CRJS 241: Quiz 1

What are the 3 ways technology is abused or used by criminals?

Technology as a communications medium, a target, and as evidence

What does technology provide for criminal communication?

Anonymity, reach, and efficiency

Technology creates spaces where _______ or _____ behavior can be openly discussed

Stigmatized; illegal

What enables illicit markets that challenge law enforcement?

Online platforms and encryption

_______ form around criminal behavior, reinforcing and spreading knowledge, skills, and techniques to avoid detection

Subcultures

Customers of prostitution networks use web forums and chat rooms to share information about what?

Location of sex workers, services offered, pricing, and police presence in certain areas

Why is communication easier online for prostitution networks?

Social stigma and legal risks discourage open discussion in public, and the Internet offers a faceless, anonymous environment

______ are bought and sold on online marketplaces like Silk Road

Narcotics

What type of market operates mainly on the Dark Web?

Drug markets

How is the drug market on the Dark Web accessible?

Only via specialized encryption software and protocols

What is required to get onto the dark web typically?

TOR

How does having a TOR help you on the dark web?

To mask IP addresses and user locations

What does TOR stand for?

The Onion Router

On the dark web, content is not indexed by ____ ____ like ______

Search engines; Google

Why does law enforcement have difficulty shutting down drug markets?

The hosting source is hidden

What do internet and online communication mediums (CMCs) help do?

Form subcultures based on shared interests, including deviant or criminal ones

What are the features of criminal internet subcultures?

• Unique values, norms, and rituals separate them from mainstream society

• Codes of conduct guide interactions within the group

• Shared goals and beliefs justify criminal activity

• Specialized skills (ex: programming, hacking) are valued

• Use of slang or coded language to signal membership and exclude outsiders

_______ can be exploited to attack individuals, businesses, and governments both online and offline

Technology

Many Internet-connected devices like TVs, computers, video game systems, thermostats, security systems contain sensitive data like what?

Shopping habits and username/passwords (bank, email, etc.)

Since devices can communicate with one another, what can hackers do?

Exploit them to steal information

True or False: Hacking always require advanced skills

False

Hacking can include (in terms of minimal hacking skills) what?

Guessing an email or computer password and gaining unauthorized entry into protected systems or data

Research shows ___-___% of college students have attempted to guess someone else’s password

10-25

Once access is gained, hackers can do what?

Commit fraud and engage in theft both online or offline

Hackers sometimes target websites to cause harm or spread _______ _______

Ideological messages

Web Defacement = what?

Online vandalism where hackers replace a site’s HTML code with their own image/message

What is an example of Web defacement politically?

Defacing the White House website with custom content

What are the harms of web defacement?

Embarrassment to the website owner and possible loss of original content if deleted

How can technology play an incidental role in offenses?

Used directly in the crime and used merely as a storage device for evidence (ex: child pornography on a laptop or phone)

Any such information stored or transferred digitally is ____ ____ otherwise known as _____ _____ _____

Digital evidence; binary form data

Forms of digital evidence can be what?

• Browser history

• Emails and chat logs

• Photos and videos on phones or cameras

• GPS and loT device data

• Data on tablets, music players, or internet-enabled devices

True or False: Forms of digital evidence are not limited to computers because many modern devices can hold or transmit evidence

True

Cyberdeviance (The difference between misuse and abuse)

Not necessarily illegal but socially frowned upon but not illegal

Cybercrimes

When deviance becomes crime; technology-enabled actions that violate law

Cyberterrorism

Politically or ideologically motivated attacks designed to cause fear and disruption

Technology can serve as both what and what?

A communication medium to connect, share, or organize and a target for attacks like infrastructure, system, or digital data

Deviance

Behavior outside cultural norms, but not always illegal

What are some examples of deviance online?

• Texting or browsing Facebook in class or during a movie → disruptive, but not criminal

• Viewing pornography → legal for those 18+, but may be seen as morally wrong in some communities

Cyberdeviance (Term)

Deviant behavior facilitated by technology

What is an example of cybercrime?

Pornography with participants under 18 → illegal under U.S. state and federal law

Cybercrime (Term)

Crimes using special knowledge of cyberspace

Computer Crime (Term)

Crimes using specialized computer knowledge

True or False: Cybercrime and computer crime are not synonymous today due to universal Internet connectivity

False

When did cyberterrorism emerge?

In the mid 1990s as digital technology became central to society

Cyberterrorism is generally known as what?

Use of technology/CMCs to cause harm and drive social or political change

What are the characteristics of cyberterrorism?

• Target sensitive systems, data, or networks

• Driven by ideological/political motives

• Seeks to cause fear in the broader population, not just harm an individual

True or False: Cybercrime and cyberterrorism are difficult to distinguish without context

True

How can a data breach be a cybercrime?

If done for financial gain

How can a data breach by a cyberterror?

If done to embarrass or punish a company for ideological reasons

What is an example of a cyberterrorism group?

Far-left activists (ex: Animal Liberation Front) have conducted hacks framed as ideological protest

Why is cybercrime attractive?

• Technology as a force multiplier

• Reduced Risk of Detection

• Technology is ubiquitous and affordable

• Ease of Offending

• Legal and Jurisdictional Challenges

• “Dark Figure” of Cybercrime/Underreporting

What does it mean that technology is a force multiplier?

Allows one person to impact thousands of victims at once

What is an example of technology being a force multiplier?

Offline robbery = limited to one victim at a time but online fraud = spam emails sent to thousands simultaneously

What does it mean that with cybercrime there’s a reduced risk of detection?

