ACR101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, Child Grooming, Phreaking
ACR101 Week Ten
CYBER CRIME
TECHNOLOGY AND CRIME:
• Cybercrime is on the rise
• Cybercrime should be discussed in terms of two classifications, crimes that target digital
technologies and crimes that use digital technologies.
As such, cybercrime can involve:
• The facilitation of new crimes (phishing, hacking, on-line pornography) that target digital
technologies;
• Enhancement of 'old' crimes (black markets in illicit commodities, extortion, assault) that use
digital technologies.
Technology can also be used to detect and prevent crime.
In 2010, the number of people reporting a hacking incident increased by 255%. 300% increase in
people reporting cyber hardware interruptions.
TECHNOLOGY: PROBLEM AND THE SOLUTION:
• Cybercrime - crime that either targets or uses digital technology;
• Computers and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) might:
o Be required to conduct the crime (enablers);
o Be a target of an intrusion, disruption or theft (target/victim);
o Be a site of crime (hate speech, online grooming, bullying).
• And/or be a mechanism for law enforcement by:
o Providing evidence;
o Helping target criminal entities (forensics, telephone intercepts);
o Assisting to monitoring offenders (GPS monitoring, offender databases);
o Facilitating information sharing across jurisdictions.
Government wanting access to our digital data to filter out potential threats, but people don't want
their privacy invaded. Don't think it is effective in preventing crime.
COMMON TYPES:
• Hacking (breaking into individual systems or networks)
o Financial crimes - credit card fraud, money laundering
o Phishing - theft of information and identity theft
o Phreaking - misuse of devices to avoid liability for charges/costs
o Spamming - sending bulk unwanted emails and electronic instant messages
o Cyber fraud - deliberate deception of unfair or unlawful gain online
• Malware (distribution of viruses, Trojans and worms)
• Cyber terrorism (cyber-attacks on state entities or emergency services)
• Black markets (sale of illicit commodities - drugs, firearms, pornography)
• Information Piracy and/or leaks (Wikileaks/Anonymous/illegal downloading)
• Cyberbullying/cyberstalking
CYBER CRIME: ECLIPSING TERRORISM:
• Identified risks include:
o That information is stolen, altered, deleted, or used in extortion;
o That essential services may be targeted and interrupted (electricity, water).
• Australian Law Enforcement Agencies are preparing for these risks
• It is likely that in the future Australian law enforcement will be required to investigate targeted
online attacks against major information technology, defence, chemical or energy companies -
several of these types of attacks have occurred recently overseas (Australian Crime
Commission).
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• The future has arrived - Wanacry Ransomware Global Attack May 14th, 2017
INFORMATION PIRACY:
• Australians are amongst some of the worst offenders
o 29% software piracy rate in 2006;
o Film industry annual losses - estimated $233 million;
o Toy, software and video games industries $677 million;
o Business software $515 million.
• Proliferation of broadband services has exacerbated the problem;
Reinvents the concept of theft, but interestingly, how we regard such behaviour appears different,
at least for now!
MALWARE:
• The creation and dissemination of various forms of malicious software (Smith and Grabosky,
2012)
• Easy to distribute and don't require direct action (i.e. clicking on a link or opening an
attachment)
• Payments more easily facilitated (no more 'bag drops'!)
• Example of the enhancement of a traditional form of crime, using digital technologies.
CYBER-BULLYING:
It is a crime under Victorian and Australian law to:
• Use the internet or phone in a threatening, harassing or offensive way: a message/post could
be considered offensive if it is likely to cause serious anger, outrage, humiliation or disgust.
Maximum penalty: 3 years' jail.
• Threaten: it is a crime to intentionally frighten someone by threatening to hurt them. This can
be through your phone, text message, emails or online posts. Threatening to kill someone
carries a maximum penalty of 10 years' jail.
• Stalk: (including messaging someone to harm or scare them). Stalking is a crime in Victoria if
you call, message or otherwise bother somebody during a course of conduct with the intent to
harm, harass or scare them. The maximum penalty is 10 years in jail.
