Security Risks on the Web: Problems and Solutions - Research Paper Example

? Security Risks on the Web: Problems and Solutions  With rapid global development came the electronic revolution. Like other technologies, the Internet is now a necessity and without it businesses would cease their operations. There is an increase in the number of security risks on the Internet called cybercrimes all over the world. The problem lies in understanding the problem of these security threats as well as responding to breach of Internet security. Millions of dollars have been stolen and people, especially women, have been threatened and abused over the Internet. In order to curb such acts and to place preventive measures against such crimes, cybercrime complaint centers have been established. Most countries that have established strong operational cybercrime centers have obtained their knowledge from their own experiences since the Internet became popular and got widely available in the 90s. Before that, there was limited literature available on networking and the Internet. Internet security breach can be committed from anywhere in the world. The people committing these crimes do not necessarily have to reside within country’s borders. Therefore, in order to have satisfactory hold on these security infringements, international collaboration is important, where every country would join forces in these matters. Introduction The use of new technologies such as mobile devices and cloud computing is on the rise. More money and funds are being transferred online than ever before. These mobile and cloud computing devices are not yet mature enough to be completely secure (Shrinder, 2011). The increasing use of such technologies has made the work easy for cybercriminals. Internet security can sometimes get bleak and that is why cybercrimes have become more profit-oriented with the increasing use of technology worldwide (Shrinder, 2011). Stealing money using fraudulent methods is just one form of cybercrime; there are many ways in which people fall victims to high-tech crimes. Other than financial fraud and identity theft, Internet crimes that have been on the rise in the world are children and women abuse. Police reports suggest that various social networks that are spread all over the country’s network are a safe haven for online blackmailers. Problems This section looks into various Internet security problems that have disturbed the residents as well as the corporate and business world in the past. The concise list of crimes that have been reported in the world consists of: Hacking Malware (malicious code) Fraud Denial-of-service attacks Computer viruses Phishing scams Cyber stalking Identity theft Information warfare (Dwyer, 2010). There have been many cases in the world where cybercriminals ask for personal information from the victim or ask him/her to transfer money from his/her personal bank account. Phishing and Internet scam tools are widely used in this regard. For instance, an expert hacker will send a finely designed link to Internet users anywhere in the world, saying that some person wants to transfer a huge amount of money to their bank account. In many cases people take interest in such scams, and start interacting and eventually end up losing their own hard earned money. International statistics show that: Large organizations are frequently targeted by cybercriminals Majority of cyber-attacks are driven by financial gains or esteem of the criminal Surprisingly, over 60% of cybercrimes are committed by “insiders” Cases of financial fraud doubled over the year 2008-2009 Around 34% of companies fall victim to misrepresentation because of “phishing” tactics On average, every cybercrime in 2009 alone cost its victim enterprise almost $395,000 per incident of crime Sadly, the majority of these organizations failed to counter these attacks on Internet security due to lack of skills, expertise, anti-cybercrime infrastructure and lack of direction to reduce the impact of such crimes (Dwyer, 2010). At a global level, cybercrimes that have been observed over the past reveal that many organizations hire hacking experts to penetrate into the systems of their competitors and retrieve useful information. This information can be about their finances or future plans regarding mergers or acquisitions. After getting such information, they set their agenda and damage the interests of their competitors and gain market shares. An infamous example is of British Airways when they hired hacking experts to gain access to the system of Virgin Atlantic and retrieved information from their personal computer database (Dwyer, 2010). The decline in Internet charges and availability of broadband Internet connection has contributed to the boom of Internet users all around the world. But on the same grounds, due to lack of sentience, there is a good probability of people becoming victims of cybercrimes (Dwyer, 2010). The issue is not to be underestimated; people tend to assume that the Internet is completely safe. Victims of Internet scam blame governments and claim that governments do not put enough restrictions on the Internet. People tend not to report breach of Internet security; only 20% of the victims actually file a report against their cybercrime (Shane, 2011). In 2010, there were more people affected by cybercrimes than any other crime, cyber victims were 3 times as many as victims of other types of crimes (Shane, 2011). All in all, 431 million people all over the globe have been the victims of cybercrimes in the past 12 months (Shane, 2011). Moreover, the cost of global cybercrime amounts to US $388 billion, which is more than the value of global black markets for marijuana, cocaine and heroin (Shane, 2011). Solutions Internet Crime Complaint Center IC3 in USA On May 8, 2000, a partnership between FBI and NW3C/BJA was established and was named the Internet Fraud Complaint Center (IFCC). Later, in 2003, it was renamed “IC3,” short for the Internet Crime Complaint Center, by IFCC to suit its services in preventing cybercrime. By November, 2010, IC3 had received two million complaints; the IC3 received 303,809 complaints in 2010 alone, which means approximately 25,317 complaints per month on average. The IC3 had become very popular for the past 10 years. In the first six months of operation, the IFCC received only 20,014 complaints from US citizens and now more complaints are filed in just a month (2010 Internet crime report, 2011). Germany, Canada and the United Kingdom use IC3’s approach in their own cybercrime fighting centers. Awareness programs by IC3 include teaching children how to stay safe on the Internet (especially while socially networking) and educating adults how to guard their private information and to avoid identity theft. Moreover, this organization conducts conferences and presentations at local, national and international levels for law enforcement agencies and top industrialists (2010 Internet crime report, 2011). It has taken the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) ten years to become one of the primary organizations to stop Internet crime. It has also become the primary source of information for law enforcement agencies in the US when prosecuting or investigating