JAWAHARLAL NEHRU TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY HYDERABAD B.Tech III CYBER LAWS AND ETHICS Previous Question Paper (August - 2022 - R18)

Security threats refer to any potential event or action that can compromise the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of information systems. These threats are generally categorized into the following types:

• Interruption: An asset of the system is destroyed or becomes unavailable, such as the destruction of hardware or the deletion of data.
• Interception: An unauthorized party gains access to an asset, such as wiretapping to capture data or illicitly copying files.
• Modification: An unauthorized party not only gains access to an asset but also tampers with it, such as changing values in a database or altering a program.
• Fabrication: An unauthorized party inserts counterfeit objects into the system, such as injecting fake messages into a network or adding fraudulent records to a file.

These threats can originate from human actors (malicious hackers, insiders), technical failures, or natural disasters, and they target vulnerabilities in software, hardware, or human procedures.

Cybercrimes often present unique challenges that prevent immediate arrest due to the nature of digital evidence and legal requirements. The characteristics include:

• Jurisdictional Complexity: Cybercrimes are often transnational. A crime may be committed in one country, using servers in another, against a victim in a third, making it difficult to establish legal authority for immediate arrest.
• Anonymity and Obfuscation: Perpetrators use tools like VPNs, Tor, and proxy servers to mask their identity and physical location, requiring extensive forensic investigation to trace the actual source.
• Volatile Evidence: Digital evidence is fragile and can be easily deleted or altered remotely. Authorities must first secure and preserve data before moving to arrest, as a premature arrest might trigger automated 'kill switches' that destroy evidence.
• Need for Expert Analysis: Unlike physical crimes, cybercrimes require specialized digital forensic analysis to establish a chain of custody and prove intent, which is a time-consuming process.
• Legal Thresholds: Many cybercrimes are classified as non-cognizable offenses in various jurisdictions, requiring a warrant or specific court authorization before law enforcement can take action.