Cybercrime requires new ways of policing Cybercrime is on the rise, both in Canada and internationally. Once considered the domain of individuals with specialized skills, cybercrime has expanded to other offenders as the requisite technical know-how becomes more accessible. Widely available and readymade malicious software (‘malware’) and online cybercrime-for-hire services provide criminals with new and simplified ways to steal and exchange sensitive and personal information. As a result, criminals are constantly looking for vulnerabilities in new technologies that may be exploited for unlawful purposes, and new ways to victimize public and private sector organizations and Canadian citizens who rely on these technologies. Cybercrime threats range in scope and impact. On a personal level, cybercrimes may target individuals through online scams or other fraudulent techniques. Cybercrimes may come with other social costs and devastating forms of victimization, such as online child sexual exploitation or the rising prevalence of cyber bullying. Cybercrime threats are also facilitated by organized crime networks and cause significant economic losses to Canadian businesses and citizens. On a commercial level, these threats target financial institutions, large-scale retailers and other organizations to steal personal consumer information, such as online passwords and credit card information, or to gain insider knowledge on intellectual property or trade secrets. On a national security level, state-sponsored and other criminal threat actors use sophisticated and covert cyber capabilities to perform espionage, steal sensitive information or to potentially conduct more disruptive attacks against Canada’s critical infrastructure and other vital cyber systems. The criminal exploitation of new and emerging technologies requires new policing measures to keep pace in a digital era. The same technologies that people and organizations use for legitimate purposes may be used by criminals to mask their online activities and evade detection from law enforcement. Police must often find technical solutions to decrypt, unlock or otherwise deal with encryption technologies, re-routed Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and other technical roadblocks that criminals exploit to cover their digital tracks and commit cybercrimes. Criminal activities in cyberspace are also complex and often transnational in character, where potential evidence is transient and spread across multiple jurisdictions. To varying degrees, cybercrimes affect Canadians in real and harmful ways. For law enforcement, addressing cybercrime requires broad-based domestic and international police cooperation, engagement with public and private sector organizations, and integrating new technical skills and tools with traditional enforcement measures. As Canada’s national police force, the RCMP must strive to be a leader in combating cybercrime. The following strategy and action plan demonstrates the RCMP’s continued commitment against cybercrime. 6 Royal Canadian Mounted Police Cybercrime Strategy