• Access internet accounts without permission: it is a crime to log into a person's online
accounts without permission. The maximum penalty is 2 years in jail.
• Defame: spreading lies to intentionally hurt someone's reputation. Maximum penalty is 10
years' jail.
• Encourage suicide: it is a crime to cyber bully someone in a way that intentionally encourages
or causes them to kill themselves. The maximum penalty is 5 years in jail.
• An example is Amanda Todd's story.
THE 'DARKNET':
• Private networks within the 'DeepWeb'
• Offers anonymity to users/offenders
• Creates an online black-marketplace
• Challenging for law enforcement to detect and prosecute offences
• Provides avenues for markets
• Video: https://video.deakin.edu.au/media/t/0_jlsgomo7
TECHNOLOGY & CYBER CRIME PREVENTION:
• Cooperation
o Interagency
o Cross-jurisdictional
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• Enhancing law enforcement capacity, capability and resourcing
• Self-help ('responsibilisation')
o Understanding the risks and responsibilities.
• See ACORN (Australian Online Cybercrime Reporting Networks).
o http://www.acorn.gov.au
AND SO:
• Technology has enabled many types of cybercrime, the harms of which can be equally
devastating as traditional crimes.
• It has created new types of crime and enhanced old ones.
• Cybercrime is changing the landscape significantly more research is needed.
• Essentially, the world is getting smaller, more-interconnected and so we need to make sure we
get the balance right between over-regulation and keeping our information and ourselves
safe.
NOTES FROM THE CLOUD
It is arguable whether the criminal law is capable of dealing with many issues that are commonly
defined as cybercrime. Moreover, there is a question as to whether the introduction of computers
and digital technology actually changes the essence of many crimes with a cyber component. Many
conventional crimes, such as domestic violence through online stalking and intimidation, or white-
collar offending, could be easier to commit with the aid of computerised or mobile technologies.
Others, such as street crime, could be more closely monitored or prevented through the instillation
of CCTV cameras or the use of GPS tracking systems to monitor offenders.
However, the use and capabilities of new technologies to detect or commit crime is simply one
component of a more complex equation.
Cybercrime is a broad term that incorporates several types of harmful behaviour that are directed
against or caused by digital technologies.
COUNTERING CYBER CRIME:
There are several possible themes in the prevention of cybercrime, given the practical difficulties of
enforcing the criminal law in this field. These include:
• Various 'situational crime prevention measures;
• Educating users of computer and mobile technologies on harm reduction techniques; and
• Greater international law enforcement cooperation.
NOTES FROM CHAPTER ELEVEN
Much technology-related crime lies beyond the capacity of contemporary law enforcement and
regulatory agencies to control, if they act by themselves. Therefore, the security in cyberspace will
depend on the collaborative efforts of many institutions, coupled with self-help by potential victims.
DEFINING AND CLASSIFYING CYBERCRIME:
Digital technologies lie at the heart of cybercrime and these include computers, communication
technologies (fixed line and wireless) and networked services.
In Australia, the term cybercrime is used to describe both:
• Crimes directed at computers or other information and communication technologies (such
as hacking and denial of service attacks); and
• Crimes where computers or ICTs are an integral part of an offence (such as online fraud,
identity theft and the distribution of child exploitation material).
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Document Summary
Cyber crime: cybercrime is on the rise, cybercrime should be discussed in terms of two classifications, crimes that target digital technologies and crimes that use digital technologies. As such, cybercrime can involve: the facilitation of new crimes (phishing, hacking, on-line pornography) that target digital technologies, enhancement of "old" crimes (black markets in illicit commodities, extortion, assault) that use digital technologies. Technology can also be used to detect and prevent crime. In 2010, the number of people reporting a hacking incident increased by 255%. 300% increase in people reporting cyber hardware interruptions. Government wanting access to our digital data to filter out potential threats, but people don"t want their privacy invaded. Don"t think it is effective in preventing crime. Identified risks include: that information is stolen, altered, deleted, or used in extortion, that essential services may be targeted and interrupted (electricity, water), australian law enforcement agencies are preparing for these risks.
