Strategies for fighting cybercrime
Individuals, organisations and governments all over the globe are radically migrating their activities to the digital realm and so are criminals. While one school argues that cybercrime is not a new type of crime due to its similarity with non-virtual crimes that make use of new digital technologies and techniques, another school says it is fundamentally different and comes with a new set of characteristics defined by a unique environment.
Advertisement
Cybercrime can be defined as any crime committed or facilitated by the use of new digital technologies such as computers, networks or hardware devices. The tool in use could be an agent of the crime, the target of the crime or the facilitator of the crime. Cybercrime can take place on a physical computing device, in the virtual world or in the physical world.
Like any crime, there are criminals who are perpetrating these on a daily basis, with far-reaching consequences as these crimes are not often readily detected.
Types
Cybercrime encompasses a wide range of activities but these can generally be segmented into two: Violent and Non-violent cybercrimes.
Violent cybercrimes include cyber terrorism, cyber stalking, pornography, cyber bullying and cyber theft. Whereas cyber fraud, cyber trespass and cyber vandalism, viruses, cyber prostitution, critical infrastructure attacks, online gambling, online trafficking, online money laundering, denial of service attacks and Internet drug sales are some examples of non-violent cybercrimes.
Tech is bringing criminals together
Crime and technology have a long-standing history. However, the recently more networked global economy means ideas about committing crime are not only shared globally in a matter of seconds, but these ideas are also put into practice at the speed of light.
There is ample evidence to show that organised criminal organisations are using the power of cyber space to organise, collaborate and connect not only within their countries of domain but across the world, wreaking havoc on the security of the cyber world.
Hacking
A popular type of cybercrime is hacking, which can be described as getting into computer and network systems in order to corrupt, steal or undertake unauthorised viewing of data, usually with malicious intent.
Other Trending Stories
For example, a hacker can enter a banking online system to view client bank details illegitimately, corrupt data (modify data by increasing or reducing a bank balance of a bank customer) or steal valuable confidential banking information about customers. The person at the centre of this activity is called a “hacker” who is usually highly skilled in computer programming and system analysis which allows him to use complex and clever methods to manipulate computer systems and gain unauthorised access. In popular literature, “hackers” and “hacking” are seen in negative light since they undertake cybercrimes. However, such individuals often call themselves “crackers” or “ethical hackers”, terms that are more legitimate, positive and connote the circumvention of the system’s inbuilt security to test it for vulnerabilities in order to preempt future attacks.
One global popular example of hacking is the https://wikileaks.org/ case, where hackers gained access to and released a large set of restricted data.
Strategies for fighting cybercrime in Ghana
One key strategy for fighting cybercrime is equipping law enforcement agencies to police and arrest cybercriminals to serve as deterrent. This is important because once cybercriminals in Ghana operate with impunity, believing that the arm of the law is too short to reach them, cyber space will become even more endangered and insecure.
Setting up a reporting system for cybercrimes is a very important tool in fighting this menace, the absence of which would mean law enforcement agencies would be without valuable intelligence about new types of cybercrimes and cybercriminals. Although there is a relative increase in the level of awareness of cybercrimes, most of these crimes go unreported. In instances where reports on these crimes are made, however, the police often do not have the technical know-how to undertake proper investigation, coupled with the fact that Ghana does not have a strong supportive legal regime to deal with this type of crime.
In the fight against cybercrime, a collaborative approach is key. Sharing information about vulnerabilities, threats and remedies between key stakeholders can improve risk management by quickly spreading knowledge so that key players can undertake proactive corrective action.
Conclusion
The cost of cybercrimes runs into billions of dollars annually, with more serious crimes such as cyberterrorism, which can lead to loss of lives, posing significant threat. Organisations, individuals and governments, therefore, must constantly assess their exposure to cybercrime, understand this risk and develop mechanisms to stay ahead of cybercriminals.
The writer is the Executive Director of Penplusbytes.org
Email: kwami@penplusbytes.org; WhatsApp: 0241995737