Todd Shipley - Investigating Internet Crimes: An Introduction to Solving Crimes in Cyberspace

I dedicate my work on this book to my friend, confidant and former business partner, Bill Siebert. Every day you have been gone has been a loss to our field. I still cant remove you from my Skype contact list. I miss you Bill, thanks for believing in the mission.

Todd G. Shipley

I would like to dedicate my efforts on this book to my family. May they all be safer online and in the real world as the result of our work to educate law enforcement and the private sector on investigating cyber malfeasance. Additionally, it would be remiss for me not to also second Todds dedication to his close friend, Bill Siebert, a true leader and pioneer in Internet and computer investigations.

Art Bowker

Larry D. Johnson

Current CEO at Castleworth Global LLC, Former Chief Security Officer at Genworth Financial and Special Agent in Charge, Criminal Investigative Division USSS Retired

Cybercrime, security and digital intelligence are important work of great relevance in today's interconnected world and one that nobody with an interest in enforcement, risk or technology should be without. In the mid 1990s the Secret Service was at the forefront of cybercrime because of its financial crimes and identity theft legal responsibilities to protect the country's financial systems. Almost all cybercriminals at that time were focused on penetrating private sector institutions for financial and personal information. As stated by a Secret Service target hacker at the time, why financial institutions? Because that is where the money is.

Today's digital economy is even more dependent on the Internet, yet few users or decision makers have more than a rudimentary understanding of the online risks that threaten all of us.

Advances in computer technology and greater access to personal information via the Internet have created a virtual marketplace for transnational cyber criminals to share stolen information and criminal methodologies. As a result, the Secret Service has observed a marked increase in the quality, quantity and complexity of cybercrimes targeting private industry and critical infrastructure. These crimes include network intrusions, hacking attacks, development and use of malicious software, and account takeovers leading to significant data breaches affecting every sector of the world economy. As large companies have adopted more sophisticated protections against cyber-crime, criminals have adapted as well by increasing their attacks against small and medium-sized businesses, banks, and data processors. Unfortunately, many smaller businesses do not have the resources to adopt and continuously upgrade the sophisticated protections needed to safeguard data from being compromised.

From a different perspective, cybercrime is no longer just in a sophisticated hacker's purview. Internet crime can literally be committed by anyone and no one is immune to becoming a victim of an internet crime. The media is full of stories of sex offenders, cyber stalkers, cyber bullies and all manner of Internet malfeasance. Social media is also increasing being used to perpreate all kinds of criminal activity. There are even cases of serial killers going online to stalk and trap their victims. In this day and age who has not received a notice from their financial institution that their personal information may have been compromised and is being offered identity theft insurance and monitoring as a precaution? All investigative departments and agencies now need this expertise available in their investigative toolbox. Internet investigations are therefore necessary law enforcement ability and yet they are fully understood by only a small minority of state and local law-enforcement agencies.

According to federal and state law enforcement officials, the pool of qualified of cyber-crime investigator candidates is limited because those investigating or examining cyber-crime cases must be highly trained specialists, requiring both investigative and technical skills, including knowledge of various IT hardware and software, electronic chain of custody rules and advanced forensic tools.

As more and more sensitive information is stored in cyberspace, target-rich environments are created for both the sophisticated and un-sophisticated cyber criminals. With proper computer and network security, personal users and businesses can provide a first line of defense by knowing who they are communicating with and safeguarding the information they collect. Such efforts can significantly limit the opportunities for cyber criminals.