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Unit 11: Cyber Security and Crime

Indo-US Cyber Security Forum (IUSCSF): This forum was set up in 2001 by high power delegations
from both US and India. Several initiatives were announced. Some of them are:

1. Setting up an India Information Sharing and Analysis Centre (ISAC) for better cooperation in anti-
hacking measures.
2. Setting up India Anti Bot Alliance to raise awareness about the emerging threats in cyberspace by
the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
3. Expanding the ongoing cooperation between India's Standardization Testing and Quality
Certification (STQC) and the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to new
areas.

4. Determining the methods for intensifying bilateral cooperation to control cybercrime between two
countries.
Challenges and Concerns
India's reliance on technology is evident from the fact that India is entering into various facets of e-
governance. India has already brought areas like income tax, passports, and visa under e-governance.
The travel sector is also heavily reliant on the Internet. Most of the Indian financial institutions have
undertaken full-scale computerization and have brought in concepts of e-commerce and e-banking.
These financial institutions are lucrative targets to the cyber terrorists who want to paralyze the
economic and financial institutions and create panic in the country. The damage done can be
catastrophic and irreversible.
Some of the major challenges and concerns are:
1. Lack of awareness and the culture of cyber security at individual as well as institutional level.
2. Too many information security organizations which have become weak due to financial concerns.
3. Old cyber laws and weak IT Acts which have become redundant due to non-exploitation.

4. Lack of trained and qualified workforce to implement the counter measures.
11.2 Cybercrime
Cybercrime is the latest and perhaps the most complicated threat in the cyber world. Any criminal
activity that uses a computer either as an instrument or target is classified as cybercrime. The computer
may be used as a tool in the following activities - pornography, sale of illegal articles, online gambling,
property crime, financial crimes, e-mail spoofing, and cyber stalking. The computer can however be the
target in the following activities - salami attacks, data diddling, logic bomb, physically damaging the
computer system, theft of computer system, and so on.
11.2.1 History of Cybercrime

Cybercrime has been in existence since the invention of computers. The first recorded cybercrime took
place in the year 1820 which is not surprising considering the fact that the abacus which is the earliest
form of computer has been around since 3500 B.C. in India, Japan, and China.
In 1820, Joseph-Marie Jacquard, a textile manufacturer in France produced the loom. This device
allowed the repetition of a series of steps in the weaving of special fabrics. This resulted in a fear
amongst Jacquard's employees that their traditional employment and livelihood were being threatened.
They committed acts of sabotage to discourage Jacquard from further use of the new technology. This is
the first recorded cybercrime.
In the 1960s, large mainframe computers were used. Cybercrimes during this period included
computer sabotage, computer manipulation, and use of computers for illegal purposes. Access to
mainframe systems was limited and the systems were not networked with other systems due to which,
the crimes were usually committed by insiders.
The term hacker emerged during the late 1950s when Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
students used the term hack to refer to creative college pranks. The term was used as a positive
connotation as it denoted someone who was an expert in computer programming.

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