Cybercrime In Law Enforcement

The computer world gives criminals a large amount of power because victims can just about anyone and can happen internationally (Maras, 2015). It can be hard for law enforcement to understand cybercrime because of how fast new crimes are committed and the new ways to commit those crimes is constantly changing (Maras, 2015). For example, various ways to commit cybercrime include hacking, malware, cyberterrorism, cyberextortion, and cybervandalism (Maras, 2015). It can be hard for law enforcement to keep up with these criminals because of how often technology is changing. Account holders of platforms such as social media, online bank accounts and billing accounts, email, and more have to be very cautious when using technology because of how easy
accounts can become targeted (Maras, 2015). Cybercriminals are very good at staying under the radar and communicate in special languages and operations that prevent law enforcement from knowing that crime occurring (Maras, 2015). Communication methods include, avoidance, piggybacking, Tor, blocking moves, ciphertext, and more (Maras, 2015). These methods can make it difficult for law enforcement to comprehend or even be aware of what the criminals are communicating over technology. These types of crimes all occur through technology, but the criminals behind the screens may have different motives for why he or she is committing cybercrime. Using technology is a complex way to commit crime and to better understand cybercrime law enforcement needs proper training and tools to combat this type of crime (Maras, 2015).
Cybercrime is so hard to detect because technology is constantly advancing, which gives criminals new ways to commit crimes through computers that law enforcement does not know about (Maras, 2015).
Obviously, if law enforcement is unaware of some of the methods criminals are using means that crime is going to go undetected and individuals will not be prosecuted. People are committing cybercrime from the comfort of their own home, so it’s not easy for law enforcement to recognize that crime is occurring compared to a person breaking the law in public. Nowadays, almost every home has devices such as a desktop, laptop, iPad, and/or iPhone that allow access to the Internet, which makes it difficult to catch cybercriminals. Some victims may not even know they were affected by cybercrime or may not report incidents to law enforcement. It’s important for law enforcement to know as much as possible regarding the usage of technology, software, and information to better detect any criminal activity (Maras, 2015). In order to prosecute, first comes detection. It is possible for law enforcement to establish the IP address from the computer that is committing cybercrime, but at the same time there could not be enough evidence to prosecute. Sometimes, criminals will alter their IP addresses to remain anonymous or use what are called proxy servers to prevent their IP addressed from being detected (Maras,
2015).