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