COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY IN INVESTIGATIONS

Computer Technology in Investigations

Computer Technology in Investigations

Introduction

New technologies almost always introduce new problems into a society. The information technology that became widespread in the 1980s and 1990s is no exception. The advent of online shopping and the increased use of electronic currency have given rise to an identity theft epidemic. The digitization of music, movies, television, and the printed word has led to widespread intellectual property theft and losses of millions of dollars for the entertainment industry. This paper discusses computer technology in investigations in a concise and comprehensive way.

Computer Technology in Investigations

Casey (2002) mentions that computer crime, or cyber crime as it is often known, is the fastest-growing type of criminal activity in the world today. As more advanced computers are manufactured, the more sophisticated the cyber criminals become. Computer crime covers a large range of illegal activity, including bank and credit card fraud, computer hacking, industrial espionage, organized pedophilia, and terrorism. What is more, computer crime has no national boundaries. Investigators face many technical and legal barriers when it comes to trying to identify perpetrators of cyber crimes. Yet there have been some successes, and computer forensics is becoming an increasingly important part of forensic science.

Much undesirable, if not actually illegal, computer activity happens in the workplace. A recent survey carried out by the Federal Bureau of Investigation showed that most organizations have found security breaches of their computer networks (Casey, 2002). The most serious outcome was theft of confidential information, costing millions of dollars to companies as a whole. Almost all companies had had viruses infecting their computers with loss or potential loss of valuable data. Another major form of unwanted computer activity consisted of defacement of the company's website. There was also widespread reporting of abuse of computer privileges by employees by downloading pornography ...