Operation Ghost Click - Essay Example

The crime involved an internet fraud ring used to infect millions of computers internationally. Six Estonian nationals who used a virus called DNSChanger to infect millions of computers and manipulate computers without the awareness of the computer owners committed the crime. The criminals manipulated websites dealing with advertisements and managed to obtain more than $14 million. Additionally, the infected computers were prone to infection by other types of malicious malware (FBI, 2011).
I found the story interesting due to the manner in which the criminals used malware to manipulate advertisement websites. Additionally, the crime was widespread since it affected over 4 million computers. The cyber-thieves used the malware to redirect users requesting to purchase objects online to a website they had developed. This depicts the sophisticated nature of cybercrimes. The website purported to sell similar goods. Additionally, the malicious DNS altered searches by users and endorsed fake products. People would thus purchase goods unknowingly but would never get the deliveries. The case depicted how the levels of cybercrimes have increased. Additionally, the case validates the need for the protection of advertisement websites. To resolve the issue the FBI investigators had to replace the DNS servers with legitimate servers. The crime also demonstrated the increased usage of computer forensics in dealing with crimes. The fraud led to the development of DNSChanger virus scan and removal software that can be used to disinfect computers that had been shut from the internet connection (FBI, 2011).

Operation Phish Phry is another example of a cyber-fraud committed in 2009 by a group of about 100 cybercriminals. The fraud targeted banks in the U.S. and was investigated by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in conjunction with Egyptian authorities and Los Angeles Electronic Crimes Task Force. The cyber-thieves used email fraud to obtain sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and other financial information from users. They would send emails that appeared official to the victims asking them to submit their bank account details. On entering the details, the user’s information would be directed to untrusted websites without their knowledge where they give their information that would access to the tricksters. The frauds would then use the information to transfer funds from the user’s bank accounts to bogus accounts. About $1.5 million was stolen (Federal Bureau of Investigations, 2009).

The crime interested me since it demonstrated how competition in the development of software has led to increasing in cybercrimes. Additionally, the crime was recognized as the cyber-crime with the highest number of defendants in computer crime history. The crime involved competition between law enforcers and the criminals. Additionally, the crime demonstrated the increasing misuse of technological advances in crime enhancement. Cybercrime was conducted by criminal operations within the United States and their counterparts were in Egypt. This depicts the extent to which cybercrimes have become complicated. Unlike other crimes that are often conducted by people operating within the same locality, cybercrimes can involve people located anywhere across the globe. This case depicts the need for law enforcers to advance their computer forensic technologies to be able to counteract the advanced crimes by cyber-frauds. The investigation revealed the increasing need for cooperation between different authorities to fight cybercrimes (Federal Bureau of Investigations, 2009).

Trident Beach is a name that was used in reference to an organized cybercrime in the U.S., which was investigated by F.B.I. The crime targeted 400 American companies and organizations. The frauds were conducted in 2008, and involved cybercriminals operating from Eastern Europe. The criminal used a malicious Trojan bug referred to as ZeuS to infect computers in America. Zeus would record the passwords and usernames of the victims when they tried to log into their bank accounts through their infected computers. The bug would then send the data to the hackers who would access the victims’ accounts (Brian, 2012).

The case interested me since it demonstrated how computer technology has made it possible for criminals with superior computer expertise from different regions of the world to work together in the perpetration of cybercrimes. Most such criminals work together even though they have never met physically. Additionally, the case demonstrated the increasing number of criminals working to master different technologies used in American organizations. Therefore, companies within America are increasingly becoming victims of cybercrimes. There is thus a need for American technology developers to come up with ways of protecting valuable information from cybercriminals. There is thus a need for American technology developers to improve on their data mining techniques to counteract the hackers’ capability. Russian students were entangled in the crime unknowingly. Additionally, the case showed the need for technical knowledge amongst students pursuing computer forensics. Professor Warner who assisted the FBI in tracking the cybercriminals enlisted the assistance of the students he was teaching (Brian, 2012).