Question

Describe the different types of computer crimes that you may need to investigate as a digital forensics investigator. Consider the different roles in which you could be employed- such as law enforcement, in the corporate environment, as a private consultant, etc...  Be as thorough as possible.

Answer 1

Solution:

Some of the types of Computer crimes are as follows:

Online scams : usually in the form of ads or spam emails that include promises of rewards or offers of unrealistic amounts of money. Online scams include enticing offers that are “too good to be true” and when clicked on can cause malware to interfere and compromise information.

Exploit kits : Exploit kits need a vulnerability (bug in the code of a software) in order to gain control of a user’s computer. They are readymade tools criminals can buy online and use against anyone with a computer. The exploit kits are upgraded regularly similar to normal software and are available on dark web hacking forums.

Phishing : This type of attack involves hackers sending malicious email attachments or URLs to users to gain access to their accounts or computer. Many of these emails are not flagged as spam. Users are tricked into emails claiming they need to change their password or update their billing information, giving criminals access.

DDoS Attack : These are used to make an online service unavailable and take the network down by overwhelming the site with traffic from a variety of sources. Large networks of infected devices known as Botnets are created by depositing malware on users’ computers. The hacker then hacks into the system once the network is down.

Botnets : Botnets are networks from compromised computers that are controlled externally by remote hackers. The remote hackers then send spam or attack other computers through these botnets. Botnets can also be used to act as malware and perform malicious tasks.