Free Cyber Security Essay Sample

Securing information systems in cyberspace and investigating cyber-crimes have become the most complicated tasks of this modern era. Although information revolution has greatly facilitated inter-state and people to people contacts, at the same time it has also given birth to a number of digital dilemmas. Cyber security for instance has become a major global challenge and has led to much criticized legislation relating crimes in cyberspace.
Unlike the earlier days of internet revolution, the problems surrounding cyber security these days is not the lack of appropriate cyber laws but the procedural and systemic impediments that immensely obstruct the proper implementation of these laws. The most prominent of these obstacles is the problem of jurisdiction and location. For example if a cyber-crime is committed from a different country, the law enforcement agencies and judicial system of the victim's country simply lack the authority to continue the judicial process unless the legal difficulties of extradition are sought out. Other major problems are attribution and the identification of cyber criminals. If somehow, the criminals are identified secondary problems relating investigation turns up.
Problems relating search warrants and the integrity of digital forensic evidence are the most frequent impediments involving cyber-crime investigation. For instance, a search warrant aimed to collect evidence regarding possession of child pornography from a suspected criminal should not only notify the physical seizure of suspected computer hard drives but should also inform about the digital forensic process that follows the usual physical seizure (Kerr, 2005, p. 87). Once the digital forensic process is initiated, problems like data encryption and contamination may disrupt the entire legal process. It is very hard to determine if the suspect has intentionally downloaded the prohibited data or someone else took advantage of an insecure system. There also have been instances where technical savvy criminals have used special software that automatically destroys digital evidence during forensic investigation (Shinder, 2011, p. 19).
Although online anonymity, attribution and jurisdiction are till major problems, other issues related to search warrants and forensic investigation severely impede cyber-crime investigations.

References

Kerr, Orin. S. (2005). Search Warrants in an Era of Digital Evidence. Mississippi Law Journal, 75 PP 85-145.
Shinder, Deb. (2011, January 26). What makes cybercrime law so difficult to enforce. Tech Republic. Retrieved from http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/it-security/what-makes-cybercrime-laws-so-difficult-to-enforce/