New Technology Reviews!.: Criminal

CCTV cameras help solve 'six crimes a day' in London, says Metropolitan Police

<img align="right" alt="" border="1" hspace="4" src="http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/1834/crazysurveillance.jpg" vspace="4" />Been questioning the value of having omnipresent surveillance cameras tracking your every move? Well, if you're an outlaw, you still won't like them, but for the rest of us law-abiding types, London's Metropolitan Police has a comforting stat to share: almost six crimes a day are being resolved with the help of CCTV footage. It's being used primarily to aid the identification of perps on the run, and the number of suspects identified as a result has gone up to 2,512 this year. There is a bright light for criminals, however, as the Met admits digital recordings aren't kept around as long as VHS ones used to be, meaning that if you slip the dragnet once, you'll probably be alright. So good news for everyone! 
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CCTV cameras help solve 'six crimes a day' in London, says Metropolitan Police

Been questioning the value of having omnipresent surveillance cameras tracking your every move? Well, if you're an outlaw, you still won...

The Biggest Internet Criminal Schemes This Year

Viruses and spywareProbably the most widely known scam and the type that has been around the longest are viruses and spyware. We are certainly more cautious than we used to be however viruses still find themselves everywhere and as technology advances it is becoming more difficult to protect yourself from them. You may be visiting a website which has been infected with a virus only to go and download a file or watch a video and then be infected yourself.The best advice is to have anti-virus software installed and to regularly back up your work to minimise the risk and impact should your system become infected.Phishing and identity theftThere is a huge black market for financial data that is increasing lucrative for criminals. They look to steal your personal data using various techniques which include bogus websites where they attract people in via e-mail spamming. Often you can receive an e-mail claiming to be from your bank which is designed to get your attention and have you click and log your personal information into their website. This is known as Phishing; they will also use telesales, hack into popular websites and more recently have been creative with using social networks to gain information.Your personal data is very valuable; think before you give it out, basic information such as date of birth should never be disclosed unless absolutely necessary. If websites insist, use a fake date of birth.Economy related scams Many of us have money worries due to the current economic climate and are therefore more vulnerable and looking for solutions. Fraudsters will use this situation to come up with new scams to look to rob us of our money and personal information. The newest scams include unemployment insurance, debt consolidation and assistance with repossessions.It is easy to get drawn into a scam especially when it seems like the perfect solution to your problems however always think it through. If you have found what you think is a great offer then take the time to research the company and discuss it with others before going ahead. Use the internet, chat forums to see if anyone else has heard of the company in question or has had issues.Protect your business from the latest scams by attending a <a href="http://www.cio-quarterly.com/marcusevans-scam.asp" rel="nofollow" target="_new">Marcus Evans scam</a> conference.	 	 		 			 				 					 						Tom Swayer writes articles covering a broad range of subjects. His main area of expertise is fraud awareness and scam prevention. Tom has written articles on these subjects including an article covering the <a href="http://www.cio-quarterly.com/marcusevans-scam.asp" target="_new">Marcus Evans scam</a> conferences.

The Biggest Internet Criminal Schemes This Year

Viruses and spyware Probably the most widely known scam and the type that has been around the longest are viruses and spyware. We are cer...

The Roles and Duties of the Computer Forensic in the Criminal Justice Field

In the global village called the internet, not everyone plays nice. You always hear of the word "hack". It is mostly used in relation to invading of computers. Most of these are not entirely true but computer network systems do get hacked. If and when it does happen, it usually involves something sinister.Even employees of companies do engage in snooping or to use our favorite word, hacking. The birth of the internet has led to more of this. Anyone can be anything online. This is why fraud, phishing, and identity theft happen.The computer has become an important part of everyday life. Sending letters have been entirely changed by emails. Communications have been dominated by instant and text messaging. Portable storage devices that were an exclusive preserve of Information Technology professionals are now used by the general public.I think you are already getting the idea of why computer forensics are needed. In the event that hacking does occur, the computer forensic will do the following:1.	Like any other investigation, the computer forensic must handle the area as a crime scene. He or she will take digital photographs and secure documentary evidence. This will include printouts, notes and disks in the scene.If you are the one who hired the computer forensic expert, you should leave everything to them. The computer system should be left as is whether it is turned on or off.If the computer was left on, the analyst will gather all the information that he or she can from the running applications. The computer will then be shutdown in a way that the data will not be lost. Doing a standard shutdown or pulling the plug is not an option. Both of these methods may cause the loss or damage of the data in the computer system.2. The forensic investigator must then document the configuration of the system as you would document a crime scene. This should include the order of hard drives, modem, LAN, storage subsystems, cable connections, and wireless networking hardware. The analyst may make a diagram to go along with the digital photographs. They will also take portable storage devices within the area that may contain substantial evidence.3. The computer forensic expert must take all the evidence to the lab. This is because the analyst should not examine the evidence in the same hardware. People who engage in cyber crimes are also aware that important data can be retrieved to convict them. Countermeasures, viruses and booby traps may be installed in the system to damage electronic evidence.Analysts take the hard drive in their lab instead to make an exact duplicate of its contents. This process is called Imaging. Analysts have their own tools to make sure that the data is copied completely and accurately.The duplicate will then be verified by an algorithm. The data is then examined and analyzed. The analyst makes a report of his or her findings and the process that was taken during the investigation starting from the acquisition of the data. This evidence will be presented in court if prosecution is necessary.The computer forensic plays many roles and duties in the criminal justice field. It is hard to cover all of them in this short article. I encourage you to do more reading if you are interested in this field. You can do this by visiting websites that cover the profession in more detail.Note: You are free to reprint or republish this article. The only condition is that the links should be clickable.	 	 		 			 				 					 						Copywrite Kenneth Echie. Kenneth writes for <a href="http://www.criminaljustice-schools-degrees.com" target="_new">Criminal Justice Degrees</a>. Get free scholarship report and learn about <a href="http://www.criminaljustice-schools-degrees.com/computer-forensics.html" target="_new">Computer Forensics</a> by visiting.

