BotNet News

Cybercrime is a complex issue that affects individuals, organizations and nations. It is not only a financial burden on victims, including those who lose money from fraud or expenses related to restoring systems following attacks and data breaches, but it also can have devastating psychological effects. For example, victims may lose confidence in online services, have difficulty finding work, suffer a loss of income and face legal penalties and emotional distress as a result of phishing, identity theft or malware infections.

While cyber crime is not a new phenomenon, it is constantly evolving and has become more sophisticated. Attacks are increasingly targeting critical infrastructure such as public and private networks that support the energy, transportation, and financial sectors, while seeking information ranging from personal information to business and trade secrets. This growing threat is due to a variety of factors, including human negligence and vulnerability, easy access to computer equipment and storage, network and application system vulnerabilities, and the availability of bad actors who seek illicit gains.

One major challenge is that federal law enforcement agencies do not define cybercrimes in the same way, impacting their ability to share information and coordinate investigations. In addition, many victims do not report cybercrimes because they are unsure who to contact or what can be done about it. We need to address these challenges and help victims get the support they need. To that end, we call on the Department of Justice to develop categories of cybercrime so that law enforcement has shared language to classify these incidents and better understand their impacts.