Highlights
– British Columbia funds cyber crime focused research center
– Canadian officials document rising Internet based crime trend
– Increased security measures and targeting of online criminals is needed to address growing cyber risk
On July 8, 2008, British Columbia Labour and Citizen’s Services Minister Iain Black announced that money had been earmarked to launch an international cyber crime research center. The International Cybercrime Research Center, will focus on economic crimes, social networking abuses, identity management and critical infrastructure protection. Part of the center’s mission will also be to analyze international trends and provide training and educational seminars to industry professionals. The venture is a joint partnership between the British Columbia government, Simon Fraser University and the International Society for the Policing of Cyberspace.
As Internet based crimes continue to evolve and impact larger segments of society, increased global law enforcement targeting of online perpetrators will need to be implemented to combat the growing threat. Joint solutions such as British Columbia’s joint government and education linked cyber targeting center, are a critical step to combating Internet based crimes.
Cyber Crime on the Rise
Creation of a center focusing on cyber issues is a timely response to the growing trend of Internet based crime. In January 2008, a survey completed by Deloitte LLP, determined that cyber crime, including identity theft, computer viruses and online harassment, is close to surpassing illicit drugs as the top crime category in North America.
An additional recent survey commissioned by the Canadian Association of Police Boards (CAPB) indicates cyber crime is quickly becoming Canada’s top crime. According to an official with the CAPB, the average Canadian citizen is “now more likely to be the victim of a crime through the Internet than on the street or in their home.”
CAPB’s survey also determined that,
• 49 percent of respondents had been a victim of cyber crime
• 70 percent of victims of cyber crime had not reported the crime as they were unsure of whom to report to or did not believe justice would occur
• 86 percent of respondents indicated that cyber crime had become a concern
• 95 percent of respondents believed that they were being targeted for cyber crime, with identity theft, financial fraud and computer viruses as leading targeting methods
• 89 percent believed preventing cyber crime should be a priority of government ad law enforcement agencies
Corporate Cyber Concerns
Besides targeting the casual Internet user, cyber criminals have increasingly begun to target corporations in high-level blackmail schemes. As such, the new British Columbia based Cybercrime Center will also focus resources on the practice of cyber-blackmail, where hackers use malicious programs to infiltrate and disrupt corporate computer systems and threaten to alter or encrypt all data unless a ransom is paid.
Criminal groups or extremists also use this tactic to promote their causes. For instance, in 2006, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) cited four cases in which members of the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) and Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC) crashed computer systems of US companies in an effort to force the companies to divest their holdings of a scientific testing company. These cyber hacking actions caused two of the companies to agree to sell-off holdings and meet extremist demands amid concerns of further cyber infiltration.
Outlook
Cyber based crimes will continue to be an increasing targeting problem for law enforcement officials. As criminals continue turning toward Internet based communications to target individuals and companies, solutions will need to be implemented to combat changing tactics. Joint solutions such as Canada’s proposed Cybercrime Center will only succeed if coordinated globally to combat an international threat.
