NCJ Number
177682
Journal
Trends in Organized Crime Volume: 3 Issue: 1 Dated: Fall 1997 Pages: 82-83
Editor(s)
R. Godson,
W. J. Olson,
L. Shelley
Date Published
1997
Length
2 pages
Annotation
This overview is an introduction to five excerpts and abstracts of papers that discuss the difficulties posed to law enforcement with the spread of unbreakable encryption technologies designed to prevent unauthorized access to computer data.
Abstract
The growing use of computers and networks requires that businesses, most notably in the financial services area, must secure their computerized transactions and proprietary information. In response to these needs, widely available and sophisticated encryption technologies have been developed. The trend is toward integration of robust digital encryption technologies into commercial desktop applications and networks. These will be easy to use and unbreakable, at least with current technology. At the most sophisticated levels, there is considerable evidence that major organized crime groups use computers and encryption techniques in their daily operations, and, in some cases, have gained access to law enforcement networks. Concealing financial records from competitors and law enforcement authorities is a primary concern to organized crime. One paper in this series provides an overview of the use of encryption for criminal purposes in a variety of crimes, including fraud, drugs, child pornography, terrorism, and economic and military espionage. Another paper considers the impact of encryption on law enforcement and public safety, followed by a statement on the problem of encryption for criminal investigations presented before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Other papers discuss cryptography's role in securing information, as well as the new phenomenon of Russian computer "hackers."