Cybercrime Task Force Plan

Executive Summary

Cybercrimes have become rampant worldwide, and there is a need to develop or revise laws and regulations to combat these issues. In essence, every individual from the local level to the federal government should develop these laws and regulations to prevent further attacks. Tax refund fraud, intellectual property theft, harassment, stalking, and cyberbullying are the most common cybercrimes. By drawing various experts from different departments, this taskforce will work hard to avert cybercrimes that emanate from the above-mentioned areas. The task force experts include computer programmers, law enforcement agencies, and other people from different departments. The task force will collaborate with other prominent cybercrime fields such as the National Intellectual Property Coordination Center, the FBI, and the United States Secret Service to avert cyber-attacks effectively. As a result of the gravity of the situation, there is a need to develop a cybercrime task force plan for St. Louis County to determine cybercrime examination strategies and task force establishments around the United States. Through the assistance of crime laboratory, well-informed personnel, equipment, and tools, the task force will significantly progress in preventing cyber threats in the future.

Introduction

Cybercrimes are dramatically failing the economy of the United States. Apart from losing approximately 17,000 dollars from phishing attacks per minute, each breach data to the United States enterprise costs about 392 million dollars. Additionally, about 60 percent of enterprises that encounter ransomware attacks are likely to be bankrupt within six months. In St. Louis County, the number of cybercrime cases has drastically risen over the previous few years, varying in the form and severity. Because net-based crimes and computer-based crimes are common in the county, the impact of neglecting these threats or failing to respond urgently are far-reaching. 

Credit card fraud and data theft have been rated as high profile crimes and threaten national security and financial health. The most common forms of cybercrimes in this county include identity theft, password trafficking, computer intrusions, hacking and spamming

In St. Louis County, Cybercrimes majorly target individuals or property. Hinduja (2013) indicate that internet fraud has risen by an alarming 65 percent since 2005, and a 60 percent rise is evident in child exploitation and identity theft. Most cybercrimes in St. Louis County target minors such as child pornography and sexual exploitation. The drastic rise in these crimes has been attributed to the lucrative market of child pornography.

Cybercrimes are crimes that involve a computer and an internet connection or a network. In most cases, a computer is utilized to commit cybercrimes, and at the same time, it can be a potential target. Essentially, cybercrimes are the felonious utilization of the internet. Cybercrimes have become notorious and majorly involve hacking institutional and individual websites, harassment, copyright contravention, and identity theft (Casey, 2011). The list of cybercrimes is tremendously rising, and currently, cybercrime involves criminalities that have been conceived with the help of computers, for instance, viruses’ distribution and network intrusions.

Cybercrimes also include computer-based variants of prevailing crimes such as bullying, identity theft, stalking, and terrorism. According to the US Digital Media Copyright Act of 1998, the exchange or distribution of copyrighted materials such as music and videos is a criminal and punishable offense. The other controversies that are linked to cybercrimes include digital surveillance issues alongside their impact on civil liberties. After the World Trade Center terrorism attack, privacy issues increased in the United States. The government had to curtail certain privacy rights information to bolster the security of the nation. This paper, therefore, seeks to elaborate on cybercrime threats in St. Louis County. It will further discuss the structure of the cybercrime task force plan, crime taskforce equipment, and cybercrime legislation.

Cybercrime Threats in St. Louis County

Cybercrime is an ever-evolving criminality area, particularly in St. Louis County. Cybercriminals are illegally using the high speed, practicality, and internet secrecy at their disposal to commit various illegal activities virtually. The trends in cybercrimes are continually rising, even costing the global economy billions of dollars. In the beginning, cybercrimes were mainly committed by one individual or group of people, but currently, cybercrimes have grown immensely and are almost encountered in every part of the world. Today, criminal organizations collaborate with feloniously technology-minded experts to continue cybercrimes to raise funds for their unlawful activities.

