The problem of cybercrime: Internet crime scene

With 83,000 registered crimes in the area of cybercrime, 2016 also shows that the Internet as a crime scene presents the authorities with a very big challenge. These are just the reported crimes; the number of unreported cases is far higher. The Federal Criminal Police Office assumes that known cybercrime is only a fraction. The total damage caused by the crimes is around €51 million.

Cybercrime is the biggest challenge after international terrorism

There is still no legal definition of cybercrime in jurisprudence. However, such acts are subsumed under the regulations in which communication and information technologies are exploited. In their work, the police differentiate between computer crime in the broader sense and the narrower sense. The latter is characterized by the fact that the computer is misused as a murder weapon, regardless of whether there is Internet access or not. Cybercrime in the broader sense is often referred to as internet crime. The Internet itself is a tool for crime. Computer crime in the narrower sense includes, in particular, computer fraud, data alteration, spying and interception of personal data, computer sabotage or the falsification of significant data. The group of crimes in the broader sense includes trademark and copyright infringements, the distribution of banned substances, digital blackmail, the distribution of child pornography or content glorifying violence, and the unauthorized organization of games of chance. Due to the large number of potential cases, the Federal Criminal Police Office sees cybercrime as the greatest challenge after the prosecution of Islamist terrorism. Economic researchers estimate that cybercrime causes economic damage amounting to several billion euros. Affected companies or private individuals often do not even bring the incidents to the attention of the police.

The difficulties associated with repressive enlightenment

The technology of the Internet and computers has developed rapidly in recent years. Accordingly, cybercrime is becoming increasingly specialized. In the past, it was often lone perpetrators who wanted to make an exclamation mark from their parents' bedroom in order to make themselves important within the scene. Nowadays it is an organized form of crime, so attacks are carried out collectively. The individual perpetrators often don't even know each other personally. They communicate with each other using their nickname. Potential targets are analyzed collectively in order to strike together at the right moment. This professional way of working makes the work of investigators more difficult. Even catching a perpetrator from these organizations would not have the desired effect. Rather, the repressive and preventative prosecution would be jeopardized because the other members of the criminal organization would fade into the background. However, they remain active, integrating even more effective defense mechanisms into their machinations. Therefore, only the transfer of the entire organization is successful. Another problem is that the perpetrators use tools that are also used by the peaceful part of the population. Messengers in particular are ideal communication tools for making specific appointments for the next crime. The investigators cannot easily access this data due to data protection and fundamental rights regulations. A new law is intended to give police officers new investigative methods. The powers of the Federal Criminal Police Office have been expanded so that online searches and source telecommunications monitoring are now legally possible. Nevertheless, criminals do not remain idle, especially on the World Wide Web itself. And the amendments always assume that the crime was committed in Germany. However, reality shows that the perpetrators often operate from abroad. Nevertheless, these are very important steps in fighting cybercrime. This also includes the establishment of the Central Office for Information Technology. This competence center is already working on bypassing the encryption of certain Internet services. However, it is essential that every internet user also takes private precautions. Ideally, these should go beyond the use of security software.

Maintenance contracts protect people from attacks from the Internet

Hackers' actions have become increasingly aggressive in recent years. An attack from the Internet often has far-reaching consequences for those affected. The statistics and the assessment of the Federal Criminal Police Office show that this form of crime is far from being able to be brought under control. With a Joomla maintenance contract, computer and Internet users can protect themselves from attacks from the digital world in the future. Joomla security is based on three different pillars. First of all, the attacks should be repelled preventively so that they cannot cause any damage. Furthermore, problems are identified early so that the contractual partner can react in a timely manner. If there is a problem, the system will be restored. This can be very useful, for example, when sabotageting competitors. Entire websites are often deleted or questionable content is uploaded to the relevant websites. These can be examples of politically defamatory statements. Furthermore, customer data is hacked in order to send them endless spam emails. In effect, this completely paralyzes computer operations. The Joomla maintenance contract minimizes such risks. The system is regularly protected by updates. In real time, the computer is protected, so to speak, by a surveillance camera in order to immediately detect any problems that arise. Updates are made regularly to the database and the stored files so that the user can make a backup of them at any time. Companies in particular can use these protective mechanisms to protect themselves from financial and legal consequences. If, for example, immoral material is loaded onto the victim's computer during an attack, in the worst case scenario they could face criminal prosecution. Unless the person concerned can provide credible evidence that the files did not come from themselves. Without appropriate security measures, this evidence in court will be very difficult to say the least.