Virtual Crimes, Real Damages: A Primer On Cybercrimes In The United States and Efforts to Combat Cybercriminals
Fernando M. Pinguelo, Bradford W. Muller · SSRN Electronic Journal · 2011
A dangerous aspect of the Internet Age that all businesses and government agencies must effectively counteract is cybercrime. As technology advances, so do the criminals. Recent media coverage of the attacks on corporate websites in response to the lockdown on WikiLeaks and its founder has renewed public focus on the vulnerabilities of corporate IT security and the profile of cybercriminals. While the recent cyber strikes on Amazon, PayPal, and MasterCard may not have been as debilitating as some other more elaborate schemes, the assaults demonstrate how quickly a group of loosely affiliated hackers can mobilize behind a cause ‐ or in the case of Julian Assange, a martyr ‐ and bring about significant inconvenience, if not considerable damage. This article provides a brief overview of the current status of state and federal law and enforcement activities pertaining cybercrime and the cybercriminal.