The Roles and Duties of the Computer Forensic in the Criminal Justice Field

In the global village called the internet, not everyone plays nice. You always hear of the word "hack". It is mostly used in re...

FBI Using Criminal Hacking Techniques on Citizens

The US National Security Agency is probably the most sophisticated group of security hackers in the world. Many will argue this point. The fact is, without NSA, US STRATCOM, which directs the operation and defense of the military's Global Information Grid, and US CERT, attacks on our critical infrastructures would be successful. We'd be  living in the dark, telephones wouldn't work, food wouldn't be delivered to your supermarket and your toilet wouldn't flush. These are not the same bumbling government employees you see on C-SPAN. The Obama administration is in the process of completing an internal cyber-security review,  announcing plans for cyber-security initiatives and determining who's going to lead the charge. The New York Times reports that the NSA wants the job and of course, this is raising hackles amongst privacy advocates and civil libertarians who fear that the spy agency already has too much power.I'm all for checks and balances. However, in order to detect threats against our nation and other global computer infrastructures from criminal hackers and terrorists, those in charge of cyber-security must have full and unlimited access to networks. There is certainly a legitimate concern here that any government agency with too much power can overstep citizens' rights. However, coming from a security perspective, there are some very bad guys out there who would like nothing more for you to be dead. Here's a glowing example of how this power is used for good. Wired.com's Kevin Poulsen (who should be required reading) reports on an FBI-developed super spyware program called "computer and Internet protocol address verifier," or CIPAV, which has been used to investigate extortion plots, terrorist threats and hacker attacks in cases stretching back to before the dotcom bust.This is James Bond, Hollywood blockbuster technology that makes for a gripping storyline. The CIPAV's capabilities indicate that it gathers and reports a computer's IP address, MAC address, open ports, a list of running program, the operating system type, version and serial number, preferred Internet browser and version, the computer's registered owner and registered company name, the current logged-in user name and the last-visited URL. That's the equivalent of a crime scene investigator having fresh samples of blood for the victim and perpetrator, and 360 degree crystal clear video of the crime committed. The FBI sneaks the CIPAV onto a target's machine like any criminal hacker would, using known web browser vulnerabilities.They use the same type of hacker psychology phishers use, tricking their target into clicking a link, downloading and installing the spyware. They function like any illegal hacker would, except legally. In one case, they hacked a mark's MySpace page and posted a link in the subject's private chat room, getting him to click it. In another case, the FBI was trying to track a sexual predator that had been threatening the life of a teenage girl who he'd met for sex. The man's IP addresses were anonymous from all over the world, which made it impossible to track him down. Getting the target to install the CIPAV made it possible to find this animal. Numerous other cases are cited in the Wired.com article, including an undercover agent working a case described as a "weapon of mass destruction" (bomb & anthrax) threat, who communicated with a suspect via Hotmail, and sought approval from Washington to use a CIPAV to locate the subject's computer.So while Big Brother may yield some scary power, criminals and terrorists are a tad scarier. I've always viewed the term "Big Brother" as someone who watches over and protects you. Just my take. 	 	 		 			 				 					 						Robert Siciliano <a href="http://IDTheftSecurity.com" rel="nofollow" target="_new">http://IDTheftSecurity.com</a>

FBI Using Criminal Hacking Techniques on Citizens

The US National Security Agency is probably the most sophisticated group of security hackers in the world. Many will argue this point. Th...