Nailing the Intruder

Computer technology has made fraud/internet crime a growth industry beginning in the 1990s. Incidents of fraud through the use of computers are increasing. In many organizations, anyone with rudimentary knowledge of a company's computer system is capable of illicitly accessing sensitive information--or worse. Estimates indicate that in this year fraud will cost U.S. businesses over half a trillion dollars, with much of that being the result of computer crime. Computer fraud does not only affect a company's bottom line but many company executives and outside directors are learning the hard way that they may be held liable for the lack of internal programs to prevent or minimize the impact of computer fraud. Law enforcement and the courts are grappling with new and difficult problems presented by the success of the Internet. Slowly, they are gaining experience dealing with the problems of detecting, investigating, and prosecuting Internet crime. This paper is an attempt to link the various aspects of evidence relating to computer crime, the sources of such evidence and some tips on how to identify systems compromised and cull out evidence from the same.