From Disarray to Organized Warfare: The Evolution of Cyber-Crime...

In today’s digital age, cyber-crime has undergone a significant transformation. What once seemed to be isolated incidents of hacking and data breaches have now evolved into a form of organized warfare in the virtual realm. Cyber-crime has been transformed into a complex, organized, and even state-sponsored form of warfare.

In the early days, cyber-crime was largely characterized by individual hackers or small groups seeking personal gains. These were opportunistic attacks targeting vulnerable systems for financial profit or recognition. This disorganized approach made it challenging for law enforcement agencies to track and counter these threats effectively.

Over time, cyber-crime evolved from a solitary endeavor to the formation of cyber-crime syndicates. These criminal groups started operating like modern-day corporations, with specialized roles and hierarchical structures. Their motives expanded beyond financial gain to include corporate espionage, data theft, and even hacktivism.

The distinction between cyber-crime and state-sponsored cyber-attacks has become increasingly blurry. Nation-states have recognized the potential of cyber warfare as a powerful tool for achieving political, economic, and military objectives. This has led to the emergence of state-sponsored hacking groups that are often well-funded, well-equipped, and highly organized.

Characteristics of Organized Cyber Warfare

1.  Sophisticated Techniques: Organized cyber warfare groups employ advanced tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) that are often on par with those of state intelligence agencies.

2.  Economic Motivations: While financial gains remain a motive, organized cyber warfare is often driven by broader geopolitical objectives, including intellectual property theft, disrupting critical infrastructure, and gaining a competitive edge.

3.  Target Diversity: Targets now include government agencies, military installations, critical infrastructure, multinational corporations, and research institutions.

4.  Evasion and Attribution: These groups excel in evading detection and attribution, using techniques to cover their tracks and mislead investigators.

Some cyber-crime syndicates that have been identified are:

1.  Apt28 (Fancy Bear): Linked to the Russian government, this group is known for its involvement in high-profile attacks on political organizations and critical infrastructure.

2.  Lazarus Group: Allegedly tied to North Korea, this group has been involved in cyber heists, espionage, and attacks on financial institutions.

3.  Equation Group: Widely believed to be associated with the United States, this group has been associated with highly sophisticated cyber-espionage operations.

Combating organized cyber warfare requires global cooperation; with governments, private sector companies, and international organizations collaborating to share threat intelligence and develop effective countermeasures.

Enhanced cybersecurity measures have to be developed and every organization needs to implement robust cybersecurity measures, including multi-factor authentication, intrusion detection systems, and regular security assessments.

Legislation and regulations are urgently necessary with governments enacting and enforcing cyber-crime laws that provide a legal framework for prosecuting cyber criminals and their sponsors.

Essentially, the evolution of cyber-crime from disorganized hacking attempts to organized warfare in the digital realm is a stark reminder of the changing landscape of security threats. As technology continues to advance, it's crucial for cybersecurity experts to adapt, collaborate, and stay ahead of these evolving threats. By understanding the tactics and motives behind organized cyber warfare, we can work together to build a more secure digital future.

For more information contact us for your plan-of-action to counter cyber threats to your organization. 

 

 

 

How can India reduce Corruption?

Bharatvarsh (India), as we all know; is a land of diverse cultures, ethnic languages and multi- religious social groups all trying to find space in a over populated mass of land that has been divided once before by the British (1947).

Regardless of the diversity of our Nation's population, almost all residents of India are victims of food inflation, lack of required income for human standards of living and a corrupt Government at all levels; from village administrators to the Central Government bureaucrats & ministers.

Everybody agrees that corruption needs to be removed or at least reduced drastically for our Nation to survive. Here are some ideas that may be considered, not by those in power: but by those whose lives are constantly threatened by corrupt people in power.

1. All members to Rajya Sabha, must be elected by the People by direct voting.
 

2. All Governers of State(s) and Lt. Governers must be elected by the People by direct voting.

3. The President, Prime Minister & Deputy Prime Minister of India must be elected by the People by direct voting, No longer should we allow the political parties to dictate to the People as to who will be the Prime Minister or President. Let it be the choice of the People. The same applies for Lok Ayukta at State level and Jana Lok Pal at national level. All have to be elected directly by the People.
 

4. Immediate dissolution of the IAS & IPS. The entire concept of the IAS & IPS is a remnant of the British Raj policies where the natives (us Indians) needed to be governed by a "higher class" of rulers (initially the British and now the pseudo Brits). Every State in India has its own cadre of Administrators & Police officials who are more capable than the IAS or IPS.
 

5. Segregation of Police departments at the levels of town / village, district, state and national police. Each town / village & district police department will be independent of each other and independent of the state police dept in terms of administration and duties but will report directly to the Governor of the State. The state police will report to the Chief Minister of the state. Even the Courts can have their own police department that reports to the Chief Justice of India. All police departments will be answerable to the President of India, independently.
 

6. The Central Police organizations will be answerable to the President of India directly. They can also be made answerable publicly to the full session of the Parliament of India.
 

