Forensics Journal - Stevenson University 2012 | Page 37

FORENSICS JOURNAL

The Modern Day Crime: Exploring Cyber Crime
in the United States
Donyiel Carr
INTRODUCTION

TRENDS

Advances in technology have dramatically changed the way society,
business, and individuals operate. This reliance on technology as the
command and control vehicle for daily interactions raises a legitimate concern about the security of computer networks against cyber
attacks. A 2011 study by Symantec, a company which specializes in
computer security software, found that “…at an annual price of $388
billion globally based on financial losses and time lost, cybercrime
costs the world significantly more than the global black market in
marijuana, cocaine and heroin combined…” (Albanesius, 2011,
September 7). Cyber crime is a global issue, and many cyber security
experts agree that there is inadequate preparation to combat cyber
attacks.

The increase in social media websites, online shopping, and online
bill paying, enables cyber criminals to hack into computer networks
to steal and/or destroy critical information. Unlike a physical crime
where a criminal might walk up to someone at an ATM machine,
point a gun, and force cash to be withdrawn, cyber crimes are committed every day with a key stroke by criminals who are hidden from
view. Online criminals tend to organize in groups, allowing the ability
to commit larger scale attacks on individual, business, and government computer networks.
The increase in mobile attacks is a growing trend. The Symantec
study cited earlier predicts that almost 70% of adults will be a victim
of cyber crime at some point in their lives, and with the increased
dependency on mobile devices, mobile attacks will become more
common. In a New York Times article, “For Hackers, the Next Lock
to Pick,” author, Claire Miller, included a statement from Charlie
Miller, a research expert from Accuvant, a company which specializes
in security consulting. Charlie Miller noted that “…the bad guys are
going to slowly follow the money over to your phones....most consumers, though they protect their computers, are unaware that they
need to secure their phones…but the same thing that can happen on
your computer can happen on your phone” (Miller, 2011).

Shortly after being elected to office in 2009, President Obama stated
cyber security is a serious economic and national security challenge
that needs to be re-evaluated. On May 29, 2009 during a White
House Press conference on Cyber Security, President Obama said:
It’s about the privacy and the economic security
of American families. We rely on the Internet to
pay our bills, to bank, to shop, to file our taxes.
But we’ve had to learn a whole new vocabulary
just to stay ahead of the cyber criminals who
would do us harm -- spyware and malware and
spoofing and phishing and botnets. Millions
of Americans have been victimized, their privacy violated, their identities stolen, their lives
upended, and their wallets emptied (Obama,
2009).

CURRENT CHALLENGES
Some of the biggest challenges with cyber security include a lack of
knowledge about how common cyber crimes are and inadequate
preparation, particularly training. Even the most updated anti-virus
software or cyber security team does not prevent a hacker from
inserting a virus into a computer network. Some cyber experts are
not optimistic that there are effective ways of combating cyber crime,
and argue that it might never be eradicated because cyber criminals
continually modify and create new materials faster than laws can be
enacted or system protection can be developed.

This paper examines cyber crimes in the context of how they are
executed, investigated, and prosecuted with a primary focus on
attacks that impact individuals, businesses or corporations, and critical infrastructure in the United States.
WHAT IS CYBER CRIME?

Dan Kaplan, in his article “Bringing Justice”, argues there is not
enough being done about cyber crime for the “little people.” Kaplan
stated, “…sure law enforcement is more aware of threats, laws
have been created or strengthened, and major cybercriminals busts
are becoming common headlines. Yet, at the local and state levels,
knowledge and capabilities needed to bring electronic fraudsters to
justice are severely lacking” (Kaplan, 2010, p. 24). Kaplan noted that
the public should be educated and that local and state law enforcement agencies need better training on how to work cyber crime cases
(Kaplan, 2010, p. 24).

In his book, Essentials of Criminal Justice, Larry Siegel defines cybercrime as “the theft and/or destruction of information, resources, or
funds via computers, computer networks, or the Internet” (Siegel,
2011, p. 504). Siegel further notes that there are three forms of
cybercrime: cyber theft, cyber vandalism, and cyber terrorism (Siegel,
2011, p. 504). According to Siegel, cyber theft is the “use of cyber
space to…distribute illegal goods and services to defraud people for
quick profits;” cyber vandalism is the “use of cyber space for revenge,
for destruction, or to achieve malicious ends;” and cyber terrorism is
“an effort by enemy forces to disrupt the intersection where the virtual electronic reality of computers meets the physical world.” (Siegel,
2011, p. 505)

In a PC Magazine article, “White House Unveils Cyber-Security
Plan,” author Chloe Albanesius discusses a White House proposed
cyber security plan that was brought before Congress in May 2011
for future legislation. This proposed plan notes some challenges
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