offenders. The IC3 does not just file and send complaints to law-enforcement; it also serves as a helping hand for police forces that deal with cybercrime and cybercriminals (2010 Internet crime report, 2011). Since its initiation in 2000, the collaboration between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C)/Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) has provided the right sources for this organization to help law enforcement agencies in dealing with and limit Internet crimes. Most frequent complaints in 2010 were to do with identity theft, FBI impersonation and non-delivery of payment or goods. Victims of such crimes reported total losses in millions (2010 Internet crime report, 2011). By using the latest technologies, IC3 improved its system and made it up to date. This streamlined system is also used at the other end of the complaint system, which is the law enforcement. In 2004, IC3 excelled further with the introduction of “Automatch,” which was an internal search tool for grouping and analyzing complaints. It was designed while setting up the specifics of IC3. This tool assists in collaborating with the FBI and is a good tool to process complaints. As a result, the complainer receives a better service within a short time. This search tool (Automatch) is constantly updated to provide the analysts with better services. These analysts prepare cases for law enforcement agencies all over the world (2010 Internet crime report, 2011). One year later in 2010, IC3 introduced another addition to their complaint center, the “remote access feature” that was used by FBI agents that were working on a particular cybercrime case. With this tool they can access important databases and search crucial areas in detail that are helpful in resolving a case. With this remote access feature and ICSIS, the combined magnitude of these two state-of-the-art tools has increased the services of IC3 and has made them even better. Most of these tools are not used directly by IC3 analysts; instead, law enforcement personnel use them either directly or indirectly in investigation or prosecution of a crime (2010 Internet crime report, 2011). Keeping in view the model of IC3, various Internet security complaint centers need to be built around the world. A complaint center should be modeled so that when a complaint is placed via phone or web, the file should open and a unique number should be assigned for the complaint and sent via SMS to the complainer. Then this file number should be stored in the database along with the original complaint. After analysis the complaint is sent to the concerned department that looks into the details and then updates the complainer directly. Thus, this cycle will keep the complainer in loop during the complete process. Placing a call center like feature in an Internet Crime Fighting facility will be advantageous to both the Internet users and to the authorities who try to restrict the Internet Crime. After the case is registered, it will be sent to expert analysts at the facility. These people will be specially trained professionals in cybercrimes. They will also be trained with the latest technology available so that they could keep pace with the most advanced cybercrime tactics and work to counter them. These forensics (analysts) will dig deep to get to the bottom of every complained. If some complaints are overly technical, they will be sent to the special unit that will spend more time on a case and its related aspects. Special Case of Cyber-Terrorism There will be a special unit within the call center that will be focused on cyber-terrorism. The American Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) defines the term “cyber-terrorism” as deliberate and unlawful attacks on computers, networks and database facilities to threaten or force the government or common people to agree to the demands of the cyber-terrorists. This is usually done to further political motives or achieve any form of socio-political success (Alkaabi, 2010). Forensic analysts will be keeping keen eyes on any activity among ordinary complaints to spot a link to cyber-terrorism. For instance, if any social website is being used to create hate against the religious beliefs of any class, that will be dealt under cyber-terrorism. It is beneficial for all to separate such crimes and put under the terrorism category due to the nature and possible consequences of the act. Conclusion Increasing use of technology all over the world is calling cybercriminals to take advantage of this opportunity. The use of technology is not safe enough. One can only count the number of times spam emails tease us in the email inbox. Spam emails are just a minor breach of Internet security but to grasp the concept and the power of cybercriminals, it is enough to open our eyes. Therefore, a solid Internet Crime Complaint center is necessary to keep such crimes in check and use the data retrieved to curb them. Developing a state of the art Internet Crime Complaint Center will definitely help solve the problem of Internet security. There have been some classic examples of excellent cybercrime complaint centers from around the world that can be modeled and improved. Summary of Work Internet is now a necessity and world’s businesses are done through the Internet communication. With this huge boom in its usage came Internet Security Threats. People specialize in various computer programs and hacking logics have mastered the skills to breach Internet security. Internet is not a safe place to transact money, various online stores and shopping facilities offer special encryption and security measures before people can put their credit card numbers on website to buy something. Hacking, stealing money and threatening are just some of the insecurities present on the Internet. The best way to fight such crimes is to establish a cybercrime center that fights crimes by providing relevant data, analysis and recommendations to appropriate authorities and registering complaints of the victims in a way that will help prevent such crimes from happening again. IC3 is an efficient cybercrime complaint center in the USA that can be modeled all around the world and can help to make Internet a better place for all to live. An efficient cybercrime complaint center is the perfect solution to online web security. There can always be room for improvement such as incorporating a call center styled complaint handling center. That way people would promptly record their complaints on any offences committed over the Internet. References Alkaabi, A. O. S. (2010). Combating computer crime: An international perspective. (Doctoral dissertation). Queensland University of Technology, Australia. Dwyer, P. C. (2010). Cybercrime in the Middle East. Manuscript submitted for publication. National White Collar Crime Center, Internet Crime Complaint Center. (2011). 2010 Internet crime report. NW3C Inc. Shane, D. (2011). Cybercrime ‘costs UAE $612m.’ Retrieved December 20, 2011 from http://www.itp.net/586045-cybercrime-costs-uae-612m. Shrinder, D. (2011). Cybercrime: Why it’s the new growth industry. Retrieved from http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/security/cybercrime-why-its-the-new-growth-industry/5131. Read More