According to Techopedia, cybercrime can be defined as a criminal activity conducted in which the computer is the object of the crime such as in phishing and hacking, or where a computer is used as an illegal tool to commit a criminal offense as is the case in hate crimes. Over recent times, there have been various attacks on private organizations, government agencies and even on individuals for corporate or political gain. On Wednesday this week, Price Waterhouse Coopers released reports showing that corporate bodies were under increasing risk of losing their profits and enterprise information as a result of rising cybercrime levels. With the rising use of technology, criminal activity has also expanded in between the lines of coding. We look at recent victims and the circumstances of the attacks below.
- Yahoo
In 2014, Russian intelligence officers Dmitry Dokuchaev and Igor Sushchin allegedly sought the access of the email accounts of various influential individuals. These included American and Russian government leaders as well as Russian journalists. Further, the officers wanted to have access to the email accounts of employees in various internet service providers.
As a result of their needs, the officers allegedly acquired the services of two criminal hackers. These included Alexsey Belan and Karim Baratov. Belan was able to gain access to Yahoo’s servers which he used to obtain information concerning account users. The information included usernames and passwords. Additionally, he was able to modify account data. The FBI have suggested he gained access through a method known as spear phishing, where an email that seems legitimate prompts a user to either click a link containing malware or ignorantly fill in his account information.
In the wake of their attack, the two hackers were able to access the credentials of over 500 million Yahoo accounts. Additionally, they used cookies to obtain entry into another 6,500 email accounts still under Yahoo servers. In relation to these email accounts, the users consequently targeted Google accounts belonging to some users. The move, where spear phishing was also suspected to have been applied, saw the hackers gain access to more than 50 Google accounts.
The Russian government denied any knowledge concerning the two perpetrators. However, FBI reports show that the intelligence officials helped the two hackers by aiding them with material from ongoing investigations. The resources they were aided with assisted them to keep out of the arms of law enforcement as well as clean their web footprints during their hacking.
Currently, Belan’s and Suschin’s whereabouts are unknown. Dokuchaev was allegedly arrested in Russia on separate charges while Baratov is currently behind bars awaiting his bail hearing scheduled for April 5th.
- Mike Pence
As governor of Indiana, Vice President Mike Pence used his personal email address to conduct some of the state’s official business. Most of the information contained in the account was too sensitive to be released to the public. This account was hacked, and messages soliciting funds were sent to his friends and family. In the emails, the hacker posted as the Vice President and told his friends that he and his wife had been robbed during their trip to the Philippines. As a result, ‘Pence’ requested financial assistance in ‘his’ apparent emergency.
The use of his private email was legal according to Indiana laws. However, the information therein could have been used for more malicious intent.
- Hillary Clinton
Over her presidential campaign, Hillary’s emails were leaked to the public through WikiLeaks. It is suspected that the attack on her email account was made by Russian hackers in a bid do lower her credibility and as such the strength of her campaign. A major part of President Trump’s campaign was built on Hillary’s controversial emails during her tenure as Secretary of State. At the time, Hillary was using a personal email address to conduct national business. A lot of Republicans cited the unprofessionalism in this act which, statistically, discredited her significantly across America.
The leaks in her emails prompted the Federal Bureau of Investigations into launching an inquiry as to how she treated classified information. Although no charges were made, the Bureau found more than 100 classified emails on her account. These should have been communicated officially through the Secretary of State’s official .gov email address. As such, it was considered a breach in protocol.
Currently, investigations are going on concerning Russia’s influence over the Presidential election. Suspicions have been raised that perhaps the Russians aided Trump’s campaign for their personal reasons.
Just last week, numerous Twitter accounts belonging to individuals, government agencies and non-governmental organizations were under siege. The tweets showed anti-Nazi comments consisting of the Swastika. Posts were made in Turkish. In the week preceding the taking over of these accounts, President Erdogan had called the Netherlands and Germany “Nazi remnants.” The messages that filled the Twitter handles of hacked accounts relayed messages in the same context. The accounts of BBC North America, Duke University, Justin Bieber, Amnesty International, Forbes and even the UK Department of Health’s account all had their security compromised.
The accounts have since been put back under their rightful controllers and security has been restored.
- The Kenyan Government’s Tax System
The bout of criminal activity online has not been limited to the West. In Africa, Alex Mwangi Mutuku gained unlawful access to the Kenyan government’s online tax remits. The Kenyan hacker also gained entry to the e-citizen online portal, which Kenyan citizens use to pay for services from the government. Alex’s unauthorized access to government institution’s accounts led the government to lose an estimated $39 million. He is suspected to be part of an international crime syndicate specializing in electronic fraud.
The move has led to investigations being opened upon the spanning effects of cyber crime in the country, with law enforcement officials consequently conducting background checks on the online security of institutions online.
Currently, Mr. Mutuku is being arraigned by police officers. However, he has a pending hearing concerning bail. State employees are also under review in case they could have acted as aides to the hacker and his alleged team.
