Verified Document

Cyber Crimes And The FBI The Investigative Essay

Related Topics:

Cyber Crimes and the FBI The investigative techniques used by the FBI in the case of Vasiliy Gorshkov and Alexey Ivanov were completely legitimate and necessary; moreover, they demonstrated that law enforcement of the United States was prepared to use any means necessary to apprehend these flagrant security risks. "Court papers described the men as kingpins of Russian computer crime who hacked into the networks of at least 40 U.S. companies and then attempted to extort money" (Brunker, 2000). These men were formidable criminals who used the Internet and computers as their weapons of choice to destroy, manipulate and victimize American companies. There's a very strong and very legitimate argument which asserts that the only way to go after such elusive criminals is via the same type of trickery and subterfuge that they engage in themselves. It's very hard to fight fair with criminals who are engaging in the most absolute underhanded practices, particularly ones which involve the Internet, as it's exponentially easier to conceal one's actions and intentions and to be cloaked and buried within the vastness of the expansive Internet.

Part of the uproar which emerged after the actions of the FBI were uncovered asserted that they had behaved in a manner that was potentially unlawful. "According to court documents filed in the case, the FBI and Department of Justice lured two suspected Russian hackers to Seattle with job offers at a fictitious security company. After monitoring the duo's connection to two servers in Russia, the FBI used the suspects' passwords to download incriminating data from those servers" (Lemos, 2001). This was precisely the tactic that was going to be scrutinized in court; though multiple parties were concerned that it might be considered lawful and the repercussions of such an event. For example, "…if it is deemed lawful, the precedent could allow law enforcement and intelligence communities free rein to hack foreign computers. In addition, such a ruling could provide a legal loophole for other countries to break into U.S.-based computers in search of data that could aid their own investigations" (Lemos, 2001). This is a truly formidable...

Ivanov hacked from an abandoned factory in Chelyabinsk, Russia. Many critics felt quite justified in accusing the FBI of entrapment as they lured these hackers out of their hiding places with the promise of a better life: a chance to get out of Russia and snag a lucrative job in America. "But Chelyabinsk, a Stalinist burg located in the Ural Mountains, is a pretty bleak place to grow up. The town has twice endured nuclear catastrophe -- an arms plant dumped waste in a local lake for years, and in 1957 a nearby nuclear weapons factory showered the vicinity with 70 tons of radioactive dust -- making Chelyabinsk one of the world's most polluted cities" (Koerner, 2002). As Koerner explains, it's very difficult there to get a job. While this doesn't justify crime or illegal activity, it helps to paint a clearer picture as to how such bright mind like Ivanov and Gorshkov came to be hackers and why they didn't think twice when they were offered a job by an American company straight out of the blue.
Many naysayers felt that Ivanov and Gorshkov were lured to the United States and then led to entrapment, a tactic which should be considered illegal. However, such a viewpoint is just sanctimonious and a truly narrow interpretation of the law. In the age of cyber crimes, luring criminals out from their hiding places is essential. It's almost one of the only ways to catch them. Even though some say the FBI was engaging in a method of attack that bordered on illegality, others need to rightly praise it for being clever, being nuanced and more than anything, being effective. Furthermore, the FBI agents were upfront with Ivanov and Gorshkov about what the job would entail -- they needed hackers. One could argue that Ivanov and Gorshkov,…

Sources used in this document:
References

Brunker, M. (2000). Fbi agent charged with hacking. Retrieved from http://www.nbcnews.com/id/3078784/ns/news-internet_underground/t/fbi-agent-charged-hacking/

Jahnke, A. (2005, April 25). A hacker story. Retrieved from http://www.crime-

research.org/articles/hacker0405/

Koerner, B. (2002, June). From russia with lopht. Retrieved from http://legalaffairs.org/issues/May-June-2002/feature_koerner_mayjun2002.msp
Lemos, R. (2001, May 01). Fbi "hack" raises global security concerns. Retrieved from http://news.cnet.com/2100-1001-256811.html
Retrieved from http://rt.com/usa/judge-rejects-fbi-hack-tactic-422/
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Business Law Cyber Crimes
Words: 690 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

Cyber crime is an ongoing and growing problem for businesses, for government, and for private individuals throughout the world. This paper identifies the kinds of cyber crime that are threatening computer users, notably businesses. It also proposes strategies that businesses can embrace that will (in many cases) prevent the intrusion of cyber criminals into servers and hard drives. What particular cyber crimes do businesses / individuals need to be wary of? An

History of Cyber Crimes
Words: 1827 Length: 5 Document Type: Essay

Cybercrime, Cybercriminals, And Cybercops Cybercrime Cybercrime has long been perceived to represent new crimes arising from the emergence of technological advancement, but an examination of the history of cybercrime reveal that its roots are as ancient as the crimes of fraud, harassment, and malicious property damage. The history of cybercrime is reviewed briefly here, as are the challenges faced by law enforcement efforts to curb cybercrime. Some gains have been realized, such

Cyber-Citizen, USA Cyber-Citizen USA the
Words: 5130 Length: 20 Document Type: Research Paper

The fact that industrial control systems may be vulnerable to infiltration by other citizens, or international parties puts laws pertaining to intersection of systems transmission at the forefront of priorities for us all. At present, telecommunications interference of private citizens holds an up to a five-year prison sentence by U.S. federal law. How cyberterrorism is addressed, when the stakes are heightened, leaves a whole host of opportunities for citizens, and

Looking Into FBI Vs Apple in Relation to the Patriot Act
Words: 3274 Length: 10 Document Type: Essay

FBI vs. Apple in Relation to the Patriot Act America is divided over the tradeoff between personal privacy and security needs. The focus is, now, on the government surveillance, but there are concerns over how data is being used by businesses. The issue was raised after the federal court was requested to force Apple to assist the FBI to unlock one of the phones used by a suspect in the terrorist

Organized Crime and Crime
Words: 2207 Length: 8 Document Type: Essay

History Of Organized Crime More than a century of motion pictures and more than a half-century of television productions have created a somewhat romanticized version of organized crime as typified in "The Godfather" series. Indeed, there is even a National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, commonly known as "The Mob Museum" in Las Vegas which is a popular tourist destination (Green, 2013). The reality of organized crime, however,

Vasiliy Gorshkov and Alexey Ivanov
Words: 1399 Length: 5 Document Type: Case Study

Vasiliy Gorshkov and Alexey Ivanov v. The FBI There is much controversy with regard to the FBI's involvement in capturing Russian cyber criminals Vasiliy Gorshkov and Alexey Ivanov, taking into account the unorthodox method the bureau used. Many are likely to consider that such actions are against principles associated with law enforcement and that the authorities were wrong in taking on such attitudes. However, when considering the contemporary society being a

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now