Computer Crime, Investigation, and the Law

Book excerpt: One can hardly open a newspaper or read news online without seeing another story about a computer-related crime. We are awash in identity theft, online child predators, and even cyber espionage. It seems overwhelming. And people in many different professions find themselves involved with computer-crime investigations. Obviously, law-enforcement officers are involved, but so are network administrators, technical-support personnel, and attorneys. If any aspect of your work brings you into contact with computer crime, Computer Crime, Investigation, and the Law is for you. It begins with a broad introduction to the field of computer crime, discussing the history of computer crime, basic criminal techniques, and the relevant laws. Next, the book walks you through the essentials of computer forensics. Litigation is also explored, such as depositions, expert reports, trials, and even how one can select an appropriate expert witness. Lastly, the book introduces you to the specific techniques that hackers use and even shows you some of the tricks they use to infiltrate computer systems to help you defend against such attacks. This section of the book also includes a discussion of communication techniques used by computer criminals, with an overview of encryption, stenography, and hacker slang language. Computer Crime, Investigation, and the Law is your gateway into the world of investigating computer crimes.