Introduction
Computer networking technology seems to have blurred the boundaries between cyberwarfare, cybercrime, and cyberterrorism. Criminal organizations are hiring cybercrime and cyberattack services that are a growing threat to the security of the nation. Advanced and sophisticated cybercrime tools direct cyber attacks on the web and remain unidentified. In the United States, some law enforcement agencies need to don on new roles to fight computer crimes and terrorism (Botnets, Cybercrime, and Cyberterrorism 2009). The criminal and terrorist groups make use of computers and the Internet to further their goals and activities. For example, militants use Internet websites for enrollment and fundraising activities along with offering training for Jihad. They try to get stolen credit card information and personal information to finance their activities. It can be difficult to label the cyber attack as cyber terrorism or cybercrime because of the difficulty to determine the intent behind the attack. Thus, digital crime or cybercrime can be very broad in scope and is often equated with Cyberterrorism.
Utilizing information technologies in combatting digital crime
Advanced Information Technologies do usher in growth and development of any economy and is a valuable asset for any organization, as it redefines the way business and communication get conducted. The Internet and its global reach create new opportunities. However, at the same time, it also allows the digital criminals to conduct their organized crime because of the anonymizing effects of technology. The law enforcement is not able to keep pace with the how the new technologies might get exploited and thus lack behind in developing technologies to investigate these crimes. With the increasing number of people getting connected to the internet, the number of targets and offenders grow at the same time. As it is difficult to automate investigation process, the law enforcement agencies face loads of hurdles. The crime gets fueled because of the information revolution as it is looked upon as a valuable means of profit and a primary goal of an economic crime (Di Nicola & Scartezzini, 2000).
How to align the efforts of federal agencies
The federal government takes regular steps and makes continual efforts to improve its own computer security and adopt advanced computer security policies so as to minimize infrastructure vulnerabilities. Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) was enacted in 2002. National Cyber Security Division (NCSD), Department of Homeland Security (DHS,) and Cyber Security Tracking Analysis and Response Centre (CSTARC) issue alerts and warnings and conducts analysis of cyberspace threats and vulnerabilities. Cyber Warning and Information Network (CWIN) operates at functions as an early warning system for cyber attacks. National Cyber Alert System (NCAS) was established in 2004 to coordinate national cyber security system and rank emerging vulnerabilities and cyber threats (Botnets, Cybercrime, and Cyberterrorism, 2009). However, the independent nature of the law enforcement agencies within the U.S. makes it difficult to combat cyber crime. Department of Defense (DOD) officials and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) need to coordinate efforts to combat the risks of cyber security and safeguard the nation’s critical infrastructure. . It is only with an effective cooperation and coordination at all levels of public and private companies that one can prevent cyber crime. There is a critical need for high levels of coordination and expertise to tackle with the elusive nature of the cyber crime that does not have traditional boundaries.
The existing challenges
A growing number of states and countries recognize digital crime and terrorism as a significant threat to the infrastructure, public policies and commercial interests. Because of the elusive nature of cyber crime with no boundaries, it is challenging for the law enforcement to tackle computer crimes and terrorism. The majority of those countries reflect their concern in their national legal codes pertaining to computer misuse that covers unauthorized access, illicit tampering and copying, network sabotage, computer-mediated espionage, data theft and violations of privacy. There are some statutes and statutory provisions in the United States Code to regulate the use of computer technology and the main among them is the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. Each of those fifty states of the United States function within the constraints imposed by federal law (Putnam and Elliott, n.d.). It is felt that there is a lack of activity at the state level, and very few incidents get reported in the media. A large-scale attack would fall under the federal law enforcement, but there is scope for state legislatures to act effectively against digital attacks. It is the plurality of national connections and each with its own jurisdictional claims that add to the procedural difficulties. In the several United States, lines get crossed in cyberspace when prosecuting computer crimes. As the world gets massively interconnected, it is easier for the unknown and unidentifiable to coexist with people and systems. The increasing use of Computers and communications in almost every imaginable application endanger the security and reliability of the networks as stated by Sofaer and Goodman (n.d.). The costs of cybercrime are growing exponentially and according to Computer Security Institute (CSI) survey, computer security breaches are not only getting widespread but expensive at the same time. Heavy investments are being made in a variety of security technologies and cyber crime insurance (Sofaer and Goodman, n.d.). Unlawful use of computer systems is on the rise despite those heavy investments in billions. The monetary damage wreaked by cybercrime point to astronomical figures. What adds to those challenges is the transnational nature of Cyber Crime as it goes beyond the technical and transnational dimension and the potential weaknesses in the transnational nature of the infrastructure get exploited. The global target and network pool of computers allows the attackers to look for easy victims. Another issue arises because of the lack of international cooperation and widespread disparities among states regarding the legal and regulatory policies.
