Cybercrime and Cyber Warfare E-Book

Igor Bernik

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Wissenschaft und neue Technologien
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 227

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2014

Beschreibung

In order to enable general understanding and to foster the implementation of necessary support measures in organizations, this book describes the fundamental and conceptual aspects of cyberspace abuse. These aspects are logically and reasonably discussed in the fields related to cybercrime and cyberwarfare. The book illustrates differences between the two fields, perpetrators’ activities, as well as the methods of investigating and fighting against attacks committed by perpetrators operating in cyberspace.
The first chapter focuses on the understanding of cybercrime, i.e. the perpetrators, their motives and their organizations. Tools for implementing attacks are also briefly mentioned, however this book is not technical and does not intend to instruct readers about the technical aspects of cybercrime, but rather focuses on managerial views of cybercrime. Other sections of this chapter deal with the protection against attacks, fear, investigation and the cost of cybercrime. Relevant legislation and legal bodies, which are used in cybercrime, are briefly described at the end of the chapter.
The second chapter deals with cyberwarfare and explains the difference between classic cybercrime and operations taking place in the modern inter-connected world. It tackles the following questions: who is committing cyberwarfare; who are the victims and who are the perpetrators? Countries which have an important role in cyberwarfare around the world, and the significant efforts being made to combat cyberwarfare on national and international levels, are mentioned.
The common points of cybercrime and cyberwarfare, the methods used to protect against them and the vision of the future of cybercrime and cyberwarfare are briefly described at the end of the book.

Contents

1. Cybercrime.
2. Cyberwarfare.

About the Authors

Igor Bernik is Vice Dean for Academic Affairs and Head of the Information Security Lab at the University of Maribor, Slovenia. He has written and contributed towards over 150 scientific articles and conference papers, and co-authored 4 books. His current research interests concern information/cybersecurity, cybercrime, cyberwarfare and cyberterrorism.

Leseprobe

Contents

Introduction

Acknowlegement

Chapter 1. Cybercrime

1.1. The perpetrators of cybercrime

1.2. Tools for implementing attacks

1.3. System protection against attacks

1.4. Fear of cybercrime

1.5. Investigation of cybercrime

1.6. Cost of cybercrime

1.7. Laws and legal bodies

1.8. Cybercrime conclusion

Chapter 2. Cyberwarfare

2.1. Information and cyberspace

2.2. Understanding cyberwarfare

2.3. Perpetrators and victims of cyberwarfare

2.4. Committing cyberwarfare

2.5. Organizations and cyberwarfare

2.6. The role of countries in cyberwarfare

2.7. Efforts against cyberwarfare: international and national legislation

2.8. Defense against cyberwarfare

2.9. Cyberwarfare conclusion

Conclusion

Bibliography

Index

First published 2014 in Great Britain and the United States by ISTE Ltd and John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms and licenses issued by the CLA. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside these terms should be sent to the publishers at the undermentioned address:

ISTE Ltd27-37 St George’s RoadLondon SW19 4EUUK

www.iste.co.uk

John Wiley & Sons, Inc.111 River StreetHoboken, NJ 07030USA

www.wiley.com

© ISTE Ltd 2014

The rights of Igor Bernik to be identified as the author of this work have been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013952661

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library

ISSN 2051–2481 (Print)

ISSN 2051-249X (Online)

ISBN 978-1-84821-671-6

Introduction

This book is based on monitoring, examining and researching areas that deal with information security, i.e. cybercrime and cyberwarfare. These represent a major contemporary challenge for professionals and the general public, since relative fear and misunderstanding are still present due to new developments in this area. The purpose of this book is to alert, raise awareness, eliminate myths and promote reflection on this particular social issue. The author’s interest in this issue inspired the writing of this book, which aims to transfer and present a theoretical basis and understanding to the reader.