Common Cybercrimes in St. Louis County

Tax Refund Fraud

The most common form of cybercrimes in St. Louis County includes intellectual property theft, tax refund fraud and bullying, stalking, and harassment. Cybercriminals use a valid name and social security number from a person who does not fill tax returns in tax refund fraud. In most cases, these criminals utilize names and social security numbers of dead or in prison people. Hackers can get this information with social engineering or other phishing techniques, getting information on the black market, or any other illegal channels. Criminals can obtain information on the black market through brokers that usually have a certain degree of admission to crucial personal information. This information is risky in high traffic areas such as doctor’s workplaces, infirmaries, among other places that capture such essential data.

Theft of Intellectual Property

Intellectual property theft is one of the most common types of cybercrimes. Intellectual property and properties such as commercial and copyrighted movies, books, videos, and music are susceptible to cybercriminals. As much as music owners were the most affected people of such cybercrimes previously, commercial organizations with copyrights or patents need to remain vigilant. In intellectual property theft, cybercriminals precisely categorize the intellectual property they want to utilize or seize illegally. For instance, cybercriminals can commit commercial espionage if they identify and trace a competitor’s intellectual property. As indicated by the Federal Bureau Investigation (FBI), intellectual property theft deterrence is of great importance for its criminal undercover program. The FBI is the lead federal agency for investigating cyber-attacks and intrusions. The agency collects and share intelligence and engages with victims while working to unmask those committing malicious cyber activities, wherever they are (Federal Bureau Investigation, 2013). The agency also focuses on fake goods, among other products that can cause harm to individuals. In most cases, cybercriminals attack entertainment intellectual property such as songs, films, and books. These criminals use other people’s property without paying for them and can even sell the properties for a profit without complying with the copyright regulations.

Harassment, Stalking, and Bullying

Harassment, stalking, and bullying of people is also a prominent form of cybercrimes. In the recent past, numerous high profile instances of individuals being bullied over the internet using a computer or any gadget access the internet. Teenagers are people that are mostly affected by harassment, stalking, and bullying over the internet. In cyber-bullying, perpetrators use unkind communications to bully people on social media sites such as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. These perpetrators may upload humiliating videos on sites such as YouTube to hurt the victims. Most individuals, mostly youths, have gone into depression or died because of cyber-bullying. Apart from using humiliating videos, cybercriminals can steal the passwords of victims and subsequently imitate them over the internet. Once they have acquired victims’ passwords, they can trace their emails and sometimes send threatening messages to respected individuals such as employers.

Additionally, cybercriminals can utilize the internet to stalk other people virtually. Sometimes, victims can give out their information to the felons unwillingly. To minimize frequent cybercrimes, it is significant for states and the federal government to create a cybercrime task force plan. Cybercrime forces aid states and the federal government to enhance their inspective responses to criminals who utilize the internet, online communication system, and computer technology to perpetrate some illegal activities.

Cybercrime Task Force Structure

The cybercrime taskforce will utilize the functional organizational structure because it incorporates different individuals from equally various areas of expertise. A functional organizational structure will be developed so that every task force quota is conducted according to its purpose. This type of taskforce comprises the investigative department, law enforcement department, and the analysis department. To ensure that task force objectives are met timely, it is significant to assign the right individuals with correct experience and skills in the cybersecurity field. In this endeavor, the taskforce should involve computer experts who must have extensive experience in all types of hacking to track down hackers from various locations. Secondly, the task force will need the services of law enforcement agencies in the cybersecurity field. The law enforcement organization will ensure that cyber criminals are arrested promptly. Thirdly, the taskforce should incorporate legal representatives to inform the taskforce team from a legal point of view.

Apart from collaborating with specialized personnel in the cybersecurity fields, the taskforce can strongly collaborate with other agencies that meet their objectives. The principal federal law enforcement agency that conducts cybercrime investigation include the United States Secret Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the US Postal Inspection Service (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2013). The agencies mentioned above are placed at convenient places across the United States, including St. Louis County, for people to report cybercrimes. These agencies, under the federal government, prioritize cybersecurity depending on the magnitude of the cyber threats.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is responsible for high-level intrusions, worldwide cyber organizations, and enormous and most treacherous state-funded hackers. The FBI predicts and prevents cybercrimes rather than responding to the attack (Mahidhar et al., 2014). This makes the FBI a significant agency to the task force. The FBI experts, computer geniuses, and agents utilize technical capabilities and traditional investigative techniques such as surveillance, wiretaps, and forensics to fight cybercrime (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2013, p.7). The FBI also attempt to tap into the private sector for critical services. The task force partners with the private sector, such as InfraGard, Training Alliance, Domestic Alliance Council, and National Cyber Forensics. These private sectors aid the task force by providing information that will be useful in the cybersecurity realm.

