Forensics Journal - Stevenson University 2013 | Page 29

STEVENSON UNIVERSITY up” the bad guys, and keep them away from legitimate operations. The more a consumer is aware of fraud, and how it may impact their daily lives, the less success fraudsters will have when running their illegal operations. FIGURE 7: SIDF Process, Microsoft. REFERENCES Internet Crime Compliant Center (IC3). About Us. Web. 30 Apr. 2012. http://www.ic3.gov/about/default.aspx Acohido, Byron, and Jon Swartz. “Botnet scams are exploding.” USA Today. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2012. http://usatoday30. usatoday.com/tech/news/computersecurity/200803-16-computer botnets_n.htm Sender ID Framework Overview: Verification System Aims to Reduce Spam and Increase Safety Online. Microsoft. 17 Sep. 2007. Web. 1 May 2012. http://www.microsoft.com/mscorp/safety/technologies/ senderid/overview.mspx APWG. Phishing Activity Trends Report - Unifying the Global Response to Cybercrime. Ed. Anti-Phishing Working Group. N.p.: n.p., 2011. APWG. Web. 9 Jan. 2013. http://www.antiphishing.org/ reports/apwg_trends_report_h1_2011.pdf The decision regarding whether or not to deliver, quarantine, or outright block a communication can be automatically determined by the current SIDF protocols. However, the ISPs and ESPs still reserve the right to filter communications based on their own research and analysis in an effort to divert deceptive communications from infiltrating the system (Weinschenk). ESPs generally operate within a shared IP address environment, and work to maintain the positive reputation within the email industry of the IP address to decrease the risk of having their IP addresses blacklisted from other major ISPs (Weinschenk). By reserving the right to manually filter out which email communications will and will not be sent from an ESP or ISP and by exercising the right to monitor what is allowed to reach a user’s inbox, this process reduces malicious e-mail communications. This action also works to deter fraudsters from using services that use authentication as part of their screening process for inbound and outbound email communications. The OTA has reported that the use of authentication, regardless of which type an organization chooses has grown considerably and has been adopted as an industry best business practice to combat spam (“Email Authentication Rates Rise”). By October 2011, the OTA stated that social media websites outgoing email communications and messages have a 96% authentication rate at time of send while online retailers have a 65.7% - 85% authentication rate at time of send. In comparison to the data released by OTA in April 2009, each major industry retailer engaging in email communication has steadily increased authentication usage to review the external reputational data of inbound communications (“Email Authentication Rates Rise”). Blommaert, Jan, and Tope Omoniyi. “Email Fraud: Language, Technology, And The Indexicals Of Globalisation.” Social Semiotics 16.4 (2006): 573-605. Academic Search Complete. Web. 29 Apr. 2012. http://ezproxy.stevenson.edu:2059/ehost/pdfviewer/ pdfviewer?sid=7dd99ae2fadb-4168-a269-282b616fb9b4%40session mgr111&vid=8&hid=9 Easttom, Chuck and Det. Jeff Taylor. Computer Crime, Investigation, and the Law. United States of America: Course Technology PTR, 2009. Print. “Email and web scams: How to help protect yourself.” Microsoft Safety & Security Center. Ed. Microsoft, n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2012. http:// www.microsoft.com/security/online-privacy/phishing-scams.aspx. “Email Authentication.” Online Trust Alliance (OTA). N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2012. https://otalliance.org/resources/authentication/index. html “Email Authentication Rates Rise in 2011 – Surpassing the Tipping Point.” Online Trust Alliance (OTA). N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2012. https://otalliance.org/news/releases/EmailAuthTPoint.html “Employment Scams.” SCAM Detectives. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2012. http://www.scam-detectives.co.uk/employment.html “Flashback Cleanup Still Underway—Approximately 140,000 Infections.” Symantec. N.p., 20 Apr. 2012. Web. 18 Oct. 2012. . In order to combat cyber crime, the onus is on all parties who use an electronic device such as a computer or a cell phone to access the Internet. As fraudsters become more creative with their e-scam tactics, it is important that no user is too comfortable with their surroundings while checking their email, or surfing the web. New tools and product suites continually enter the market in an attempt to “one 28