Investigating cybercrime
The pre-trial investigation of a crime that takes place in an information network is commenced when the police become aware of a suspected crime. In some cases, the offence may be a complainant offence that requires a complainant to issue a demand for punishment before a pre-trial investigation can be commenced.
Reporting offences gives the authorities information about current cybercrime phenomena. Though the primary purpose of pre-trial investigations is to investigate the offence in question, the offence is investigated in a variety of ways. Because of this, the investigation produces information that can be used to prevent future crimes.
Investigation of crimes that take place in information networks differs only slightly from other pre-trial investigations conducted by the police. Just as when investigating more traditional offences, preliminary measures are also important when investigating crimes involving information technology.
Being prepared makes investigations more effective
The investigation of events is eased significantly if preparations have been made in advance for dealing with information-network crimes.
Up-to-date descriptions of the information system ease the investigation of these crimes.
Collecting log data that is as comprehensive and far-reaching as possible from the system is particularly important. It is advisable to regularly check the log contents for false warnings. Unnecessary data, such as load balancer addresses, does not need to be logged.
Securing evidence
Police should be contacted as quickly as possible after a suspected offence has occurred to allow for electronic evidence to be secured in a legally secure way.
When a crime is committed, logs need to be secured safely. Only take other measures if you know what you are doing. You can also disconnect your devices from the network and keep them running until the police arrive at the scene to conduct the investigation.
Unlike the investigation of more traditional crime, the investigation of crimes that take place in information networks often requires international co-operation, such as information requests.
It is important to report crimes without delay and take the appropriate preliminary measures in order to secure evidence of the crime and ensure that the necessary international co-operation can be commenced.