In the physical world, offenders need masks, disguises, and risk being caught on camera

What do offenders benefit from online?

Anonymity (faceless nature of the Internet), fake accounts with false details, and proxy serves/TOR to hide location and identity

How is technology ubiquitous and affordable?

Computers and smartphones are relatively inexpensive and internet access is available almost everywhere

In terms of the ease of offending online, is an example of high-skill crimes?

Creating/disseminating malware

In terms of the ease of offending online, is an example of low-skill crimes?

Downloading pirated media, sending threatening emails

Accessibility → makes offending possible for both _____ ____ and _____ (Ease of Offending)

Technical experts; novices

What are the legal and jurisdictional challenges of cybercrime?

Some countries don’t extradite cybercriminals while others may lack laws against certain offenses which creates safe havens for offenders and makes international cooperation and prosecution difficult

What country doesn’t extradite cybercriminals?

Russia

What is an example of a country that lacks laws against certain offenses?

No malware laws in the Philippines during the ILOVEYOU virus

Why do many victims not report cybercrimes?

• They don’t realize they’ve been victimized and can’t detect cause of system of failure

• They’re embarrassed/shamed like romance scam victims

• They feel police may blame them or not take it seriously

What does the “Dark Figure” of Cybercrime lead to?

Undercounting and difficulty in knowing the true scale of cybercrime

David Wall’s Typology of Cybercrime (2001)

Helps explain the wide range of online deviant and criminal behaviors and how technology creates new forms of harm and subcultures

What are the four typologies of cybercrime according to David Wall?

Cyber-trespass, cyber-theft and deception, cyber-porn and obscenity, and cyber-violence

Cyber-Trespass

Crossing digital boundaries of ownership without permission

What are some examples of Cyber-Trespass?

Unauthorized access to Wi-Fi networks or hacking into systems, email accounts, or protected databases

What are the key points in Cyber-Trespass?

• Ownership and permission

• Hackers may cause major financial harm, but not all hackers engage in crime (“ethical” vs. “criminal” divide)

• Exists within a large online hacking subculture, with ongoing debates about legality and ethics

Cyber-Deception and Theft

Illegally acquiring information or resources online

What are some examples of Cyber-Deception and Theft

Phishing scams, data breaches, and digital piracy

Phishing Scams

Fake emails/websites tricking victims into revealing banking or login details

Data Breaches

Resale of stolen credentials on black markets

Digital Piracy

Illegal copying/distribution of music, movies, software, and games

Cyber-Porn and Obscenity

Creation, distribution, or consumption sexually explicit material online

True or False: Adult pornography (18+) is legal in most countries

True

What is an example of how cyber-porn and obscenity legality depends on jurisdiction?

Certain content (violent, animal related, or child exploitation) is considered criminal

What is considered criminal activity in terms of cyber-porn and obscenity?

Prostitution advertising and coordination via the Internet and pedophiles using forums, messaging apps, and file-sharing to trade images and groom children

Cyber-Violence

Sending or accessing harmful, threatening, or extremist content online

What are the two forms of harm in Cyber-Violence?

Emotional/psychological and physical

Emotional/Psychological Harm in Cyber-Violence

Cyberbullying, harassment, online stalking, and revenge porn

Physical Harm in Cyber-Violence

Suicidal ideation triggered by online abuse

What are some examples of Cyber-Violence?

Posting humiliating videos/images on social media and threatening or sexual messages via email, IM, or text

What is extremism and terrorism in Cyber-Violence?

Extremist groups use the Internet to spread propaganda, recruit, and radicalize

Cyberattacks Examples

DDoS attacks by jihadist groups against governments and corporation; hacker collectives like anonymous staging politically motivated cyber-protests

What is the sequence of a criminal case?

Filing a complaint (no arrest) → arrest → arraignment → preliminary hearing (Waive preliminary hearing or charges dropped) → bound over for trial → pretrial conference (plead guilty → sentencing) → plead not guilty → trial (Not guilty) → guilty → sentencing → appeal (denied or granted → new trial)

First Amendment

Freedom of religion, establishment clause, free exercise clause, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, right to assemble, and right to petition

Fourth Amendment

Protection against unreasonable searches and seizures, requirement for warrants, and privacy rights

Probable Cause

There is a reasonable basis for believing that a crime may have been committed (for an arrest) or when evidence of the crime is present in the place to be searched (for a search)

Fifth Amendment

Right against self-incrimination, double jeopardy protection, due process of law, grand jury indictment, and just compensation for property

Criminal Laws

Moral or behavioral guidelines have been violated, and the state investigates and prosecutes on behalf of the victim

Burden of Proof for Criminal Investigations

Beyond a reasonable doubt

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

The state must prove their claims with evidence that demonstrates the guilt of the accused beyond a reasonable doubt

What are the three levels of policing?

Local police (municipal) and sheriffs → state police → federal

What are the duties of municipal police?

• Responding to calls, investigating crimes, arresting offenders

• Preventing crime, increasing public safety, assisting citizens

• Many victims first contact local law enforcement for cybercrime issues

Municipal police capabilities vary by _____ ____ and _____

Agency size; resources

True or False: Larger municipal police agencies are more likely to dedicate resources to cybercrime

True

Who do municipal police serve?

Cities and towns

Sheriff’s offices vary by _____

Region

What types of areas do sheriff’s offices patrol?

Some patrol unincorporated or rural areas while others only manage county jails, court security, civil laws like evictions