VI - Cyber crimes – issues, problems and perspectives

Professional hackers (corporate espionage): The corporate world is heavily dependent upon computers for storing sensitive information. Rival organizations employ hackers to steal industrial secrets and other information that could be beneficial to them.

The temptation to use professional hackers for industrial espionage also stems from the fact that physical presence required to gain access to important documents is rendered needless if hacking can retrieve those.

IV. Continuing Problems

Even when the source(s) of the attack/s are traced there are many problems, which the victim may be faced with. He will need to inform all the involved organizations in control of the attacking computers and ask them to either clean the systems or shut them down. Across international boundaries this may prove to be a titanic task. The staff of the organization may not understand the language. They may not be present if the attack were to be launched during the night or during weekends. 

The computers that may have to be shut down may be vital for their processes and the staff may not have the authority to shut them down. The staff may not understand the attack, system administration, network topology, or any number of things that may delay or halt shutting down the attacking computer(s). Or, more simply, the organization may not have the desire to help.

If there are hundreds or even thousands of computers on the attack, with problems like the ones mentioned above, the victim may not be able to stop the attack for days by which time the damage would have been done. His servers would be completely incapacitated to administer to so many demands and consequently would crash.

These tools also provide another service by which the attacking computer can change its source address randomly thereby making it seem as if the attack is originating from many thousands of computers while in reality there may be only a few.

V. Need for a law to control cyber crime

• Cyber crime is transnational, and requires a transnational response.
• Cyber criminals exploit weaknesses in the laws and enforcement practices of States, exposing all other States to dangers that are beyond their capacity unilaterally or bilaterally to respond.
• The speed and technical complexity of cyber activities requires prearranged, agreed procedures for cooperation in investigating and responding to threats and attacks.

What needs to be done

• adopt laws making dangerous cyber activities criminal;
• enforce those laws or extradite criminals for prosecution by other States;
• cooperate in investigating criminal activities and in providing usable evidence for prosecutions; and
• participate in formulating and agree to adopt and implement standards and practices that enhance safety and security.