Do Criminals Dream Of Electric Sheep?
A whole range of electronic cyber technologies are predicted to assist criminals and make them extremely dangerous to the public and now law enforcement must act says a new Report.
Published by Europol, the Do criminals dream of electric sheep: how technology shapes the future of crime and law enforcement Report, reviews the new techno problems that could increase cyber-crime. The title of the Report refers to sci-fi writer Philip K Dick.
‘The profound impact of technological change on law enforcement has been highlighted repeatedly over the last decades. However, the pace and scale of technological innovation confronting law enforcement authorities in the EU and beyond is now becoming increasingly apparent.
‘The opportunities for law enforcement in harnessing these technologies are as great as the challenges and their potential utility to criminal actors. Law enforcement authorities must employ foresight and embrace organisational change challenging established business models in order to access the potential held by these technologies’.
The Report goes on to say that these technologies will provide hackers with new attack vectors for conducting malicious activity, such as high speed phishing attacks by using AI to tailor malicious emails and responses, as well as deploying AI to determine the best targets.
It's also suggested that law enforcement itself could take advantage of some of the emerging technologies to help in the fight against cybercrime. For example, AI is detailed as a technology that could benefit law enforcement by helping to improve the security of systems and devices.
Quantum computing is also identified as a potential risk to the cybersecurity of European citizens. While experts say that quantum computing can help boost the security of systems, Europol warns that there's the potential that the technology could fall into the wrong hands, and these individuals could exploit the power to crack the encryption of machines using the current standard.
"Malicious actors in possession of a quantum computer would have the opportunity to break traditional security standards, orchestrate far more sophisticated cyberattacks, or decrypt information and communications," the Report warns.
There are also concerns around 5G mobiles, due to the challenges it could provide for law enforcement. The report argues that 5G technology will "complicate the use of the unique mobile phone card identifiers that allow law enforcement to identify and locate devices", making it more difficult to carry out legally permissible technical investigation and surveillance measures of suspected criminals.
This would mean "one of the most important tactical operational and investigation tools would therefore become obsolete", providing a potential boon for criminals who want to hide.
"The potential challenges for law enforcement as a result of developments within the area of 5G do not appear to be a priority for developers," the paper adds.
The rise of the Internet of Things has already caused security issues, but there's a fear that as more and more IoT devices enter homes and workplaces, the insecurity in them could prove extremely lucrative for them.
"The vulnerability of IoT devices may be exploited by criminals seeking to collect personal data, compromise user credentials or even spy on people or organisations," warns the Report.
Europol has already made efforts to boost security in the Internet of Things, but does understand more work needs to be done. ‘Law enforcement authorities need to invest in understanding AI technology and its implications to properly detect and contain these emerging threats. Law enforcement should equally explore the opportunities that AI presents for actively countering these threats.
This is particularly relevant in the area of cybersecurity where AI can help make defences more effective and scalable,’ says the Report.
The report isn't all doom and gloom, as it points out how ever-advancing technology can also help benefit law enforcement, with AI and machine learning able to play a prominent role in the fight against crime and terrorism.
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