Cyber criminal activities have been on the rise in the recent past. The development of internet and other technologies that make it possible for people to connect digitally have brought people from various parts of the world even closer to one another. However, it is also noticeable that development in the use of internet also opened a new world of criminal activities to people who are technology savvy. It is clear that the rate at which people have to deal with cyber criminal activities have increased in the recent past.
Moreover, it is also obvious that cyber crimes are not only encountered by large organizations but even government agencies, multinational corporation, people, and business also experience cyber criminal activities. Similarly, the increases in the number of such issues have also led to a difference in how the law enforcement officers investigate the crimes. Further developments in technology have spurred several ways in which cyber criminals commit these crimes. Therefore, it is important to discuss the history of cyber crimes, how they are committed, investigated and even look at one current form of cyber criminal activity.
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History of cyber crimes
Cyber criminal activities originated in the 1960s when MIT model train enthusiasts modified the operation of their model train (Brosworth, Kabay, & Whyne, 2012). Cyber criminal activities also started during this time when people with a lot of computer knowledge started hacking other computers and network for fun. However, some people have also continued with this method with the aim of causing harm to others. Studies also show that cyber crime also started by some hackers aiming to gain access to computer networks (Aseef, Davis, Mittal, Sedky, & Tolba, 2005). However, this act also continued when some other group of hackers who wanted access to highly classified information emerged in the 1960s (Brosworth, Kabay, & Whyne, 2012).
The MIT technology savvy people who experimented with the model train went ahead to practice their resourcefulness with computers and found out that they were able to change computer codes and gain access to these computers (Brosworth, Kabay, & Whyne, 2012). They also realized that they could change some functions of the model train without re-engineering the entire device. Moreover, some of the hackers also found out that they could control the computers to meet their needs and requirements such as accessing government documents and all.
Since the first hacking that took place in the 1960, several computer knowledgeable people have come up with several programs that they can use to crack computer codes and gain access to highly classified government, organizational, and personal information. Thus, cyber criminals have come up with different methods for hacking and gaining access to a computer network and other areas of interest.
They use methods such as phishing to gain access to the computers and network they are interested in (Aseef, Davis, Mittal, Sedky, & Tolba, 2005). Some hackers also use viruses and malware which are software designed to take control over computer networks and either erase the information found in such networks or corrupt them (Brosworth, Kabay, & Whyne, 2012). Thus cyber criminal activities had taken different forms from what it was when it first started in the 1960.
Committing cyber crime
Studies show that since the development of hacking in 1960, many people have taken part in various cybercriminal activities. There are different types of cyber crimes which include phishing, cyber terrorist, credit card theft, electronic stalking, cyber bullying, and software piracy (Gordon & Ford, 2006). These types of cyber crimes also show the methods used by cyber attackers to commit such offenses. Thus, cyber criminals can use network intrusion to commit cyber crimes.
Intruding a network involves identifying the types of network that a person would want to access. Once this is identified, then the cyber criminals will use different methods such as malware and computer virus to get access to such a network hence intruding it. Another method that people use to commit a cyber crime is through cyber bullying. This involves sending offensive messages to random people with the aim of hurting their feeling. Cyberbullying may also take the form of hacking into a personal email account or another online platform, taking control of such platforms and causing the person to lack privacy (Gordon & Ford, 2006).
Another method used by cyber criminals to commit cyber crimes includes identity theft which refers to the act of taking over a personal identity and using it for all the wrong reasons (Gordon & Ford, 2006). For example, a person may steal another individual’s IP address and use the same address to access another network illegally. When law enforcement officers start to investigate such crimes, the owner of the IP address is the one who will be incriminated for such offenses but not the actual offender.
Cyber criminals also use credit card theft as another method of committing cyber crimes (Gordon & Ford, 2006). In this case, the criminal steals a personal credit card number and uses it to gain access to a bank’s network and withdraw large funds. In this case, the theft may be traced back to the credit card holder but not to the actual offender.
