Compared with stand-alone crime, cybercrime is an advanced stage of computer crime, and it is also the main form of computer crime at this stage. Internet pornography, Internet copyright infringement, and Internet fraud are the three most prominent cyber crimes at present. Others account for a large proportion of illegal goods trafficking, intimidation, extortion, trespassing, insults, and defamation. As reliance on the Internet increases, so does the potential harm of cybercrime.
The Cybercrime concept, types, characteristics, and recent development trends
The concept of cybercrime; Cybercrime generally refers to various criminal acts carried out using network information technology, network, and data misuse. Compared with stand-alone crime, cyber crime is an advanced stage of computer crime. And it is also the main form of computer crime at this stage.
Types of cybercrime
Although there are different opinions with little difference. It is generally believed that computer network crimes can be divided into two categories. Crimes targeting computer network systems and crimes using computer network systems as tools. The former is a new type of crime arising from computer network technology. It is a pure computer network crime, also known as pure network crime. Specifically, there are four types of pure cybercrime according to the degree of harm:
(1) cybercrime to simply obtain information,
(2) cybercrime to destroy data,
(3) cybercrime to control or cybercrime to interfere with the network system,
(4) crime for realizing other criminal purposes using attack.
For this kind of criminal behavior that takes the network or online computer as the object of attack, many countries provide special crimes related to computer crime.
Impure
The crime that uses the computer network system as a tool is an impure cybercrime. It is a crime that uses the virtual space formed by the computer network as a crime tool and crime venue. The behavior itself does not damage the network but uses the network function. A crime committed by a person or thing in real life. For crimes that use the Internet as a tool, because they only use new means to carry out existing crimes. Many countries do not treat them differently in terms of punishment. Only when the existing regulations cannot apply to the online implementation of the same kind of behavior. Regulation.
The types of impure cybercrimes are Internet pornography, Internet fraud, Internet sales of prohibited items, Internet extortion, Internet gambling, Internet money laundering, Internet dissemination of terrorist information, Internet incitement to commit crimes, Internet infringement of intellectual property rights, and Internet invasion of privacy rights, reputation rights Wait. Internet pornography, Internet copyright infringement, and Internet fraud are the three most prominent cyber crimes at present. Others account for a large proportion of illegal goods trafficking, intimidation and extortion, trespass, insult, and defamation.
Characteristics of cybercrime
Cyberspace has the characteristics of virtuality, globalization, and decentralization of management. Correspondingly, compared with traditional crime, computer network crime also presents the following remarkable characteristics. These characteristics may require appropriate adjustments to relevant laws and procedures to better detect and investigate computer cybercrime.
The virtuality of criminal space.
Cybercrime is done in digital form using computer network technology. The place where the action carries out is separate from the place where the result occurs, and an actual crime scene is no longer needed. Which is different from a traditional crime. The author agrees with the view that cybercriminal space divides into physical space and virtual space. Physical space refers to the physical place where cybercrime acts, and virtual space refers to networks, servers, and information systems. The existence of virtual space is the fundamental characteristic of cybercrime.
The professionalism of the means of crime.
Only by mastering certain network knowledge and technology can cybercrimes carries out, especially pure cybercrime. Such as using hacking programs to attack other people’s electronic accounts. The main body of the crime is generally young, and the means of crime reflect strong high-tech and professional characteristics. Otherwise, the purpose of the crime will be difficult to achieve.
The proliferation of criminal harm.
The network has no borders, no time difference, and zero distance. So bad content can spread all over the world in a very short period. . Therefore, the Internet is a “power amplifier”, and the harm of cybercrime is extremely diffuse. As reliance on the Internet increases, so does the potential harm of cybercrime. The “I love you” virus of May 2000, with an estimated cost of $7 billion to $10 billion, affected as many as 45 million computers worldwide.
The high efficiency of cybercrime.
