Confidentiality is important in legal practice as it obligates legal practitioners to protect clients' information. It is often linked to the right to privacy entrenched in section 14 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996. The link is made on the basis of clients' entitlement to attorney-client confidentiality. Furthermore, the rules of courts in civil proceedings require legal practitioners to include clients' personal or confidential information in court documents, including their identity numbers. The requirement of clients' personal information in court documents is found in particular in Rule 3(A)(1)(b)(i) of the Uniform Rules of Court, 2009 as amended. This personal information is uploaded online in the CaseLines system, as required by Practice Direction 1 of 2023, a situation which poses a significant risk because such information may be hacked and used to commit cybercrimes. Current legislation, such as the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013, seeks to provide guidelines on how courts should protect confidential information which is included in the pleadings or affidavits. The Practice Directives, however, are silent on measures that should be taken to protect confidential information. Item 18 of the E-Rules and the Draft Amended Magistrates' Courts Rules seek to protect confidential information to a certain extent, but these have not yet been implemented. The article examines current legislation, the respective rules of court, and the approach followed by the courts, in order to determine whether confidentiality does indeed exist in civil proceedings. In addition, it briefly compares the online civil proceedings of South Africa and the United Kingdom to ascertain their differences and similarities.

The proliferation of online dating scams or fraud has presented a significant threat to users of online dating platforms globally. Scammers misrepresent themselves as would-be lovers, usually employing false identities, in order to defraud unsuspecting victims of large sums of money. Not only do romance scammers cause great financial harm to their victims, but also often leave victims with long-term psychological scars. As both the common law and the Cybercrimes Act 19 of 2020 address instances of fraud, both may potentially be employed to address the issue of online dating fraud. The State may charge an accused with both offences, but a conviction based on both would probably constitute a duplication of convictions. The offence of cyber fraud under the Cybercrimes Act may however be more onerous to prove, owing to the particular way that cyber fraud must be committed under section 8. A conviction based on the Cybercrimes Act may, however, be more attractive to the State as certain minimum sentences apply, depending on the amount defrauded, whether the accused was a law enforcement officer, whether someone was in charge of or had access to the data belonging to others, and whether the offence was committed in concert with others.

Resumen El objetivo de la investigación fue generar una estrategia que les permitiera a las aspirantes a patrulleras de la Escuela de Policía Rafael Reyes la obtención de conocimientos y la adopción de buenas prácticas, para evitar afectaciones por un delito informático, específicamente, phishing, vishing, smishing, suplantación o estafa. Lo anterior, orientado al fortalecimiento del servicio de Policía, con el propósito de que, desde el proceso de formación, se busque que las personas estudiantes adquieran las competencias básicas en este campo y se tenga conocimiento del procedimiento a seguir, en caso de ser víctima o de atender a la ciudadanía afectada por este tipo de delitos. Esta investigación empleó un enfoque mixto que combinó elementos cualitativos y cuantitativos. Inicialmente, se realizó a través de una encuesta aplicada a 220 personas estudiantes del técnico profesional en servicio de policía. Se identificaron los delitos informáticos más comunes, que han afectado a la comunidad académica. Adicionalmente, por medio del servicio del CAI Virtual: ciberincidentes, se conocieron cuáles fueron los delitos que más se denunciaron en el país durante el año 2022. Del mismo modo, se consultaron registros estadísticos de las conductas punibles registradas en el Sistema de Información Estadístico Delictivo y Contravencional de la Policía Nacional de Colombia – SIEDCO y se tomaron como referencia las 5 modalidades más denunciadas. Finalmente, se buscó generar competencias en las aspirantes a patrulleras frente a la atención de delitos informáticos, mediante el diseño de una aplicación móvil, en la cual se encuentra la información sobre estos delitos informáticos y las medidas de protección, además de herramientas en línea e indicaciones para realizar una denuncia. Para este caso de estudio, se logró evidenciar que las instituciones educativas, especialmente las de formación policial, la ciberseguridad debe ser una prioridad e incluirse en el plan de estudios temas de prevención y cuidado digital.

Abstract The objective of the research consisted of developing a strategy through which aspiring police officers of the Rafael Reyes Police School could acquire knowledge and adopt practices to prevent cybercrime, specifically, phishing, vishing, smishing, impersonation, and scamming. This strategy aimed to strengthen the police service by ensuring that students acquire basic competencies in this field and are familiar with the procedures to follow in the event of being a victim or assisting affected individuals. The research employed a mixed-method approach, combining qualitative and quantitative elements. Initially, the researchers surveyed 220 students enrolled in the professional police service technician program to identify the most common cybercrimes that have affected the academic community. Additionally, by using the Virtual CAI (Cyber Incidents) service, the investigators identified the most reported crimes in the country during 2022. Moreover, statistical records of criminal activities registered in the Statistical Criminal and Contraventional Information System of the National Police of Colombia (SIEDCO) were also consulted, focusing on the five most frequently reported modalities. Finally, the authors sought to develop competencies in aspiring police officers to address cybercrimes by designing a mobile application that provides information on these felonies, protective measures, online tools, and instructions to file an official complaint. This case study highlighted the need for educational institutions, especially police training institutions, to prioritize cybersecurity and include topics of prevention and digital safety in their curriculum.

