Join the fight against Cyber Crime at the University of Greenwich

Crime has evolved in line with current society so that computers and the Internet are key components in many crimes. Cyber crime is already earning criminals more than illegal drugs [1">. Criminal gangs may no longer be located close to the scene of a crime, but can be distributed worldwide. For example, a gang leader could be in Russia, the person writing the programmes to execute the crime in Brazil and the actual crime could take place in the UK, which presents law enforcement with particular challenges.

The UK is constantly facing cyber attacks. Attacks can range from hacking, denial of service attacks on banks and businesses, theft of money and information, to money laundering. For example, during the 2012 Olympics IT supporting the games was under daily attack [2">. This is a common phenomenon as many banks and large organisations are also under constantly attack from denial of service attacks (DoS). A DoS attack occurs when a victim’s network is bombarded with a massive amount of traffic, which effectively blocks out normal users. In March 2013 the biggest DoS attack ever recorded took place. A Dutch hosting company (CyberBunker) and an antispam group (Spamhaus) engaged in a cyber battle to take each other down. ‘Steve Linford, chief executive for Spamhaus, told BBC that the scale of this cyber attack has been “unprecedented. These attacks are peaking at 300 gb/s (gigabits per second). Normally when there are attacks against major banks, we're talking about 50 gb/s."’ [3"> The subsequent investigation into this involved five law enforcement high-tech crime units from around the world.

Criminals have been increasingly using botnets to deliver spam, spread malware, manipulate online polls, send phishing emails and to perform DoS attacks on a large scale. Any computer always connected to the Internet could potentially be part of a botnet - even yours! A PC becomes part of a botnet when zombie code is downloaded.

Many criminals perpetuating cyber crimes usually do not get caught. Also the Law has been very slow in adapting to the cyber world, which meant that even when they were caught they were previously not prosecuted.

At the University of Greenwich we can prepare you to join the fight against cyber crime. We have been running courses in cyber security and digital forensics for a number of years. You will learn about computer forensics, steganography, encryption, criminal profiling and how to use forensics tools to perform forensics investigations. You will also learn how cyber attacks can occur and how to defend networks against attack. A knowledge of the Law is also an important aspect to prepare students for work within security and forensics departments, which is why we have introduced the new masters degree, MSc Computer Forensics and the Law. The Law component is taught by our Law and Criminology Department. If you want to make a difference, then come to the University of Greenwich and learn how to join the fight against cyber crime.

References

     1. Cyber crime more profitable than drugs, says Interpol, 09 May 2012,      http://www.afr.com/p/technology/cyber_crime_more_profitable_than_CM70l44JoCrDgxtGsCNHIJ

2. Bryan Glick, Cyber attacks launched at London 2012 Olympic Games every day, October 2012, http://www.computerweekly.com/news/2240168945/Cyber-attacks-launched-at-London-2012-Olympic-Games-every-day


3. Darlene Storm, Biggest DDoS attack in history slows Internet, breaks record at 300 Gbps, March 2013