'Love Bug' attack only the tip of the iceberg

(Conclusion)

Last week's attack on computers in Asia, Europe and the United States by suspected Filipino hackers is only the tip of the iceberg of so-called cybercrimes or crimes involving computers that authorities all over the world are investigating.

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said this as it noted that the number of cybercrimes it is handling has doubled in 1999 compared to the previous year.

"Even though we have markedly improved our capabilities to fight cyber intrusions, the problem is growing even faster," said FBI Director Louis Freeh.

Freeh said that in 1998, the FBI handled 547 computer intrusion cases but this number more than doubled to 1,154 last year. He did not provide a figure for this year.

Cyber criminals include disgruntled employees and hackers who "crack" into networks for the thrill of it or for financial gain. They also include virus writers.

Also in the list are criminal groups and terrorist organizations which are using technology more and more to raise funds, spread propaganda and communicate with each other.

ZDNet, a news network on computers, reported Freeh as complaining that laws around the world have not kept pace with fast-changing technology.

The network noted that US Sen. Charles Schumer of New York has admitted that laws were being set up at "subsonic speed at a time when they should be faster than the speed of light."

Schumer co-sponsored a high-tech crime bill last month which was aimed at punishing those who break into the US' most prized computer networks.

"The real key will be whether we can come up with appropriate solutions... without impinging on the rights of individuals and without slowing down the booming growth of the Internet," he said.

Freeh, for his part, was quoted as saying that the FBI is having close contact with Asian countries and that FBI agents have been given access to computers and hard drives to investigate threats against Americans.

He visited six areas in the Persian Gulf recently and all had mentioned that incidents of cybercrime were fast rising.

"The Internet has no boundaries or sovereignty," he said.

On the local front, authorities expressed mounting frustration with the slow pace of investigation into the "ILOVEYOU" virus or love bug computer attack.

Prior to the tracking of the suspected authors of the virus the other day, FBI officials in Manila said they could not believe that the National Bureau of Investigation was unable to locate a judge over the weekend who would issue a warrant for the suspect's arrest.

"They literally can't find a judge who will do anything over the weekend," an FBI official told a Washington Post writer in Manila. "This is bizarre. That makes us very nervous."

What the American probers may have failed to acknowledge was that the Philippines still has to recognize hacking or virus writing as a criminal or civil offense.

Manila Judge Rebecca Salvador, who issued the search warrant enabling the raid on the house of the suspected hackers, used the Access Devices Regulation Act of 1998 as basis for her order.

This law was meant to regulate the use of credit cards and punish those found guilty of unauthorized transfer of funds from banks. NBI agents said they may opt to use the recently enacted anti-wire tapping law in formally charging the suspects.

It was only last month that the Senate passed the Electronic Commerce Bill which contained a provision (Section 29) against hacking and other computer crimes. A separate bill is being tackled in the House of Representatives and is expected to be passed within the month. A final version to be discussed by both chambers may be due in June.

Hacking refers to the unauthorized accessing of computer data which is now considered as one of the top problems threatening cyberspace. The e-commerce bill punishes hackers by a minimum P100,000 fine and a mandatory six months to three years' imprisonment.

Punishing the offense, however, is just one side of the legal coin. Proving it may be harder.

Augusto Lagman, a first-generation programmer who now heads the Philippine Computer Society, said that even in the US, prosecutors are having a hard time coming up with impeccable evidence against cybercriminals.

"Some cybercriminals have the tendency to leave an electronic trail behind them," he said. "But many of them are becoming wiser and wiser that it is becoming increasingly hard to trace them."

And he said today's cybercriminals are getting younger and younger, exempting them from legal liabilities.