The National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center) is another agency that the taskforce will incorporate to eradicate cybercrimes at St. Louis County. Since intellectual property theft is prevalent in the United States, it is critical to involve the IPR Center agency. The IPR Center is central to the US Government’s response to local and global intellectual property theft. The organization enforces international trade rules and regulations. The IPR Center ensures national security by safeguarding public health and safety.

Cybercrime Task Force Equipment

To adequately examine and prosecute cybercriminals, law enforcement agencies need updated forensic inspectors, skilled detectives, and qualified prosecutors with vast cybersecurity expertise. As opined by Hathaway et al. (2012), the pool of competent candidates is insufficient because investigating cybercrimes require highly trained experts with technical and investigative skills and vast knowledge of different IT software, hardware, and forensic tools.

The latest equipment used in managing cybercrimes is digital evidence. Digital evidence is the information stored or delivered in binary forms and can be relied on in a court of law. Digital evidence has not been broadly utilized before, but since courts have acknowledged it, it can be used to provide cybercrime evidence. As stated by Bayuk et al. (2012), St. Louis County and the entire country uses digital evidence to fight cybercrimes. The digital evidence is available in mobile phones, computer hard drives, memory cards, or compact disks in the digital camera, individual digital assistants (PDA), among other places. Currently, digital evidence equipment is utilized to indict all types of crimes. For example, the defendants’ mobile phone or electronic mail document contains essential evidence regarding the location of the crime, their intention, and affiliation with criminals. Therefore, the taskforce should incorporate digital evidence to prevent and explore digital evidence.

Another piece of equipment that will be required by the taskforce is collective intelligence. In the ever-evolving world of cybercrimes, the taskforce requires a networked and concerted security system. In the cybersecurity perspective, collective intelligence shares information about threats, vulnerabilities, and remedies between the government and enterprises and between security vendors and enterprises (Anderson, 2014). Collective Intelligence enhances risk management by promptly sharing threats and vulnerabilities’ knowledge. This assists cyber forensic and security appraisals by guiding them to areas of supposed weakness. This type of fighting cybercrimes can reveal developments and further proposes areas where investment and security measures are justified.

Additionally, the task force will also utilize professional and technological services. With mobile and social computing generating novel securities vulnerabilities and traditional cybersecurity tools such as firewalls and antivirus scanners, the taskforce can avert any danger they come across. The taskforce will combine computerization with the analytical abilities of technology and human intelligence to prevent cyber-attacks. Such scientific and technical offerings assist the task force in tracking, collecting, and investigating big data sets and determine patterns that reveal breaches. The professional and technical services aid the taskforce team in responding to cyber threats with agility. As opined by Taylor et al. (2012, p.239, para. 16), the officers responsible for dealing with computer crimes will need adequate resources to work productively along with latest criminal codes to input main system. The officers should also use software and hardware that can determine malwares, Trojans and viruses that hackers utilize to corrupt the system. 

Crime Lab

Crime laboratories are vital in managing any crime. The cyber laboratory must be well equipped to perform forensics. A good crime laboratory that can perform forensics should comprise civilian experts and enlisted State Police Detectives. The crime laboratory should be operated by various personnel from local, county, state, and federal law enforcement agencies devoted to digital evidence inspection to support law enforcement and intelligence agencies.

The crime laboratory should also be equipped with personnel and tools that make it possible to carry the forensic analysis of digital media such as mobile phones, computers, personal data assistants, and videos. 

The tools help law enforcers and intelligence agencies to conduct criminal inquiries such as forensic gathering, conservation, storage, digital evidence presentation, processing, examination, preservation, and recovery. For the crime laboratory to perform cyber forensic effectively, it should have Cell Phone Kiosk and Loose Media Kiosk (LMK). The Loose Media Kiosk is a tool that empowers crime laboratory experts to assess evidentiary information on electronic devices such as CDS flash media, thumb drives, among others. Simultaneously, the Cell Phone Kiosk allows crime laboratory experts to extract information on a mobile phone and place it in a report.