It is accepted nowadays that cyberspace is used extensively to commit cybercrimes and cybersecurity offences. Victims of cybercrime can use civil procedure to institute claims for damages. Civil procedure is a branch of law that allows victims of cyberspace crimes to institute claims for damages. This article examines the impact of the Cybercrimes Act 19 of 2020 (Cybercrimes Act) on South African civil procedure. It appears that a contravention of the Cybercrimes Act may result in financial problems for the plaintiff, which then enables the latter to institute a civil claim against the defendants. The authors determine whether contravening the provisions of the Cybercrimes Act gives rise to a cause of action that permits the plaintiff to institute civil proceedings for damages suffered. While the Cybercrimes Act is lauded for its provisions addressing cybercrime, room for improvement is identified. Lastly, the authors conduct a comparative analysis between the provisions of the Cybercrimes Act and the Budapest Convention.

As technology expands and spreads worldwide, the maritime industry and maritime crime are rapidly evolving While the heightened adoption of digital technologies has positively impacted the efficient and prompt execution of tasks like maritime surveillance, policing, monitoring, and early warning systems, it has also brought about significant challenges that impact the interconnected network of maritime actors. This dilemma can be attributed to geographical location, surveillance, and navigation systems of ports, vessels, and other state intuitions. With the emergence of cyber threats, West Africa is poised to face a dual-pronged threat at its ports and shores, affecting the broader security environment of coastal states as actors in the maritime domain are increasingly using digital technologies. Moreover, these threats demonstrate a path for maritime criminals to evolve into maritime cybercriminals. The central theme of this article is the connection between cybercrime and maritime crimes, and the cybercrimes that have found a lucrative avenue in the maritime industry. It also discusses cybercrime in maritime criminal activities occurring in West Africa, and the implications for the maritime and cyber landscape of the region. Finally, the article concludes with approaches for dealing with the risks posed by maritime cyber risks.

Abstract In an approach toward the understanding and attention of cybercrime in Mexico and Tamaulipas, the objective is to make a compilation of techniques used by hackers and to determine the spatial distribution of malpractice against e-commerce in the state. Methodologically, an analysis of the calls to the Federal Police for cybercrimes from 2018 to 2019 was carried out by applying the location quotient. The results showed a centralization of phone calls in Nayarit, Jalisco, and Chihuahua. Tamaulipas was positioned as a prone place for this cybercrime within the national context. The hackers’ most used techniques were mainly the theft of passwords by social media. It is concluded that public national and local policies that respond to both the increase and concentration of cybercrimes is required, as in the case of Tamaulipas.

Resumen En un acercamiento hacia la comprensión y atención de la ciberdelincuencia en México, el objetivo es realizar un recuento de las técnicas utilizadas por los ciberdelincuentes, y determinar la distribución espacial del ciberfraude contra el comercio electrónico en Tamaulipas. Metodológicamente se realizó un análisis de las llamadas a la Policía Federal por ciberdelitos de 2018 a 2019 aplicando el coeficiente de localización. Los resultados mostraron que existe concentración de llamadas en Nayarit, Jalisco y Chihuahua. Tamaulipas se colocó como un lugar propenso para este ciberdedelito en el contexto nacional. Las técnicas utilizadas por los ciberdelincuentes fueron principalmente el uso de las redes sociales para robar contraseñas. Se concluye que se requiere de políticas públicas nacionales y locales que atiendan el aumento de los ciberdelitos y la concentración de estos, como fue el caso de Tamaulipas.

ABSTRACT Recent cybersecurity reports show that Brazil is one of the countries with the highest number of cybercrimes, affecting more than 60 million people and causing losses estimated at more than 20 billion dollars. Within the scope of the Public Administration, the National Information Security Policy (PNSI) assigned to the Institutional Security Office of the Presidency (GSI/PR) the task of monitoring and evaluating its execution, stimulating the broad participation of society and agencies and public authorities in the construction of the process, which includes the academic effort. To contribute to this context, this research analyzed different reference models, whose structure best suited the needs of the institutions evaluated and a quantitative method capable of objectively indicating the weight of the various variables in the model. The maturity model chosen was the CSF-NIST and the method selected was the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), for weighting the criteria and sub criteria. A case study illustrates the application of the selected model and method, indicating “how” to implement them, considering the specificities of the evaluated institution. cybercrimes 6 2 dollars Administration PNSI (PNSI GSI/PR GSIPR GSI PR (GSI/PR execution process effort context models CSFNIST CSF NIST AHP, AHP , (AHP) how “how them institution (AHP

