Computer Forensics

Chapter 1

Cybercrime: Defined

• Cybercrime involves the use of the internet, computers and related technologies in the commission of a crime.

Cybercrime vs. Traditional Crime

Cybercrime• No Geographical

Boundaries • Perceived Anonymity• Criminal activities are

easier & faster to commit

• Only Federal Law Enforcement is equipped to handle

Traditional Crime• Geographical

Boundaries• Face to Face

communication• Local and Federal

Law Enforcement understand how to combat

New Crimes – New Tactics

Unauthorized Access– Malware– Viruses– Worms– Trojan horses

Cyberterrorism– Computer systems/Networks as targets

Old Crimes, New Tactics

Extortion• Denial of Service Attacks• Ransomware

Prostitution• Websites offing Casual Encounters

Categories

• Category 1: The computer(s) is (are) the target of the crime(s)

• Category 2: The computer may act as a tool with which to commit the crime(s)

Computers as Targets

• Hacking and Cracking

• Denial of Service and Distributed Denial of Service Attacks

• Malicious Software Dissemination

Types of Hackers

• White Hacker– Also known as a Pen-Tester tries to hack computer systems

to make sure they are secure

• Grey Hacker– Tends to have ambiguous ethics and/or borderline legality

• Black Hacker– Is someone who is out for revenge, money, terrorism. Breaks

the law(s) and thinks nothing of it – A criminal

• Script Kiddie– A Non-Expert who breaks into computer systems using

prepackaged software written by others to automate the hack.

• Hacktivist– A hacker that uses technology to publicize a political

message

Denial of Service Attack

• A denial-of-service attack (DoS attack) is an attempt to make a computer(s) resource unavailable to its intended users.

• Variation of a DoS attack is a D-DoS attack.– Distributed Denial of Service

• This attack makes use of computers on a grand scale on a target(s).

Malicious Software Dissemination

• Computer Virus - is a computer program that can copy itself and infect a computer without permission or knowledge of the user. A virus needs to be attached to some type of host for the infection to take place/transferred.

• Worms - a self-replicating computer program. It uses a network to send copies of itself to other nodes (computer terminals on the network) and it may do so without any user intervention. Unlike a virus, it does not need to attach itself to an existing program.

• Trojan Horses - A simple program that claims to be something i.e. a game but does something else

Category 2: The computer may act as a tool with which to commit the crime(s)

Copyright Infringement

• Copyright law gives the creator of the work a limited monopoly to reproduce or distribute their work.

• Copyright infringement (otherwise known as piracy) is a crime that involves the unlawful copying of movies, TV shows, music, software, literature and videogames.

Embezzlement

Embezzlement could involve a computer being used by an employee of a company to transfer the company’s financial assets to his or her own account.

Phishing

• Phishing occurs when individuals deceive others, by posing as legitimately established enterprises, in order to steal communication users’ valuable personal information.

Cyberharassment

Cyberharassment is a crime that occurs when someone uses the internet, email or other forms of communications to intentionally annoy, attack, alarm or otherwise bother another person.

Cyberstalking

Cyberstalking occurs when an individual repeatedly harasses or threatens another person through the use of the internet, e-mail, or other electronic communications devices.

Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is a crime that involves the use of telecommunications and electronic communications technologies to harass, insult or humiliate a child, pre-teen or teen.

Internet Gambling

• Currently in the U.S. online gambling is illegal; however, with websites hosted overseas it is out of the reach of the Department of Justice

Problems Encountered?

• Lack of resources available to small agencies

• Traditional apathy toward nonviolent crime

• Snail’s pace of legislative action• Reliance of small agencies on state &

federal agencies• Overburdened state & federal

agencies