West Palm Beach Cybercrime Defense Attorney
Criminal lawyers defending those accused of hacking in Florida
The term cybercrime refers to any crime that involves the use of a computer network as a tool to execute the criminal act or a crime in which a computer network is the target. A broad category that also includes mobile devices, cybercrime offenses include:
A cybercrime usually targets an individual, a business, or a government entity. National security and cyber terrorism are emerging as growing points of interest for governments as hackers have recently made news around the world for attacking election systems and potentially developing other capabilities.
Financial cybecrimes
Nowadays, most people pay their bills and manage their bank accounts online. Therefore, it is not surprising that bank fraud is one of the most common forms of financial cybercrime. Hackers target the servers of banks, retail outlets, and credit card companies to obtain customer data. The data obtained through these crimes is often used by crime rings to steal the victims’ identities and open new accounts and make purchases in their names. Sometimes fraudsters access customers’ bank and credit accounts and conduct unauthorized transactions under the victim’s name without stealing the person’s identity. Email is still often used to advance phishing scams in which the fraudster poses as a banking institution and sends out a large number of emails requesting banking information from individual customers. As computers become integrated into finance, business, and government, cybercriminals develop more ways to use computer technology to commit crimes.
Cyber surveillance
Covering the lens of a webcam when not in use is a common practice among many, including high-profile business and government officials. Hackers are able to access other people’s unsecured webcams remotely and record video that can later be used to extort the victim. The video may range from footage of the victim in various states of undress to private conversations that convey information the individual may not want to make public. Once the hacker obtains the footage, he or she threatens to release the video unless the victim agrees to give the hacker whatever he or she is requesting, which is typically a specified sum of money.
Cyber extortion
Webcam hacking is often a method cybercriminals use to commit extortion. Cyber extortion occurs when a hacker uses a computer network to make threats or attack a victim while making demands of the victim. The demand is typically a request for money or cryptocurrency, which is much more difficult to trace back to the hacker’s offline identity. In 2017, hackers released unaired episodes of a popular HBO series when the company refused to pay hackers to cease making threats. The most common form of cyber extortion involves encrypting, or denying access to, the victim’s computer network while refusing to decrypt the network until the victim complies with the hacker’s request. In other attacks, cybercriminals completely lock users out of their computer systems until the victim pays the cyber attacker. Hackers sometimes use ransomware, a malicious form of software that takes over the victim’s computer and threatens the victim. The threat usually involves denying the victim access to his or her computer; however, the threat may vary, depending on what the hacker wants from the victim. The malware will usually display payment instructions and claim the victim will regain access upon making payment. In some cases, the hackers may receive the payment and still not uphold their end of the agreement.
Child pornography and child abuse
Since the internet became a common utility in most households, sex predators who target children have taken their criminal activity online. The Internet has made it easier than ever to consume and spread large amounts of child pornography. Sex abusers are able to expose themselves to children more easily by sending sexual digital images of themselves. Predators sometimes utilize chat rooms, discussion boards and online games as a means of searching for children and groom them to be lured offline and victimized. Law enforcement agencies have stepped up their efforts to find child predators and bring them to justice by monitoring online forums and conducting Internet and chat room sting operations.
Cyberterrorism
Cyberterrorism is a general terms that describes any violent act that is conducted by using the internet and threatens another person or causes loss of life or significant bodily harm. Advanced cyberterrorists target national security programs, government computer networks, hospitals, and other institutions to cause a massive disruption and incite fear of another attack. Acts of cyberterrorism may be politically or ideologically motivated. In recent years, cyberterrorism has become a more prominent concern for law enforcement and the general public.
Accused of cybercrime in West Palm Beach?
Cybercrime tends to be very anonymous in nature, and hackers may even go to great lengths to obscure all trails that may lead to their offline identity. Therefore, law enforcement agencies often investigate multiple people before finding the perpetrator. Sometimes innocent people may find themselves mixed up in the shuffle. Being interviewed by a federal agency can be an intimidating experience. Therefore, anyone who is being accused of cybercrime in West Palm beach should contact a knowledgeable Florida cybercrimes defense lawyer who has handled federal cases. A qualified attorney can help people who are under investigation and those who have been formally accused respond to serious cybercrime accusations with peace of mind in knowing they are receiving trustworthy legal advice and reliable support and representation.