Computer Crimes Essay Example For Students

Computer Crimes Essay Computer crime is any illegal act which involves a computer system whether thecomputer is an object of a crime, an instrument used to commit a crime or arepository of evidence related to a crime. Telecommunication crime is thefraudulent use of any telephone, microwave, satellite or othertelecommunications system. Many telecommunications systems themselves arecomputers and therefore in some instances, offences against a telecommunicationsystem can also be considered a computer crime. Computers and telecommunicationshave become a critical part of the daily lives of Canadians, and criminals havealso been able to take advantage of this technology. The Royal Canadian MountedPolice is responsible for the investigation of all computer crime offenceswithin its jurisdiction. It also investigates such crimes where the Governmentof Canada is the victim, regardless of primary jurisdiction. In addition, theRCMP can investigate offences involving organized crime or offences related tothe national interests of Canada. RCMP Support Staff There are RCMP Commercial Crime Sections is every major cityin Canada. Each one of these units has at least one investigator who hasreceived specialized training in the investigation of computer crimes. Theseinvestigators are supported by the RCMP Computer Investigative Support Unit (CISU)located at RCMP Headquarters in Ottawa. CISU can provide technical guidance andexpertise to all Canadian police departments and federal government agencies inrelation to computer and telecommunication crime investigation. Types of CrimeIn Canada today, the main types of computer and telecommunication crime areunauthorized access to computers (hacking), mischief to data, theft oftelecommunications, and copyright violations of software (illegal copying anddistribution of software). In addition, computers are commonly found in manyother types of investigations and these systems must be examined for evidence. Types of crime where computer evidence has been located include murder, fraud,stock market manipulation, pornography, proceeds of crime, and drug importation. The term computer hacker refers to an individual who, via a modem orsome other computer communications device, circumvents computer security andbreaks into a computer system. Hacking could be roughly equated to abreak and enter. A hacker can steal data, sabotage information, ordo nothing but browse. The Scope of the Problem Owing to the technical nature ofcomputer and telecommunication crime, law enforcement personnel must be properlytrained to conduct such investigations. The Canadian Police College offers threedifferent computer crime courses covering everything from search and seizure ofcomputer systems to examination of computers for evidence. These courses areavailable to any police agency in Canada as well as to some foreigninvestigative agencies. Computer and telecommunication crime is a globalproblem. Offences can transcend national boundaries and very often do. For thisreason, the RCMP maintains contact with computer crime investigators around theworld including investigator s in the United States and Great Britain. Statisticson computer crime and telecommunications crime are difficult to accumulateprimarily due to reluctance on the part of victims to report such crime and themany different jurisdictions in Canada. However, with growing economic losses tovictims, more crimes are being reported to police. Recent losses in relation totelecommunications crimes have been very large. Some computer criminals operateon an international scale and in an organized fashion. These criminals can routetheir activities through countries where jurisdictional processes and legalproblems can make investigation difficult. Computers