7. Draconian punishment for Capital offenses. Capital offenses should include per-meditated murder, kidnapping, rape / gang-rape, misuse of Government office, misuse of Political office, and any other crime that benefits the person or their family at the cost of the Nation's treasury. Punishment should include confiscation of all assets of the guilty (including ancestral property & property in name of spouse, children and siblings), naked flogging in public and hanging to death in public.
 

8. Enforcement of law& order and public discipline. The law must be applied equally to all residents of India, regardless of their status in Government or position in the bureaucracy or other administrative positions. Family members of people in power have a tendency to misuse Government (i.e: People's resources). In such matters the person in power should also be prosecuted along-with his family member to the full extent of draconian law.
 

9. Today criminality is on the rise due to the 'economics of crime' that favor the criminals. This 'economics of crime' must be made extremely expensive for the criminal by use of draconian punishments (both financial & physical). Only this will put an almost instant brake on the criminal and lawless activities in India. Financial punishment should start with fines that are minimum at 11,000 and increase in multiples of 10 for every additional offense. Physical punishments should include flogging and daily physical work on the roads of India during the term of the punishment. The prisoners to be isolated from family & friends at all times during the full duration of prison sentence being served.
 

10. Every resident of India (regardless of whether Indian citizen or not) must be brought into a electronic / bio-metric database. Every law enforcement & judicial department must have easy access to each Indian resident(s): I.D photo, finger prints, iris scan (eye print), blood group and DNA profile. When criminals know that they can be traced and caught, their enthusiasm to commit crime reduces drastically.

These are only some of the suggestions that I can think off to start the process of a disciplined society with drastically reduced crime and lowest corruption index. When those in power are answerable to the People and also to the Laws of India; I am confident that crime and corruption will reduce drastically.

जय हिन्दुस्तान

Is India & Indians ready for death penelty for extreme crimes?

 

 

Crimes of Endangering Public Security 

1. Committing arson, causing a breach to a dam or dyke, causing explosions, spread poison that inflicts serious injury or death on people or causes heavy losses of public or private property by other dangerous means. 

2. Sabotaging any means of transport, transportation facility, electric power facility, gas facility, or inflammable or explosive equipment, thereby causing serious consequences to the exchequer. 

3. Any hijacker who causes serious injury to or death of any other person or serious damage to any aircraft, sea-craft, railway and road vehicle. 

4. Illegally manufacturing, trading, transporting, mailing or storing any firearms, guns, ammunition or explosives. 

5. Stealing or attempting to steal any guns, ammunition or explosives. 

6. Theft of any guns, ammunition or explosives or attempt to steal any guns, ammunition or explosives from Police, members of the Armed forces, or the Para- military. 

7. Producing or selling fake medicines that cause death or especially serious harm to human health. 

8. Whoever mixes the foods that is produced or sold with toxic or harmful non-food raw materials or knowingly sells such foods that cause death or especially serious harm. Crimes of Smuggling 

9. Smuggling weapons, ammunition, nuclear materials or counterfeit currency into or out of the country. 

10. Smuggling cultural relics, gold, silver or other precious metals, the export of which is forbidden by the State, or precious and rare species of wildlife as well as the products thereof, the import and export of which are forbidden by the State, under all circumstances. 

Crimes of Disrupting the Financial Administration 

11. Whoever counterfeits currencies and 

      (a) Being a ringleader of a gang engaged in counterfeiting currencies, 

      (b) Having counterfeited currencies in especially huge, amounts; or 

      (c) Being involved in other especially serious matters of counterfeiting. Crimes of  Financial Fraud 

12. Whoever, for the purpose of illegal possession, raises funds by means of fraud 

13. Whoever commits fraud by means of financial bills in any of the following ways 

      (d) Knowingly using forged or altered bills of exchange, promissory notes or cheques; 

      (e) Knowingly using invalidated bills of exchange, promissory notes or cheques; 

      (f) Illegally using another's bills of exchange, promissory notes or cheques; 

      (g) Signing and issuing a invalid cheque or a cheque on which the signature is not in conformity with the reserved specimen signature, in order to defraud money or property; or 

      (h) Signing or issuing bills of exchange or promissory notes without funds as a guaranty, in the capacity of a drawer, falsely specifying the particulars thereon at the time of issue, in order to defraud money or property. 

14. Whoever commits fraud by means of a letter of credit in any of the following manner: 

      (i) Using a forged or altered letter of credit or any of its attached bills or documents; 

      (j) Using an invalidated letter of credit; 

      (k) Fraudulently obtaining a letter of credit; or 

      (l) In any other ways. ... AND if the amount involved is especially huge, and especially heavy losses are caused to the interests of the Nation and the people. 

15. Whoever, falsely makes out invoices for value-added tax or any other invoices to defraud a tax refund for exports or to offset tax money, thus causing especially heavy losses to the interests of the Nation. 

16. Whoever, forges or sells forged special invoices for value-added tax, so that economic order is seriously disrupted. Crimes of Infringing Upon Citizens' Right of the Individual and Democratic Rights 

17. Intentionally commits homicide. 

18. Intentionally inflicting injury upon another person or, by resorting to especially cruel means, causes severe injury to the person, reducing the person to utter disability. 