The development of information science and information and communication technology has resulted in users conducting their daily work in cyberspace and has led to their critical dependence on the technologies and contents that are accessible at all times. Since a lot of activities were transferred from the real world into cyberspace, crime has also adapted to these changes. In the beginning, individuals tried to prove that intrusion into information systems was possible, and with the development of systems and technologies, as well as with the aforementioned relocation of activities, cyberspace was also detected by criminal groups. They initially applied the possible options only to communicate with each other, but later they also started committing crimes in cyberspace. Further developments have shown that cyberspace is a great platform into which one can transfer activities from the real world (e.g. business) and where the committing of certain types of crime is even easier. It provides greater anonymity, and offenses are more difficult to detect and prosecute. The main reasons for this are the global orientation of cyberspace, the ambiguity of legal norms and the possibility of transferring illegal activities to parts of the world where they are permitted or where the perpetrators are simply not prosecuted.

Information security and cyberwarfare are important not only at the organizational level but also at the state level because the national information infrastructure is an increasing risk factor which is constantly under threat. Achieving foreign policy goals, creating and developing international relations and international economic cooperation has never been more easily achieved than today when the world is critically dependent on information technology (IT). National critical infrastructure provides a sense of security, autonomy and sovereignty for companies, which are the main contributing factors for the stability of a certain country. By misusing and destructing these attributes, the achievement of foreign policy goals becomes extremely simple. This key vulnerability of modern society is often the target of state and military cyberwarriors. Not only organizations but also states must provide an understanding of the nature of cybercrime and related cyberwarfare if they want to ensure an adequate level of security for the population.

Since criminal acts in cyberspace rely on the same type of legal acts in the event of prosecution (the same laws, rules, etc.) and since cyberwarfare is generally considered as an example of organized crime, cybercrime and cyberwarfare are presented in this book with an emphasis on the need for their mutual differentiation, both at the international political level and at the legislative level. The latter represents the basis for further proceedings and problem-solving. It is necessary to harmonize legislative acts and adapt them to the severity and risk of various forms of cybercrime. Without this, any action is doomed to failure. Because of the current legislative situation, cybercrime is easier to commit than to prosecute.

As may be observed from the topics covered, the author sees cybercrime and cyberwarfare as areas that are developing exponentially and threatening everyday work and business, and thus an understanding of these topics is necessary to ensure the appropriate level of information security. On the basis of experience, the author observes that this book will provide added value to a wide range of potential users: management executives who with their knowledge of modern guidelines influence (offensive or defensive) security strategies, experts in (information) security and modern crime, chief information officers, specialized law enforcement authorities and readers who are interested in such developments in cyberspace.

Acknowledgement

This book would not have been possible without the strong support of the Faculty of Criminal Justice and Security, University of Maribor, and participating individuals.

1

Cybercrime

In the two decades following the widespread use of the Internet, it has grown from a network that linked a few enthusiasts to become the essential element of modern life for millions of people [UNO 10]. In the late modern age, the world has become completely dependent on Internet access and sharing information over the Internet, while in recent years other forms of communication that join and connect people in global cyberspace1 have been added. New connectivity options and changed ways of working have brought about new forms of threats, which impact the privacy and security of users when using cyberspace.

The dangers of cyberspace were first mentioned when new technologies emerged, which allowed not only communication, but also the performance of daily tasks. This enabled the growth of the Internet and various services such as shopping, paying for goods and services, online banking, sending files, data transfer and other forms of work with the help of the Internet, connections with mobile devices and constant access to and interaction with global cyberspace. Eventually, all this became self-evident and was perceived as an everyday occurrence. Personal and business data, such as various security passwords, with which criminals can obtain proprietary information and inflict a lot of damage, have become a magnet for invaders. If one becomes a victim of cyberthieves, the consequences are far from amusing, since one can directly or indirectly lose a lot of money. Seizures that are not even perceived by users, as they do not even know that someone is “walking” in their information system, are even more dangerous [NEU 06]. This is why information security systems started to be created, as the use of computers and mobile devices – and their connection to the Internet and to the rest of cyberspace, as well as the permanent exchange of information – has become a fixture of our everyday lives.