Digital crimes or cybercrimes is not a secret particularly during the last ten years. People are depend on computers or mobiles devices to do their work every day, they also use them in social networks to communicate with their friends and families, all these activities produce a massive amounts of data and information on computers/ mobile devices or pass through different kinds of computer networks. If these data and information did not have enough security and protection then it will be exposed to theft and destruction. Digital crime begins when there is illegal activity done to data or information on computers or networks. In the early days of cybercrimes, the crime was committed usually in the financial field, but Cybercrime now has evolved to include other forms, for example information systems for one reason or another can be stolen or damaged -by some one- in companies, also computer or mobile devices can used as a tool to committee the crime and in general the rate of digital crime is increased clearly after the advent of the Internet. Networks also play a significant role in increasing the rate of cybercrimes. The high cost of cybercrimes and the damages resulting from it called the international community and law specialists to enact cybercrime laws ,some countries started to enact national cybercrime law and other have not enact it yet.
What Is Digital Crime?
Digital crime has many synonymies for example: cybercrime, electronic crime and computer crime are changeable words. Firstly computer crime term was used to denote to any criminal activity that done against computers and networks or using computer as tool to do that activity. But in the last few years these crimes extend to encompass other digital devices like cell phone, so the term was extend to digital crime. There is no one definition for digital crime until now and it’s difficult to form standard one, however what can be said is that: digital crime is focused on offences against computer data or systems, unauthorized access, modification or impairment of a computer or digital system.
Unlike traditional crime digital crime has unique Characteristics. For example it has no geographic boundaries, so digital crime can be committed in one country or region against other country or region, further more in digital crimes Offenders usually don’t leave physical trace instead of that they leave digital trace.
In usual the environment of digital crime is described as virtual environment because the crime is done on computer data, digital systems or networks.
Digital crimes were differed and varied since 1960(in that time the telecommunications systems were affected by attacks) to now. In the early era of information systems, computer crimes were committed by some employees, also physical attacks on computer system was common in the time between 1960 and 1980. In 1980 malicious software was begun to appear against personal computers.
In the beginning of 1990s the internet had been a significant factor of increasing digital crimes; criminals were access to poorly protected systems using unauthorized way usually for financial gain, credit-card fraud for example was grown rapidly in the middle of 1990s. By the end of 20th century and the beginning of 21th credit-card fraud was involved into broader category called identity theft. Criminals were thieving identities of other people to do illegal activities. In 2008 it was being the fastest growing form of fraud.
Cell phone crimes are being increasing these last few years, beside these, nowadays a new type of criminal activities is being done on cloud computing.
According to Donn Parker (a computer crime researcher) Computer has four different rules in crimes (this is taken from an investigative point of view):
Offenders committed different kinds of digital crimes or cybercrimes such as:
There is no complete crime; the offenders have to leave traces behind them. Since these crimes are digital crimes, these traces will be mostly digital evidences. These evidences will help significantly to find out the identity of the offender.
What is Digital Evidence?
“Digital evidence is defined as any data stored or transmitted using a computer that support or refute a theory of how an offense occurred or that address critical elements of the offense such as intent or alibi”. Data here refers to different types of information like text, number audio or video.
These different types of digital data are useful in the process of investigation. Sources of digital data can be divided into three categories:
Devices, Navigation systems, Microwave ovens and others systems can contain many valuable digital evidences.
Like physical evidence, digital evidence has several challenges:
Cyber threats during the COVID-19 pandemic
The International Criminal Police Organisation has launched an awareness campaign on cyber threats during the COVID-19 outbreak. The campaign is taking place from May 4 to May 31.
It is in coordination with law enforcement agencies across the world. Basic cyber hygiene advice is being provided through the international network. This is to ensure that individuals and business are equipped with the knowledge to protect their systems and data.
Cybercriminals are capitalizing on the anxiety caused by COVID-19. They use tools like data-harvesting malware, ransom ware, online scams and phishing.
The cyber security industry has seen a considerable increase in the number of targeted cyber attacks since the virus outbreak began.
Cyber security agencies have seen a surge in large-scale ‘password spraying’ campaigns against healthcare bodies and medical research organization. Malicious web domains use word like ‘covid’ and ‘corona’ .
