Cybercrime
Cybercrime is criminal activity using computer technology and networks. It includes fraud, theft, hacking, identity theft and data breaches as well as extortion. It also encompasses activities that violate privacy and civil rights. Cyber crime is growing, affecting all aspects of daily life.
In the past, crimes such as larceny, burglary and robbery were committed by individuals who met in person, but nowadays criminals can hide behind their computers and networks to carry out their activities, often across jurisdictions. The Internet allows offenders to steal personal information without ever meeting the victim in person, and some are part of criminal gangs which may never meet each other in person either.
Cybercriminals are not only using the Internet to commit their offences, but they are stealing data from businesses, extorting ransoms and threatening businesses with denial of service. They are also stealing financial data such as bank account details, credit card numbers and passwords from victims and using it to gain access to their accounts. They are even stealing valuable intellectual property such as software and games.
The nature of cyber crime is such that it can often be difficult to prosecute, requiring collaboration between police forces, prosecutors and courts. In addition, the Internet is global and a crime committed in one jurisdiction can have a significant impact in another, so the laws of each country need to be closely considered. Furthermore, although some files may be deleted in an attempt to remove evidence, forensic examiners can usually recover the original data. For example, many ISPs are required to keep logfiles which can be used in the event of an investigation.