Marcelo bellucci
03/08/2021 9:22 AM
Clarín.com
Technology
Updated 03/08/2021 9:22 AM
One of the problems associated with data protection that received the most complaints at the GCBA Cybersecurity Center is that of identity theft.
In the last year,
this type of crime increased 50%
.
An expert on the subject warns about the main dangers that lurk in the network, the way in which cybercriminals operate and how the law acts in these cases.
Identity theft is a cybercrime
that refers to when someone appropriates data that is not theirs with the aim of creating false profiles and making users believe that it is a person or a company, when in reality it is not.
“Identity theft is aimed
not only at individuals, but also legal entities, such as companies
.
In the cases that are usually seen, the criminal takes advantage of the image of a company, pretending to be the true profile in order to deceive and thus obtain important data or the theft of their cards ”, indicates Luciano Monchiero, head of the chair of Cybercrimes and director of the Postgraduate Specialization in Cybercrime at Universidad Siglo 21.
According to the GCBA Cybersecurity Center, in 2020, only in CABA,
190 complaints were detected for these events, which means an increase of 143%
.
Luciano Monchiero, holder of the chair of Cybercrime and director of the Postgraduate Specialization in Cybercrime at the Siglo 21 University.
If the national scope is added to that, with the data that the Specialized Prosecutor's Unit on Cybercrime (UFECI) has, which depends on the Public Ministry of the Nation,
crimes increased by 50%
.
On a global level, there are certain statistics that speak of
a 300% increase in phishing cases
in 2020.
“In Argentine legislation, more precisely in Law 6.128 of the Contraventional Code of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, the conduct of identity theft is established in Article 71 (quinquies).
This means that,
although it is not an act established within the Penal Code
, the city of Buenos Aires already has stipulated this type of cybercrime, understanding that there has been an advance of this figure and also in others related to identity issues digital and behaviors framed within cyberspace ”, warns Monchiero.
In 2020, only in CABA, 190 complaints were detected for these events, which means an increase of 143% .Diego Waldmann
The factors influencing this increase have to do with
the growth in internet traffic, the large number of companies that have migrated to e-commerce
and, often, the lack of awareness and information on how to have a strong password or have the certainty of buying from sites that are legitimate.
“Currently, Public Ministries and the police are training and using new tools that allow them to reduce this scourge and, above all, send a message to criminals that not everything is easy to commit crimes in these times.
Hunters on the prowl
To avoid falling into any of these traps, common sense and distrust are often enough.
But not in another.
"A certain relaxation is perceived in certain virtual situations, in which perhaps the latent danger that exists when starting a conversation with any other person, who claims to be someone we know or trust, is not felt, when in reality it is not", he exposes Monchiero.
An increasingly common tactic is
the hijacking of influencer profiles on Instagram - a scam that grew 500% -
to access legitimate user accounts.
To recover the account and the followers, the robbers ask for a ransom in bitcoins.
"A certain relaxation is perceived in certain virtual situations", indicates Monchiero.
"Hackers send messages posing as the official Instagram accounts, warning that the account will be closed in a short time if they do not send the code.
People,
when they perceive that the logos are correct, there is a good wording in the message
and the appearance seems legal, they trust that and common sense does not detect the real risk of the situation ”, says Monchiero.
And he adds that “you have to go beyond common sense, due to the different strategies that criminals use through technology.
In these cases, it is important to be informed about this type of situation, which will become more and more common and will increase in the short term, ”he reveals.
Before the Law
Regarding the legal, one of the first difficulties when facing the analysis of computer crimes is its conceptualization.
It is not easy to consider what should be understood by computer crime
and what behaviors can be considered included in it.
Revenge porn is now considered a crime.
“In Argentina the regulatory frameworks have been made little by little and based on need.
It first began with Law 26,388, enacted in 2008, which established some updates regarding cyber issues, and problems known as computer damage, computer scams and the like, issues that, as of today,
have become a bit outdated
.
Grooming was added in 2013, which is a figure that is increasingly being fought with greater force ”, suggests Monchiero.
In 2020 a bill was prepared where different figures were stipulated and others were updated that encompass the new behaviors.
One of the most widespread
is the so-called revenge porn
, which prohibits the dissemination of graphic or audiovisual material without the authorization of who or who participates in it.
“In the specific case of identity theft, the figure is not yet contemplated in the Penal Code, but there are some laws of offending codes that do stipulate it, as in the aforementioned case of Law 6,128, which already in Article 6 it talks about unauthorized diffusion, digital harassment, the aggravations in each situation and obviously the impersonation ”, describes Monchiero.
And while reforms do not travel as fast as cybercrime, it is a step forward in the race against these violations.
“This project stipulated in each case what behaviors and what each one encompassed, thereby helping magistrates and judicial officials in investigations, since they will have an adequate frame of reference, without having to resort to an analogy that in many cases of today's situations would lead to misinterpretations.
A clear example is a computer scam that, although the penal code may stipulate it in its articles 171, 172 and others, it is not specific about what digital identity theft is ”, according to the expert.
SL
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