19. Raping a woman or has sexual intercourse with a girl under the age of 16 in any of the following circumstances: 

      (m) The circumstances being flagrant; 

      (n) Raping a number of women or girls under the age of 16; 

      (o) Raping a woman of any age before the public in a public place; 

      (p) Raping a woman of any age by one or more persons in succession; or 

      (q) Causing serious injury or death to the victim of rape or other serious consequences. 

20. Kidnapping and unlawfully detaining another person or unlawfully depriving the personal freedom of another person by any other means AND if causing injury, disability or death to the victim by violence. 

21. Unlawfully detaining or confines another person in order to get payment of a ransom does the same in (20) 

22. Where a functionary of a government department commits any of the crimes mentioned above. 

23. Kidnapping another person for the purpose of extorting money or property or as a hostage. 

24. Abducting and trafficking in a woman or child AND if the circumstances are especially serious beyond the following: 

     (r) Being a ringleader of a gang engaged in abducting and trafficking in women and children; 

     (s) Abducting and trafficking in three or more women and/or children; (t) Raping the woman who is abducted and trafficked in; 

     (u) Enticing or forcing the woman who is abducted and trafficked in to engage in prostitution, or selling such woman to any other person who would force her to engage in prostitution; 

     (v) Kidnapping a woman or child by means of violence, coercion or anesthesia for the purpose of selling the victim; 

     (w) Stealing a baby or an infant for the purpose of selling the victim; 

     (x) Causing serious injury or death to the woman or child who is abducted and trafficked in or to her or his relatives or any other serious consequences; or 

     (y) Selling a woman or a child out of the territory of India. 

Other 

• Illegally selling or transferring weapons or equipment of the armed forces. 

• Any serviceman who, during wartime, cruelly injures innocent residents in an area of military operation or plunders their money or property. 

• All foreign nationals transporting into India weapons of warfare and those foreign nationals who enter India to conduct war or plan to conduct war against the Nation.

Social Discipline and Crime Control

Social Discipline and Crime: 

The issue of the lack of social discipline and the growing criminal tendencies cannot be ignored any longer. The growing criminal activity is a direct result of socio-economic-political factors and can be attributed to a succession of weak governments and an even weaker and inappropriate legal structure. 

Criminality is on the rise, simply because the mechanism of law and order and prosecution of crime is both inadequate and slow in its process. This problem can only be tackled by a complete overhaul of our legal system and its mechanisms. While legal luminaries in India could give much better advise on the changes required in our legal system, the basic requirement is making the courts more people friendly and efficient. 

It is strongly believed that a ‘jury’ system will not only ensure a fair trial for the accused, but will also ease the strain that is put upon the judges as they singularly tackle a ever increasing work load. 

A social code of conduct is required on an immediate basis that not only prescribes the way that the individuals should conduct themselves in public places, but would also emphasize the manner in which social groups have to conduct themselves as a whole. This code of conduct, strictly enforced, will definitely reduce the social crimes that afflict the majority of our people today. This will not, in any form or manner, impinge upon the individual’s right to privacy, but will help in streamlining social interaction amongst the people. 

Social code of conduct would cover the areas of noise pollution, cleanliness in the streets and in municipal wards, ease of removal of garbage, prohibit the misuse of public areas as open air urinals and latrines, prohibit the use of public areas as spittoons, and allow for a smooth and easier use of public facilities like footpaths and foot bridges. 

The removal of footpath vendors would be a prime concern towards a better and safer use of footpaths, as would be the redesigning of the pubic facilities for use by handicapped persons. Most of the social issues in our nation today can be attributed to a weak mechanism for prosecution of crime. Criminality has been glorified as a medium of social change, but this in fact has proven (by recent events in Maharashtra and Karnataka) to be precursor in organized crime involving all strata of society and the bureaucracy. 

Crime prosecution figures are as varied as the groups that poll these figures. But, the perception amongst the general population is that much of the criminal activity is unchallenged by the government; thereby reinforcing in the mind of both the people and the criminals that the rule of the law is weak and impotent. The suggestions for improving the current situation is as follows: 

 a) The deployment on a crisis basis of Citizens Identity Cards. 

b) Upgrading of the police and law enforcement departments with modern machinery to track and investigate crime and persons associated with criminal activities. 

c) Sharing of criminal files amongst city, state and central law enforcement agencies on a real time basis to ensure a free flow of information for prevention of crime. 

d) A stronger and affirmative legal structure that allows for a faster prosecution of criminals. 

e) A hard labor based punishment policy for criminals that allow the society to utilize the physical and mental talents of convicted criminals. 

f) A provision under law to appropriate and sell assets of economic and serious crime offenders, in order to confiscate illegal earning and return them to the government treasury, which in turn will self-finance the criminal prosecution efforts. 

g) The restoration of the death penalty for heinous crimes. It has been proved in societies around the globe and over periods of time that a successful and strong nation is always the result of the strength of character and discipline among its individual citizens.