Nowadays people live in world of business-mentality with technology-driven lifestyles where services are carried out in multi-faucets, competitive and rationality manner. Time values in this progression are counted more than ever before where Bangladeshi-society is no different. Thus, decision-factors mainly convenience and cost-effectiveness have led individuals, organizations, agencies or businesses to welcome ICT-facilities.
As a result, meeting society needs, many sectors including banking-services has been modernized and its benefits particularly mobile-led-services have reached to even very-rural level. Here customers compete for comparative time-saving-option(s) for marginalizing its operating-costs. This progression in other areas namely social-media-facilitation, internet shopping and reservation have created a powerful economy while enabling borderless exchange of information. Internet, computers, cell-phones and other forms of technology have revolutionized every aspect of human life over these years. On top of this, the ongoing C-19 brings blessing globally for service-providers meeting the high-rising market-demands for electronic communications including working-from-home, banking, shopping, obtaining news and entertaining-ourselves etc.
These advancements have also created opportunities of committing various forms of crimes, which are referred to as cybercrimes. It is a criminal activity that either target or use a computer, a computer-network or network-device. Most cybercrimes are committed by cybercriminals or hackers who want to make money with the cost or damages of someone else. Cybercrime is carried-out by individuals or organizations where some are organized. They use advanced techniques and are technically skilled. Others are novice hackers. Rarely, cybercrime aims to damage computers for reasons other than profit. These could be political or personal.
In practice, cybercrimes can be classified into different categories. They are a) Cyber-trespass (e.g., unauthorized system access) b) Cyber-deception/theft (e.g., identity theft, online fraud, digital piracy) c) Cyber-porn/obscenity (e.g., child sexual exploitation materials) and d) Cyberviolence (e.g., cyber stalking; cyber terrorism). For better understanding the cybercrime-acts, it raises question on the type and how it takes place in Bangladesh. They are: Malware attacks: a malware-attack is where a computer system or network is infected with a computer virus or other type of malware. Phishing: A phishing campaign is when spam emails or other forms of communication are sent with the intention of tricking recipients into doing something that undermines their security. Distributed DoS attacks: This type is an attack that cybercriminals use to bring down a system or network.
Thus, cybercrime can be viewed as a large umbrella-term that encompasses computer-assisted crime in which computer and technology are used in a supporting role such as use of a computer to send harassing messages. Today's world is a place where real-life and using-online are becoming increasingly indistinguishable from each other. Thus, widespread access points for cybercrime will continue to grow with the evolution of technology and organizational transformation. Like in many countries, the number of cybercrime-cases has been rising in Bangladesh.
But as reported, suspects are mostly acquitted. As of September 06 of 2021, more than 4,500 cases have been filed with the cyber tribunal since its formation in 2013, with the number of cases rising, but it has acquitted suspects in most of the cases. Lawyers say the allegations are false in many cases while police are not skilled enough to prove the charges.
In reality, Bangladesh had only one cybercrime tribunal in Dhaka until seven more were formed to cover all the divisions this year. Records show that 33 cases were filed with the tribunal in 2014 and the annual number rose to 1,189 in 2019. People filed 1,128 cases amid the pandemic in 2020, and 447 until March this year. Out of the total 4,675 cases, the accused have been convicted and sentenced in 21 cases, while the suspects have been acquitted in 114 others. In 124 other cases, the accused were acquitted during charge-framing.
The law-enforcement machinery in Bangladesh is finding it really difficult to manage these technical crimes. Cybercrime has already become a going concern in both private as well as in public sector in Bangladesh. During the last decade, private and the public sector have done a revolution with the use of technical enhancement. Due to unauthorized intervention to the system, company loses huge confidential information which causes a large amount of financial loses. It has already been identified that financial institutions are the most threatened organizations for cybercrime. Some development partners have started working how to tackle cybercrime and improve effective communications.
Addressing the issues, Bangladesh is no out of controlled by law. But it needs a framework that can ensure effective communications on cyber-security defence within and outside its agencies. Since cybercrime is a global problem, country-wise tech-users are facing the perceived-risk of cybercrime, despite having cybercrime-law in place country-wise. Thus, on policy-adoption aspects, provision of awareness with current cybercrime-law in place country-wise are mostly needed.
Besides proposed-laws in place, guiding tech-users on required behaviours facing perceived-risk of cybercrime and emphasizing factors that increase tech-user's fondness on being safe-side can be instrumental. On own-effort aspect, few options tech-user can choose. They are: a) backing up data periodically, b) getting protection against malware, c) being smart with password, d) review self data before going for IT security solution, e) being aware about phishers and f) buying voluntary insurance, particularly for digital banking services.
These approaches may vary from department to department or organization to organization. However, awareness about risky online-behaviours and options, the tech-users as defenders are needed to invest own-efforts. Since cybercrime is a vast and complicated arena, it is necessary for taking effective and protective measures now than later. Akim M Rahman, PhD (OSU, USA) CUB and OSU & Lavina Zaman Business Department Adamjee Cantonment College