Strategy that could be used to mitigate the challenges in question
The challenge of controlling cyber crime relies on a full cooperation among voluntary and legally mandated bodies. As an effective strategy to mitigate the challenges, it should be made essential for the state law to deal directly with small-scale attacks and function as an adjunct to federal prosecution. One of the major issues that need to be addressed is the jurisdictional issue. The prescriptive jurisdiction and enforcement jurisdiction need to get fresh perspectives (Aldrich, 2000). The international law related to cybercrime is somewhat ambiguous, and any recognition of new norms is not followed by formal announcements. To cooperate across states and national borders, legal systems must agree on certain acts that should be prohibited and punished, especially in the cyber-criminal sphere. There should be general agreement amidst international law enforcement and judicial cooperation regarding punishable offenses (Putnam and Elliott, n.d.). This is because, without a minimum basis for agreement, multijurisdictional computer crimes cannot be investigated fully. In order to deal with cyber crime, the right steps should be taken so as to align the efforts of federal agencies and address identified weaknesses. Because of the transnational nature of cybercrime, there has to a transnational response to the efforts made by individual states will be insufficient. An efficient system to curb cyber crime would require the full range of cooperation among states and a nationwide commitment to make special efforts and preserve usable evidence, as cyber-related evidence can be lost at within no time (Sofaer and Goodman, (n.d.). States must be convinced to cooperate in essential areas such as international banking, narcotics, money laundering and make sure to undertake preventive measures that are consistent with the law of the state.
Future trends in digital crime and digital terrorism
Digital crime and digital terrorism are expected to rise in the future because of the perceived benefits by the cyber terrorists, who may politically motivate, pro-environmental extremists or anti-world trade. Those unlawful attacks against computers and information networks are done for political and social motives and create panic. There have been rising occurrences as well as variances of nature of cyber terrorism attacks. For example, a cyber terrorist tried to control Antarctic research station and scientists involved (Cyberterrorism: A look into the future. 2009). Most acts of sabotage cause financial damage and are politically motivated. Predicting the future is not easy, and it is challenging to know what these future cyber terrorists have in mind. As the world moves towards vitality with cloud computing capabilities and diskless workstation, it would be wise to infer the future cyber-attacks based on current trends and how they might attack our future environment and technology infrastructure. As the cyber landscape changes, so will the cyber terrorism targets. It is essential to understand their convergence and be prepared for the security requirements of that future. An important computer crime challenge for the law enforcements will be a rise in internet frauds because of the substantial expansion of social networking sites and networking. The terrorist groups will use global networking for communications, recruitment, and coordination purposes to achieve their goals. The digital espionage will make its way through intellectual property and information warfare. Technology-based instruments and methodologies will evolve and get adopted by criminals and terrorists for exploitation of the digital networking. Overall strategy that the U.S. could use
As stated by Aldrich (2000), United States is highly vulnerable to those cyber attacks and digital crimes because of the increasing number of information-related products and services. The country has shifted towards an Internet-driven economy rapidly and computer networks largely control most of the modern day financial transactions. Trillions of dollars get transferred digitally, and there is a rise in the intellectual property residing on a networked system. The stakes are enormous as anonymous elements get an opportunity to disrupt military effectiveness and public safety. The disparity among individual states regarding laws related to cybercrime is a major weakness in the current system. Though agreements have been made, there is no international Agreement for criminal attacks on computers and the information infrastructure as a state by Sofaer and Goodman (n.d.). There is a widespread distrust of the intentions of commercial entities and merchandising groups regarding the privacy of consumers.Conclusion To conclude on the subject of evolving and expanding digital crimes and digital terrorism, it is evident that the enforcement agencies will need to pace up with better cooperation and coordination with public-private partnerships to prevent any exploitation. Adequate and timely mechanisms can help disrupt the infrastructural systems used for malicious purposes. With the trend of digital crimes and terrorism rising at an alarming rate, it is time to move away from the conservative approaches of dealing with cybercrime. If the law enforcement agencies do not take some fast and swift actions and decisions, it will be too late to keep with the pace of advancement in internet crimes. There is a need of swift and active cooperation at all levels within government and state bodies and at international level. There should be clear strategies for combatting cyber crime, and the legal framework should be revised based on the current crime trends over the Internet.
References
Aldrich, R.W. (2000). Cyberterrorism And Computer Crimes: Issues Surrounding The Establishment Of An International Legal Regime. USAF Institute for National Security Studies, 1(1), 1–62.
Botnets, Cybercrime, and Cyberterrorism: Vulnerabilities and Policy Issues for Congress, (2009). CRS Report for congress, 1(1), 1–40.
Cyberterrorism: A look into the future. (2009). infosecurity Retrieved from http://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/magazine-features/cyberterrorism-a-look-into-the- future/
Di Nicola, A., & Scartezzini, A. (2000). When economic crime becomes organised : The role of information technologies : A case study. Current Issues in Criminal Justice, 11(3), 343-348.
Putnam, T.L. and Elliott, D.D. (n.d.).International Responses to Cyber Crime. Hoover Press: Cyber, 1(1), 36–67.
Rollins, J., Sun Wyler, L. and Rosen, S. (2010). International Terrorism and Transnational Crime: Security Threats, U.S. Policy, and Considerations for Congress. University, 1(1), 1–56.
Sofaer, A.D. and Goodman, S.E. (n.d.). Cyber Crime and Security the Transnational Dimension. Hoover Press: Cyber, 1(1), 1–34.
