A look at cyber crimes

Feb 22, 2015 Editorial

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It speaks well for Guyana’s recognition that the convergence of computing and communications and the exponential growth of digital technology (cyberspace) although bringing enormous benefits also carry great risks as evidenced by the enhanced capacity of individual offenders and criminal networks to exploit new vulnerabilities exposed in the relatively new concept of cyber crime.
Therefore, President Donald Ramotar’s comments at the 2012 Police Officers’ Conference reveal an awareness of the uses to which information technology can be put by the criminal underclass.  It is no secret that in many jurisdictions the response by law enforcement agencies to cyber crime has been largely ineffective in confronting even the less than sophisticated criminal operations.  Gross (2003) admits that one of the extreme risks cyber-criminals pose is when they operate in the context of failed or failing states thus contributing to the criminalisation of the world economy, by providing safe havens for plundered resources.
In support of the elements of the framework (which is a work-in-progress) emerging from the workshop, controlling cyber-crime also requires networks between police and other agencies within government, networks between police and private institutions, and networks of police across national borders.
Many cyber-crimes take place across jurisdictional boundaries and through various jurisdictions therefore the need for reliable and efficient mechanisms for international cooperation in law enforcement has never been more urgent because as Esposito, (2004) states “The fight against cyber-crime either is a global one or it makes no sense.”  In speaking to capacity building the President referred to the experiences abroad where pedophiles prey on the unsuspecting vulnerable young and stressed preparedness to deal with this undesirable social phenomenon.
It is reasonable to assume that it will not be plain sailing if we as a country are to get on top of technology-assisted white crimes.  There are several challenges that forensic specialists investigating computer-related crime have faced over time and which are constantly evolving ranging from release of malicious software to industrial espionage to identity theft.
With Government, industries, markets and consumers increasingly dependent on computer connectivity, they are prone to an array of threats.  Moore (2003); Staniford (2002) et al argue that the risks now posed by the release of malicious codes of increasing complexity targeted against either a significant commercial or government site could threaten the viability of e-commerce.
Thus the greater use of encryption and access protection will offer some measure of protection against the extracting of evidence from computers and servers.  The reluctance of victims to report offences and the fact that many victims are unaware their systems have been compromised add to the already complex challenges facing the investigator and those responsible for information technology infrastructure protection which, if non-existent or minimal, provides opportunities for unauthorized computer intrusion leading to criminal activity such as extortion, financial or internet fraud, identity theft, telecommunications theft and economic espionage.  What seems unclear at this juncture is the level of serious intent on the part of Guyana to recognise cyber-terrorism as a major strategic issue in addressing terrorism with the attendant intrusion and threats to individual privacy.
The tasks of identifying cyber-criminals and bringing them to justice pose formidable challenges to law enforcement agencies across the globe, and require a degree and timeliness of cooperation particularly when one looks at the compatibility of criminal activity with global changes as demonstrated by the expansion and convergence of the profitable business of trafficking in persons, pornography, narcotics or other illicit commodities with the development of communication infrastructure and trade.
One can only hope that forensic computing and evidence preservation protocols essential to effective investigation and successful prosecution will be operationalized.  This is especially important in the context of the globalized nature of law enforcement and universal standards of cyber-crime evidence collection.
The fact remains that not in all instances will a computer expert will be available at a crime scene with the attendant high risks of evidence contamination.  It means therefore that as with other types of crime, the emphasis should be on following the traditional chain-of-evidence rules and preserving crime scene integrity until such time that the relevant expertise is assigned to the task.

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