11 February 1998
Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 20:22:00 +0200 From: Uldis Kinis <tiesa@ERGLIS.KULDIGA.LANET.LV> Subject: Re: any laughers out there? To: CYBERIA-L@LISTSERV.AOL.COM Dear Mr. Andrew ! Thank you very much about your replay. I am very fond of this problem. I would like give to you some dates from my report to Commitee of Experts of Cybercrimes. I would like also get some feedback from you, it mean situation about computer-related crimes in Poland. As I wrote, I work with my Doctor dissertation with theme "Computer related crimes practical and theorethical aspects". Just I only start it and collect all necesary materials on this theme. We have not special statistic about computer- related crimes in Latvia, but just moment ice is breack in this field in Latvia too. Report On Computer Related Crimes in Latvia. Just moment we have not extensive computer network in Latvia, the purpose of which is, to unite different institutional offices, for instance customs, boderguards, Immigration Department, police, public prosecutor's offices and court offices. We have only small local computer networks in banks, Ministry of Interior Affairs and some others in Latvia. Next year we are planing establish wild Government Service computer network, what will unite all government, self governments and some other offices. There specialists will plan access on Internet too. It seems, that we could find lot of problems about computer data security and networks protection in future. Just moment we have only one crime directly related with computers. I would like just make some description about this crime. On 5th of March 1997 offender send by message e-mail, from address Error! Bookmark not defined.. to Norwegian and Latvian joint venture with warning "Act of terrorism" In this letter offender warned company managers, that in Norwegian supermarket RIMI in March poisoned products placed will be. Demonstration action was on February 23. Offender asked 1.0 million US$. from company front office. He addressed such letters to 100 e- mail addresses, including all newspapers, TV companies, and resident addresses in Latvia and Norway too. He warned everybody, who would like to bye something in supermarket, about possibilities to bye poisoned products. On 29 th of July, he sent e-mail again and asked money. In August he warned, that he placed the bomb in other shop "Dresman". Police found this bomb. Situation was very dangerous, because, the offender, would tray to make other dangerous actions against ordinary people too, tray explode hotel "Latvia" and made other actions, if Warner company did not pay money to him. Police started investigation, but it was very hard process, because, the offender used computernetworks and mobile telephone lines including 6 countries. Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Norway and Russia, USA. There were very hard problems with cooperation with Finnish Telecom and Norway Telecom. Only in last stage of investigation, when Telecom companies authorities really understood, how dangerous it is, Finnish Telecom worked together with Interpol and found mobile phone used by the offender, for illegal connections. Investigation is not finish in this case, therefore, I can not explain more details about it. During investigation process personal contacts between police offices, established during Sowiet Union time, played very important role. Latvian police investigators detected this crime. Cooperation with FIB, Interpol was very usefull. Offender was citizen of Estonia. Detention was planed together with Estonian police. Computer offender named "Viktor" was detected by Latvian Police department computer specialist. During this investigation process, I would like emphasize some problems: 1. Cooperation between different countries, with purpose detect computer crimes. 2. We should draft special legislation against computer related crimes in Latvia, what we have not jet today. Today it is possible to charge this computer offender only as racketeer, but not in other basement. Just moment we have only Article Nr. 132 on Criminal code "Breach correspondences sending by telephone lines or trespass security of other transfer information on it" Just police has investigated two criminal cases. One of them was initiated, because somebody sent to new paper tape record with telephone conversation between State President and Prime minister. This case is not finished. Other was initiated with reason "Post office operator intercepted one telephone call, and announce this information to concurrent firm. This case is on investigation process. 3. Every year amount of people who using Internet increases. I would like compare this situation two years before. We had 200 Internet users in Latvia, but right know about 10 000. This situation changes very rapidly. Therefore, it is very important think to draft legislation about possibilities protect computers networks in Latvia. 4. I found such figures in official statistics of Police Department of Latvia Tip of crime 1995 1996 1997 Computer crimes a/ hackers b/ others Telephone a/ illegal connection b/ unlawful use of telephone lines c/ illegal change mobile phones program's and Smart cards. Credit cards a/ thefts and lost 4 1 9 b/ change of magnetic tracks 1 4 c/ others 1 Specialists of Latvian Police Department told me that situation on computer related crime is more serious, than official statistics show it. About 90% percent of crimes are latent. As we can saw in a official publication in newspaper " Business & Baltija " Nr.3 , dated on 3.12.1996 ,there were such figures: 1. Latvian Sawing bank from 1993-1996, had more than half a million US$ loses, cause-credit card fraudulence. 2. "Saules" banka lost at least two times more about one million dollars at the same time, but banks secrete this information from police, because, they worried about banks authority. New watershed on computer related cyber crime area will be Internet service. Lot of companies to make accounts with creditcards by Internet. allow This is new possibilities for deceivers for getting new information about transactions. New Draft legislation on computer related crimes: Today Latvian Parliament pas second reading of New Latvian Criminal Code. In this code will be three articles,will be able to regulate actions on computer related crimes. Article 231.Damage computer programs. A person commits an offence, if the person purposely or knowingly irrelevantly, changes, damages or liquidates computer programs or install false information in system, or purposely breachs computer security system. Article 232. Illegal computer virus distributing. A person commits an offence, if the person purposely or knowingly puts computer virus, program what purpose, destroying, changing, computer programs, data basis, or destroys computer security systems, in local computer network or programs. Article 233. Breach of computer systems security rules. A person commits on offence if the person: who is responsible about information, processing rules, or security of local computer information system, has done actions with aim to breach security, destroy or damage data systems. Report prepared by Uldis Kinis Appointed expert from Latvia to PC-CY Chief judge of Kuldiga Region court Sincerely yours Uldis Kinis Chief judge of Kuldiga region court master of law. tiesa@erglis.kuldiga.lanet.lv