Cybercrime Legislation

The global cyberspace nature and security complicate operative law enforcement. Alliance mechanisms with the nation and across the national border solve and prosecute gradual and dynamic crimes. To prevent cybercrimes from happening, St. Louis County should develop better and workable laws and regulations. Notably, these laws should be customized to cater to unique cybercrimes prevalent in tax refund frauds, child pornography, and cyberbullying. The laws mentioned above should be legislated at the state level because law enforcers are better positioned to comprehend the issues St. Louis County residents face. 

It is vital to recognize these laws and regulations can target criminal activities associated with cybersecurity within a specific region. Therefore, these laws and regulations should be concise and conclusive enough to avoid unconvincing decisions in cases. Cybersecurity laws and regulations in St. Louis County ought to be developed or amended to control all types of communications, such as electronic mail, face-to-face contact, and text messaging. The laws should also involve current criminal provision for irresponsibly threatening, terrifying, or provoking emotional suffering to another individual through laptops or computers or any outlets such as PDAs, tablets, mobile phones, or Ipads. Penalties associated with cybercrimes should be heightened to extreme cybercrimes or class D felony for offenders that repeat the crime.

Conclusion

All stakeholders in St. Louis County should put concerted effort into ending cybercrimes. More so, departments that deal with security should become more creative and enthusiastic about cybercrime issues. The management should also give proper direction and be dedicated to thwarting the ever-changing cyberspace. St. Louis County administration should make both parents and guardians aware of keeping the internet safe for their children, particularly teenagers. Since harassment and cyberbullying are prevalent in St. Louis County, parents ought to play a significant role in informing their children about threats and the importance of the internet. The leadership of the county should also partner with agencies such as the FBI, InfraGard to prevent cybercrimes. InfraGard is one of the profound private organizations that prevent crime. It is an organization that intends to protect the United States’ critical infrastructure. Finally, law enforcement agencies can collaborate with the agencies mentioned above to share as well as gain information from each other.

References

Anderson, R. (September 10, 2014). Cyber Security, Terrorism, and Beyond: Addressing Evolving Threats to the Homeland. Federal Bureal of Investigation. Retrieved from https://www.fbi.gov/news/testimony/cyber-security-terrorism-and-beyond-addressing-evolving-threats-to-the-homeland on 10 th October 2020

Bayuk, J. L., Healey, J., Rohmeyer, P., Sachs, M. H., Schmidt, J., & Weiss, J. (2012). Cyber security policy guidebook. John Wiley & Sons. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cat02191a&AN=aul.EBC818205&site=eds-live&scope=site on 11th October 2020

Casey, E. (2011). Digital evidence and computer crime: forensic science, computers and the internet. Academic press. Retrieved from http://index-of.es/Varios-2/Digital%20Evidence%20and%20Computer%20Crime.pdf on 10th October 2020

Hinduja, S. (2013). Trends and patterns among online software pirates. Ethics and Information Technology, 5(1), 49-61. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233164651_Trends_and_Patterns_Among_Music_Pirates on 11th October 2020

Federal Bureau Investigation (2013). 2013 Internet Crime Report. Retrieved from https://pdf.ic3.gov/2013_IC3Report.pdf on 11th October 2020.

Hathaway, O. A., Crootof, R., Levitz, P., & Nix, H. (2012). Law of Cyber-Attack, The. Cal. L. Rev., 100, 817. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=78130172&site=eds-live&scope=site on 11th October 2020

Mahidhar et al. (2014). Cyber-crime fighting. Retrieved from http://dupress.com/articles/cyber-crime-fighting/ on October 10, 2020

Taylor, R.W., Fritsch, E., Liederbach, J., & Holt, T.  (2012). Digital Crime, Digital Terrorism 

for Ashford  University, 2nd Edition . Pearson Learning Solutions. VitalBook file. https://www.pearson.com/us/higher-education/product/Taylor-Digital-Crime-Digital-Terrorism-2nd-Edition/9780137008773.html