Choman Saleem
The Advancement of Computing Technologies and Cybercrime
Every day, unprecedented steps in computing technology continue to positively transform our world and help push the boundaries of information sharing. During the 20th century, inventions such as electricity, telephone, automobile, and airplane have improved millions of lives meanwhile changing the landscape of our economy and society. When Motorola‘s communication systems manager, Martin Cooper, introduced the Dyna-Tac, the world’s first commercially available cellphone, Motorola helped millions of people connect together and drastically changed the landscape of communication. With the immergence of affordable cellphones to a wider populace, cellphones also improved the fortunes of criminals by giving them the opportunity to communicate on the go, which allowed them to carry out crimes more quickly and effectively. Advances in technology have positively impacted society throughout history. However, criminals have found ways to exploit this technology and will continue to do so with each new technological development. Because of the misuse of computing technology, the government and the industry both take measures to combat cybercrime.
The technology of the contemporary Internet has come a long way from its initial infancy. The rudimentary prototype of the Internet we use today was the Advanced Research Project Agency Network (ARPANET), used by universities, research laboratories, and the U.S. Department of Defense. As more non-military computers connected to the network, the military decided it was no longer safe (Weber). At the time, the idea of millions of personal computers being connected to a global network seemed completely outlandish. Fortunately, the military proactively predicted the fulminating future trend of cybercrime and created a separate network, the MILnet. The monumental component of the Internet that took the globe by storm was researcher Tim Berners-Lee’s World Wide Web during the late 1980’s at the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN). The World Wide Web simplified using the Internet and opened the door for the non-technical population to begin taking part. The Internet has brought millions of people closer together and has changed the way we live and work.
Since then, the rapid advances in computer technology have ushered in a new wave of crime. The problem does not stem from the unprecedented abilities of computers, but from the ancient abuse of capabilities by unscrupulous people looking for an advantage over others. The threat from cybercrime is not just a concern for governments, but everyone in society, including citizens and businesses. Looking back at the history of cybercrime, one of the most notorious cases occurred at New York’s Union Dime Savings Bank. The chief teller, Jerome Kerviel, had extensive knowledge of the system and issued numerous “error corrections” to hundreds of accounts. When the time came for interest calculations, he would adjust the values and pocket the money from the “corrected” accounts into a separate account set up for himself. From 1970 to 1973, Kerviel’s simple scheme netted him US $1.5 million. Since then, there are measures set in place to prevent similar crimes from happening.The digital underground is extremely sophisticated and self-sufficient, criminal activities can be broken down into spam, piracy, hacking (spreading malicious code, stealing information), cyber-terrorism, child pornography, intrusion for money, denial of service attacks, and more. Researchers at the Center for Strategic and International Studies have estimated that the economy of the United States alone may lose an estimated total of $100 billion annually due to cybercrime. While cybercriminals are gaining massive amounts of money and attention, the government and private organizations are taking steps to relentlessly fight back and keep attackers at bay.
Since then, the rapid advances in computer technology have ushered in a new wave of crime. The problem does not stem from the unprecedented abilities of computers, but from the ancient abuse of capabilities by unscrupulous people looking for an advantage over others. The threat from cybercrime is not just a concern for governments, but everyone in society, including citizens and businesses. Looking back at the history of cybercrime, one of the most notorious cases occurred at New York’s Union Dime Savings Bank. The chief teller, Jerome Kerviel, had extensive knowledge of the system and issued numerous “error corrections” to hundreds of accounts. When the time came for interest calculations, he would adjust the values and pocket the money from the “corrected” accounts into a separate account set up for himself. From 1970 to 1973, Kerviel’s simple scheme netted him US $1.5 million. Since then, there are measures set in place to prevent similar crimes from happening.The digital underground is extremely sophisticated and self-sufficient, criminal activities can be broken down into spam, piracy, hacking (spreading malicious code, stealing information), cyber-terrorism, child pornography, intrusion for money, denial of service attacks, and more. Researchers at the Center for Strategic and International Studies have estimated that the economy of the United States alone may lose an estimated total of $100 billion annually due to cybercrime. While cybercriminals are gaining massive amounts of money and attention, the government and private organizations are taking steps to relentlessly fight back and keep attackers at bay.
