Digital crime in the twenty-first century

This article will suggest that much computer-related illegality lies beyond the capacity of contemporary law enforcement and regulatory agencies alone to control, and that security in cyberspace will depend on the efforts of a wide range of institutions, as well as on a degree of self-help by potential victims of digital crime. The ideal configuration may be expected to differ, depending upon the activity in question, but is likely to entail a mix of law enforcement, technological, and market solutions. Given the fact that cyberspace knows no boundaries, and that computer crime often transcends national frontiers, effective counter-measures will also require a substantial degree of international cooperation. The variety of criminal activity that can be committed with or against information systems is surprisingly diverse. Some of these are not really new in substance -- only the medium is new. Others represent entirely new forms of illegality altogether. These forms of crime are not necessarily mutually exclusive, nor is the following list exhaustive.