The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) defines cybercrime to be ‘any crime where cyber – the internet and information technologies, such as computers, tablets, personal digital assistants or mobile devices – has a substantial role in the commission of a criminal offence.’
Types of Cybercrime
The RCMP also breaks cybercrime down into two categories:
- Technology as a target and
- Technology as an instrument
Technology as a target
Technology as a target is when computers and other information technologies are manipulated by cyber criminals for nefarious reasons. The intention could be to acquire money, capture data or simply to cause mischief. It includes crimes such as –
- Hacking for criminal purposes
- Criminal botnet operations
- Malware threats
- Distributed denial of service
- National security offences
In 2017, a global cyberattack infected more than 300,000 computers. The ransomware called WannaCry released malware onto the user’s system, encrypting files so they could only be accessed following a bitcoin payment. This is a prime example of ‘technology as the target’.
Technology as an instrument
Technology as an instrument is when computers, the internet and other information technologies are used to carry out a crime. Often, these are ‘traditional’ crimes which have evolved with the age of the internet. It includes things such as –
- Mass marketing fraud
- Money laundering
- Identity theft
- Intellectual property infringements
- Child exploitation
- Cyberbullying
- Internet-based drug trafficking
- National security offences
Members of the public will probably be more familiar with these kinds of crimes, particularly those that involve spam, phishing, scams and fraud. Spam emails, for instance, are extremely common.
Cybercrime Lawyer in Vancouver
If you are accused of committing a cybercrime, please contact us at Mickelson & Whysall Law Corporation. There are many different types of cybercrime, not all of which are listed above. Whatever the nature of the allegations, it is vital that you have an experienced criminal defence lawyer on your side.
We can formulate a strong defence, using a computer forensic expert to establish your innocence. Cybercrime is a new frontier for police departments and it is not unusual for there to be a case of mistaken identity. There may also be concerns over the way in which police seized and searched your assets. If so, it may be possible to get this evidence struck out, meaning it cannot be used against you.
If you need a Vancouver criminal defence lawyer, our team can help you. Contact us now for expert legal advice.