response are issues that have been discussed ever since the technology was introduced. Over the last 50 years, various solutions have been implemented at the national and regional levels. One of the reasons why the topic remains challenging is the constant technical development, as well as the changing methods and ways in which the offenses are committed. In the 1960s, the introduction of transistor-based computer systems, which were smaller and less expensive than vacuum tube-based machines, led to an increase in the use of computer technology. At this early stage, offenses focused on physical damage to computer systems and stored data. Such incidents were reported, for example, in Canada, where in 1969 a student riot caused a fire that destroyed computer data hosted at the university. In the mid-1960s, the United States started a debate on the creation of a central data-storage authority for all ministries Within this context, possible criminal abuse of databases and the related risks to privacy were discussed. In the 1970s, the use of computer systems and computer data increased further. At the end of the decade, an estimated number of 100 000 mainframe computers were operating in the United States. With falling prices, computer technology was more widely used within administration and business, and by the public. The 1970s were characterized by a shift from the traditional property crimes against computer systems that had dominated the 1960s, to new forms of crime. While physic damage continued to be a relevant form of criminal abuse against computer systems, new forms of computer crime were recognized. They included the illegal use of computer systems and the manipulation of electronic data. The shift from manual to computer-operated transactions led to another new form of crime computer-related fraud. Already at this time, multimillion dollar losses were caused by computer-related fraud. Computer-related fraud, in particular, was a real challenge, and law enforcement agencies were investigating more and more cases.  Introduction to Cybercrime and Environmental Laws and Protection 4 As the application of existing legislation in computer-crime cases led to difficulties, a debate about legal solutions started in different parts of the world. The United States discussed a draft bill designed specifically to address cybercrime. Interpol discussed the phenomena and possibilities for legal response. In the 1980s, personal computers became more and more popular. With this development, the number of computer systems and hence the number of potential targets for criminals again increased. For the first time, the targets included a broad range of critical infrastructure. One of the sides effects the spread of computer systems was an increasing interest in software, resulting in the emergence of the first forms of software piracy and crimes related to patents. The interconnection of computer systems brought about new types of offence. Networks enabled offenders to enter a computer system without being present at the crime scene. In addition, the possibility of distributing software through networks enabled offenders to spread malicious software, and more and more computer viruses were discovered. Countries started the process of updating their legislation so as to meet the requirements of a changing criminal environment. International organizations also got involved in the process. OECD and the Council of Europe set up study groups to analyze the phenomena and evaluate possibilities for legal response. The introduction of the graphical interface ("WWW") in the 1990s that was followed by a rapid growth in the number of Internet users led to new challenges. Information legally made available in one country was available globally - even in countries where the publication of such information was criminalized. Another concern associated with online services that turned out to be especially challenging in the investigation of transnational crime was the speed of information exchange. Finally, the distribution of child pornography moved from physical exchange of books and tapes to online distribution through websites and Internet services. While computer crimes were in general local crimes, the Internet turned electronic crimes into transnational crime. As a result, the international community tackled the issue  Introduction to Cybercrime and Environmental Laws and Protection 5 more intensively. UN General Assembly Resolution 45/121 adopted in 1990 and the manual for the prevention and control of computer-related crimes issued in 1994 are just two examples. As in each preceding decade, new trends in computer crime and cybercrime continued to be discovered in the 21st century. The first decade of the new millennium was dominated by new, highly sophisticated methods of committing crimes, such as "phishing" and "botnet attacks", and the emerging use of technology that is more difficult for law enforcement to handle and investigate, such as "voice- over-IP (VoIP) communication" and "cloud computing". It is not only the methods that changed, but also the impact. As offenders became able to automate attacks, the number of offences increased. Countries and regional and international organizations have responded to the growing challenges and given response to cybercrime high priority. What is Cybercrime? Have you ever received an email saying you have inherited five million dollars from a prince in another country? According to the email, all you need to do is provide the sender with your bank account number, and he'll put the money in your account, making you an instant millionaire! Sometimes, this scheme actually works. As a result, unfortunate individuals who provided the prince with their bank account numbers later discovered that their accounts had been cleaned out. Cybercrime consists of illegal activity conducted on a computer. Traditional crimes may be committed while using a computer, but cybercrime consists of more specific types of crimes. such as phishing schemes and viruses.  Introduction to Cybercrime and Environmental Laws and Protection 6 Cybercrime, or computer-oriented crime, is crime that involves a computer and a network. The computer may have been used in the commission of a crime, or it may be the target. Cybercrimes can be defined as: "Offenses that are committed against individuals or groups of individuals with a criminal motive to intentionally harm the reputation of the victim or cause physical or mental harm, or loss, to the victim directly or indirectly, using modem telecommunication networks such as Intemet (networks including but not limited to Chat rooms, emails, notice boards and groups) and mobile phones (Bluetooth/SMS/ MMS)". Cybercrime may threaten a person or a nation's security and financial health. Issues surrounding these types of crimes have become high-profile, particularly those surrounding hacking, copyright infringement, unwarranted mass surveillance, sextortion, child pornography, and child grooming. There are also problems of privacy when confidential information is intercepted or disclosed, lawfully or otherwise. Debarati Halder and K. Jaishankar further define cybercrime from the perspective of gender and defined