As more businesses and people connect to the Internet, the security concern will continue to be paramount issue. Because of publicized stories of cybercrime, the Internet is often times given the same reputation as the “Wild West”. The judicial system, law enforcement community, and private organizations have done their best to enforce criminal laws and cyber-security. As the trend of cybercrime increased and showed no signs of slowing down, multiple organizations formed to fight cybercrime and help keep the integrity of the Internet. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is the biggest player in stopping and solving cybercrime. The Federal Bureau of Investigation saw the growing number of cybercrime cases and created the Computer Analysis Response Team (CART). CART is responsible for providing digital forensic services to not just the national government, but also local, state, and other federal agencies. In addition to CART, the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) provides a means for reporting crimes. The IC3 operates with the FBI, the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C). Once a victim submits a report, the IC3 forwards the cybercrime report to the appropriate local, state, national, or international agency. More so, the Department of Homeland Security also has 93 Electronic Crimes Task Forces (ECTFs), which deal with cases pertaining to cyber intrusions, bank fraud, data breaches, and other computer crimes. To keep pace with cybercriminals, the government also has the National Computer Forensics Institute, which gives law enforcement information and training to combat cybercrime.
Powerful smartphones and tablets have flooded the market and serve as personal data repositories for communicating, social networking, entertainment, and more. Often times, criminals also use this technology to help facilitate illegal acts, such as drug dealers with a list of customers or a child predator exchanging sexual multimedia of children with others in a child pornography community. As more local and state cases involved digital media, the Department of Justice issued the Searching and Seizing Computers and Obtaining Electronic Evidence in Criminal Investigations document. The government continues to update the manual to help investigators solve cases as new methods of cybercrimes develop.
Defending against cybercrime is not only the sole responsibility of the government; there are numerous organizations which battle cybercrime and will continue to do so in the future. InfraGard is an information sharing organization with 86 chapters made up of local communities such as businesses and universities. In exchange for giving information to the government, they receive vital intelligence that will help them protect their own networks. According to a report by the Homeland Security’s Computer Emergency Readiness Team, the number of security breaches of American and private-computer networks doubled from an estimated 37,000 in 2007 to 72,000 in 2008. Multiple private companies have stepped up to defend cyberspace and provide resources, such as Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon and ManTech International Corporation.
When looking at the raw facts and numbers pertaining to cyber security and the advancement of computing technologies, it’s alarming to see that the amount of cybercrime committed is much higher than the defenses in place to stop it. The battle between the rest of the world and cybercriminals is a continuous struggle, but there is still more we can do. In order to fortify cyberspace and slow down those who exploit the advancements in computing technology, more work is needed between the government and the private sector. When creating software and products, businesses need to design products with increased security in mind. While a great deal of advancements have been made in that regard, there is still a long way to go. As computing technologies continue to advance in the years to come, new security challenges will inevitably emerge. Stronger threats will blur the distinction between cyber and physical attacks. To conclude, the balance of cybercrime will surely be shaken up with quantum computing imminent.
Defending against cybercrime is not only the sole responsibility of the government; there are numerous organizations which battle cybercrime and will continue to do so in the future. InfraGard is an information sharing organization with 86 chapters made up of local communities such as businesses and universities. In exchange for giving information to the government, they receive vital intelligence that will help them protect their own networks. According to a report by the Homeland Security’s Computer Emergency Readiness Team, the number of security breaches of American and private-computer networks doubled from an estimated 37,000 in 2007 to 72,000 in 2008. Multiple private companies have stepped up to defend cyberspace and provide resources, such as Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon and ManTech International Corporation.
When looking at the raw facts and numbers pertaining to cyber security and the advancement of computing technologies, it’s alarming to see that the amount of cybercrime committed is much higher than the defenses in place to stop it. The battle between the rest of the world and cybercriminals is a continuous struggle, but there is still more we can do. In order to fortify cyberspace and slow down those who exploit the advancements in computing technology, more work is needed between the government and the private sector. When creating software and products, businesses need to design products with increased security in mind. While a great deal of advancements have been made in that regard, there is still a long way to go. As computing technologies continue to advance in the years to come, new security challenges will inevitably emerge. Stronger threats will blur the distinction between cyber and physical attacks. To conclude, the balance of cybercrime will surely be shaken up with quantum computing imminent.
