NCJ Number
231312
Date Published
June 2010
Length
294 pages
Annotation
This Report of the Inquiry Into Cyber Crime by the House Standing Committee on Communications of the Commonwealth of Australia examines the incidence and impact of "cyber crime" on consumers and the Australian economy, as well as the adequacy of Australia's measures to combat the problem.
Abstract
The report defines "cyber crime" as "offenses against computers and computer systems, such as hacking, malware intrusions, and denial of service attacks." The first three chapters explain the complex nature of cyber crime, the need for comprehensive research to support policy development, and the gap between end user awareness and preventive action. The next seven chapters present and discuss proposals for strengthening Australia's response to cyber crime by committing to a more integrated, coordinated, and concerted effort to target both policy and law enforcement against cyber crime. Among the issues discussed in these chapters are community awareness of and vulnerability to cyber crime, domestic and international coordination in responding to cyber crime, the shaping of criminal law and law enforcement powers to improve countermeasures against cyber crime, protecting the integrity of the Internet, consumer protection, privacy measures, community awareness and education initiatives, and emerging technical measures for combating cyber crime. Thirty-four recommendations are offered under the aforementioned chapter topics. Appendixes outline existing Commonwealth of Australia computer offenses and proposed identity fraud offenses. 7 figures and 3 tables