Cyber criminals also use electronic stalking as another method of committing cyber crimes. Electronic stalking involves gaining access to someone’s email or file footage and using it to monitor what the target person does. Criminals may also decide to install surveillance videos into the person’s house and monitor their movement while aiming to stalk them at the same time (Gordon & Ford, 2006). They also use cyber terrorism as another method of committing cyber crimes. Cyber terrorism involves using an organizational or a country network to attack the same organization or country.
Methods of investigating cyber crimes
Some of the methods used to investigate cyber crimes include the need to access the situations. Assessing the situation requires the law enforcement officers to determine the scope and specific element of the crime as well as determine the laws required for handling such an issue (Casey, 2011). The officers will proceed to conduct the initial investigations in which they determine who the suspect could be, the exact crime committed, and when the incident took place. The preliminary investigations also make it possible for the officers to determine whether the crimes are limited to US jurisdiction. They will find out and collect any available evidence such as any possible physical and digital evidence available at the crime scene.
The officers will then proceed to identify the evidence. The available proof might be protected, encrypted or hidden in some form or location (Aseef, Davis, Mittal, Sedky, & Tolba, 2005). Therefore, the officers need to seek the help of experts in solving such evidence. Moreover, should they lack the necessary skills, they can consider partnering with other organizations to help them to decrypt, unhide, or unprotect the available evidence from the crime scene.
After identifying the available evidence, the law enforcement officers will then need to .obtain a search warrant to allow them to search the premises further. A search warrant is beneficial in ensuring that the procedures are legal and within the jurisdictions of the state. They also need to secure the devices and obtain a court order for doing the same. The law enforcement officers will then have to analyze the results with a prosecutor. This process will also help them press effective charges and proceed with further investigations.
Major Cyberattack
One of the most recent major crimes is the attack that took place at the NHS which crippled operations at the NHS, interfered with FedEx and infected over 300,000 computers in 150 countries around the world (Graham, 2017). The hackers are believed to have used a program designed by the US Military intelligence agencies. Their main aim was to gain access to client health records. Studies further show that the most affected countries were Russia, Ukraine, Taiwan, and India. This attack is believed to have been the biggest in the hacking history.
The hackers used a ransomware called WannaCry0r2.0 which was delivered through an email that tricked the person to download an attachment. Once the attachment is downloaded, it releases the malware into a large network of the computer using the Microsoft Corporation (Graham, 2017). The ransomware accessed patient health data in all hospitals in the UK and other countries and scrambled the data on the computer thus jeopardizing any health activities in the organizations. A cyber gang conducted the attack called a cyber broker. The expert said that they found evidence that could link the attack to North Korea.
Cyber crimes originated in the 1960 when MIT technology savvy duo changed the function of their model train. They realized that they were capable of changing the operations of their model train without re-engineering its entire program. Since them, cyber crimes have taken various forms such as hacking, phishing, cyber terrorism, identity theft, and credit card theft. Some criminals also use electronic stalking as another form of cyber terrorism. Some of the methods used by law enforcement officers to investigate cyber crimes include identifying the possible suspect, confirming types of crime, and what might be taken. They obtain a search warrant and discuss the evidence with an attorney. One recent form of cyber crime was the attack on NHS and stealing of health data that affected over 300,000 computers in 150 countries.
References
Aseef, N., Davis, P., Mittal, M., Sedky, K., & Tolba, A. (2005). Cyber-Criminal Activity and Analysis. Chicago.
Brosworth, S., Kabay, M. E., & Whyne, E. (2012). Computer Security Handbook, Set. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Casey, E. (2011). Digital Evidence and Computer Crime: Forensic Science, Computers, and the Internet. Chicago: Academic Press.
Gordon, S., & Ford, R. (2006). On the definition and classification of cybercrime. Journal of Computer Virology. Volume 2, Issue 1 , 13–20.
Graham, C. (2017). NHS cyber attack: Everything you need to know about 'biggest ransomware' offensive in history. UK: The Telegraph.