According to the economic analysis of criminal behavior, rational criminal behavior determines by the cost and benefit of this behavior. The cost includes the cost of committing the crime and the possible sanctions. The possible sanctions are equal to the product of the severity of the sanctions and the probability of sanctions. The benefits include material and spiritual benefits. Cybercrime is low-cost and high-profit. On the one hand, at present, only a small number of cyber-harmful behaviors identified as cybercrimes in various countries, and the sanctions are relatively lenient.
On the other hand, the benefits of cybercrime are particularly high and the probability of sanctions is extremely low. According to a survey by the United States, the traditional method of crime desires to obtain an average of 15,000 US dollars per crime, and the risk of being caught is 30%; the probability of each cybercrime being detected is only 1% of 3%, and the profit is as high as 15 million US dollars. Therefore, the low-cost and high profitability of cybercrime determines that for a long time in the future, cybercrime will emerge one after another and intensify.
The recent development trend of cybercrime
The generalization and organization trend of criminal subjects.
With the rapid popularization of computers, the wide dissemination of network knowledge, and the great progress of network technology, the computer network that was only used by a few high-tech people have now entered the homes of ordinary people, and the operation is more and more convenient, and the technology is becoming easier and easier to master. Correspondingly, the degree of knowledge and specialization of cybercrime has been reduced. After short-term training or self-study, ordinary computer users are fully capable of meeting the technical requirements of most cybercrime.
Every capable person has the basic skills to attack the network, and cybercriminals are gradually shifting from computer professionals to ordinary people. In addition, the early cybercriminal suspects committed more crimes alone and fewer jointly committed crimes, with the characteristics of ” lone rangers “. But the current cybercrime is developing towards joint crime and organized crime.
Some suspects use cheap, fast and safe network communication to make contact and introduction, jointly commit crimes, reach offensive and defensive alliances, and carry out various criminal activities. As the U.S. Department of Justice’s computer crime officer said at the “Internet Crime Congress” in London. The nature of cyber intrusions has changed markedly in recent years, and we are increasingly seeing organized crime. For such transnational organized cybercrime, the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime can apply.
Widespread criminal objects and centralized targets.
In the past, cybercrime was mainly about creating and distributing viruses and pornographic information. But now another development trend of cybercrime is the widening of criminal objects. With the network nation of human society, from personal privacy, life, and property rights to social security and national sovereignty, the objects of cybercrime are almost all-encompassing.
No wonder some experts believe that cybercrime will gradually lose its characteristics, because when almost all criminal acts are directed to or carried out through the Internet, cybercrime, like ” automobile crime”, loses its special significance in criminal law. On the other hand, the targets of cybercrime mainly focus on important departments, units, or various large companies. Such as finance, securities, and telecommunications, among which finance, securities, and other departments are the key targets to attack.
Diversification and integration of criminal methods.
The rapid development of information networks and the widespread popularization of information technology have provided various cyber criminals with a variety of means of committing crimes. More importantly, because the mobile phone has broken through the limitation of traditional voice communication. It has become a veritable multimedia platform that can transmit text messages, images, and videos. In addition, the newly developed IP phone can convert voice information into digital files. Which can forward to an e-mail so that the user can listen to the audio-converted e-mail over the phone.
The most prominent example is an ultra-portable computer device called the ultra-mobile PC. Which combines a mobile phone, camera, video chat, and wireless Internet access. This tells us that various communication methods have achieved cross-platform application integration. The most direct effect of this technology on crime is the cross-platform integration of cybercrime. In the future, cybercrime will be safer, simpler, and faster.
The criminal motive is utilitarian and complicated.
The Internet is a magical virtual world. Out of curiosity, early cybercriminal suspects regarded deciphering and modifying their passwords as an adventure, an attempt, and felt that using hacking programs to break into other people’s websites had a “sense of accomplishment “. Prove that you have superb skills beyond your peers, and earn yourself a reputation as a master.
Now the motives of those who attack the computer network have changed, from simple showing off to complex motives such as revenge, stealing, threats, fraud, extortion, plundering, disrupting social order, and more and more show greed for money. utilitarian trend. The data also shows a dramatic increase in for-profit cybercrime in recent years.
