The Hindu Business Line : Pooling resources is key

Cyber crime is still a favourite subject among audiences that I address these days, be they Rotarians or just senior citizens who had never handled a computer all their lives. They quiz me on a variety of issues, including whether such crime is on the increase or decrease.

I pretend to be wise, although I know there are hardly any reliable statistics on the basis of which I can endorse the popular impression that crimes in cyber space are constantly rising. Official figures here are much more undependable than in the case of conventional crime.

One thing is sure, however. Reporting by victims, individuals and organisations alike, is scanty, and it is not wholly wrong to assert that much more crime takes place than is reported to the police. Recently, the Chennai Police Commissioner, Letika Saran, took a gathering of victimologists into confidence, saying that registered cases hardly told the whole tale. It was shocking to know that a majority of victims, especially women who had been stalked, come to her to plead that the offenders, if caught, be let off with a warning and there is no need to proceed further to take them to Court.

Could there be anything more ridiculous? Is this the way to discipline those who abuse cyber space? But then, this is hard reality in an increasingly bizarre world, and this is the dilemma that faces many dedicated police investigators who toil to bring the offender to book.

A question of investment, inclination

The other problem that weighs down cyber crime wings is the lack of resources. First, cyber forensics requires huge investment in technology. Not all police forces are fortunate to have a government that is willing to provide the money needed.

In India, Nasscom is helping some cities to set up cyber laboratories. Undoubtedly, this is a commendable initiative. This is where I feel the private sector can chip in.

Next, even where finances are available, there are not many volunteers in police departments who are willing to don the role of a cyber crime sleuth. Obviously, the assignment is not glamorous or sexy! An average police officer is hardly excited about doing cyber investigation. The situation is changing, but not sufficiently quickly. There is a limit to incentives that the government can offer. What is required is a spontaneous appreciation that cyber crime is the crime of the future and specialisation in this area is not only useful to the community but could also promote one's own career in law enforcement and IT companies.

Case for cooperation

Against this background, a news item from London, which says that the London Metropolitan Police is `overwhelmed' by e-crime, assumes significance. Chief Inspector Charlie McMurdie of the Met's Specialist Crime Directorate believes that the volume of cyber crime is too much for the Met to handle single-handedly.

In a recent report, he said there was probably a need for a national unit that would coordinate the efforts of all the 43 police forces in the country. Interestingly, it was only recently that the National Hi-tech Crime Unit (NHTCU), which had built up a formidable reputation over the years, was brought into the fold of the newly-formed Serious and Organised Crime Organisation (SOCA), the UK's counterpart of the FBI and India's CBI.

McMurdie's report reveals the Met's willingness to create a single comprehensive wing from out of its many cyber units that separately take care of computer crime, paedophile offences, counter-terrorism intelligence and cyber forensics. This development in the UK gives food for thought to us in India. One would expect the CBI to take the initiative to form at least an informal alliance with State Police forces, whereby there is a pooling of material and human resources to counter cyber crime.

The winding up of the NHTCU has been squarely assailed by many in the UK on the ground that the newly-formed SOCA is indifferent to cyber crime. We do not know whether the criticism is valid. A recent 22-page report submitted to the Science and Technology Committee of the House of Lords by Microsoft echoes the same sentiment. The House is looking into facets of personal Internet security, and the MS stand should evoke some sympathetic response among Committee members.

MS is categorical that cyber crime is rising, and refers to spam, Phishing, malware, spyware, Trojans, viruses and bots as real threats to the individual surfer. MS calls for an integrated approach, and goes as far as suggesting a third-party mechanism to protect consumer interests. One cannot fault this suggestion in a setting where cyber crime is becoming more and more complicated and traditional police agencies are reluctant to take up additional responsibilities.

`Saved' by overcrowding!

Talking of reluctance, nothing to beat the recent decision of a UK judge not to send to prison one Derek Williams, a 46-year old sex offender, guilty of downloading child pornography. The reason: prison overcrowding. The judge was going by a Home Office letter that desired only the most dangerous and persistent criminals be sent to jail, keeping in mind limited space available in prisons.

Williams was awarded six months imprisonment, a sentence that was suspended for two years. In all probability, he will never be locked up if he behaves himself during the next two years. What message does this send to future cyber criminals? I shall leave this to your own judgement!

Disquieting developments

All this when there are so many developments in cyber space that make us uneasy. For instance, according to a recent report, there was possibly a DoS attack on some of the root servers of the Internet on the morning of February 7. The 13 root servers (some situated outside the US) constitute the backbone of the Net.

It is conjectured that the target was the Domain Name System (DNS), which holds the address books for the Internet. The attack was detected from an unusual traffic around the time. Fortunately, the DNS withstood the onslaught, as it did during the previous 2002 attack, although the recent one was more sophisticated.

If it had not, there would have been a major dislocation, with many Web sites becoming unavailable and e-mail undeliverable. While a catastrophe was averted this time, although the Net slowed down for a while, we do not know what the future is going to be.

As I write this column, the individual or group that launched the attack is yet to be traced. There is one conjecture that the attack emanated from South Korea. Only a detailed investigation across the globe will unearth the facts. The case for international cooperation in cyber security matters cannot, therefore, be overstated.

(The writer is a former CBI Director who is currently Adviser (Security) to TCS Ltd.)

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