RESUMO Relatórios recentes de segurança cibernética evidenciam que o Brasil é um dos países com a maior quantidade de crimes cibernéticos, afetando mais de 60 milhões de pessoas e causando prejuízos estimados em mais de 20 bilhões de dólares. No âmbito da Administração Pública Federal, a Política Nacional de Segurança da Informação (PNSI) atribuiu ao Gabinete de Segurança Institucional da Presidência da República (GSI/PR) a tarefa de monitorar e avaliar a sua execução, estimulando a ampla participação da sociedade e dos órgãos e das entidades do Poder Público na construção do processo, o que inclui a academia. A fim de contribuir com esse contexto, esta pesquisa analisou diferentes modelos de referência, cuja estrutura melhor se ajustasse à necessidade de avaliar instituições e um método quantitativo capaz de indicar objetivamente o peso das diversas variáveis envolvidas. O modelo de maturidade escolhido foi o CSF-NIST e o método selecionado foi o Processo de Análise Hierárquica (AHP), para a ponderação dos critérios e subcritérios. Um estudo de caso foi explorado para ilustrar a aplicação do modelo e do método selecionados, indicando o “como” implementá-los, considerando as especificidades da instituição avaliada. cibernéticos 6 2 dólares Federal PNSI (PNSI GSI/PR GSIPR GSI PR (GSI/PR execução processo academia contexto referência envolvidas CSFNIST CSF NIST AHP, AHP , (AHP) subcritérios selecionados como “como implementálos, implementálos implementá los, los implementá-los avaliada (AHP

Abstract: The Fourth Industrial Revolution has propelled global society into a new era of information and knowledge, transforming the economy and society of many countries. The global digitization process impacts more than half of the world population with internet access and the increase in the incidence of crimes in cyberspace, affecting the population mainly online fraud, crimes that attack vulnerable groups such as girls, boys and adolescents, as well as the diversity of cyberattacks with an impact on the availability, integrity and confidentiality of essential data and information systems of public, private and academic institutions. Most of these antisocial behaviors are published on the Deep Internet due to its anonymity, one of these being the TOR browser project (The Onion Router), in order to address this problem, a methodology was developed that allows the authorities in Mexico have a database that allows correlating data published on this network with the investigations they carry out derived from reports of cybercrimes to obtain lines of investigation based on the identification and classification of cybercrime, and using language engineering techniques and of knowledge as the methods of creation of ontologies of Ding, Y; Foo, S; recovery tool for large information files on websites such as wget, security measures for browsing the Deep Internet such as "Whonix Gateway", "Text Cleaning" techniques, extraction and classification features such as "Jaccard and Cosine Similarity Calculation", among other.

This article seeks to give a historical background to the development of cybercrime laws in South Africa. It commences with a discussion on the common-law position regarding cyber-criminality then the article goes on to discuss the Electronic Communications Transactions Act (ECT) and the new Cybercrimes Act. This is followed by a discussion on Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) and same converges with the Cybercrimes Act, as well as the POPIA.

The recently enacted Cybercrimes Act 19 of 2020 regulates the powers of the police and investigators to investigate cybercrimes. Chapter 4 of the Act provides for the powers of the police and others in respect of search, access or seizure in the investigation of cybercrimes and other offences committed by means of cybertechnology. The provisions of the Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977 will continue to operate in addition to the provisions of the Cybercrimes Act, to the extent that the Criminal Procedure Act is not inconsistent with the Cybercrimes Act. The search and seizure provisions of the Criminal Procedure Act are object-based, as they do not deal explicitly with the specialised procedures that are required to investigate cybercrimes or other offences that involve the use of digital devices. The Cybercrimes Act attempts to address this shortcoming. The coexistence of the search and seizure provisions in these two Acts may cause difficulties in the fight against crime. In addition to the validity requirements of search warrants, as set out in the Acts, additional intelligibility requirements for the validity of search warrants have been developed by the courts.

ABSTRACT. The issue of sexual abuse of children and adolescents in Colombia fails to show improvement. Instead, the number of punishable actions committed is constantly rising, intensified in the evolving cyberspace, where sexual cybercrimes imply new challenges. This article seeks to establish whether or not the current legal criminal policy of the Colombian State is sufficient to address this emerging problem. It analyzes cyberspace as a new scenario and offers an elementary list of the main behaviors constituting sexual cybercrimes. In conclusion, it establishes the need for a new paradigm of criminal policy that proposes strategies in which prevention, not punitive populism, is the primary measure to address this problem, reflected in economic and social policy.

RESUMEN. La problemática del abuso sexual contra niños, niñas y adolescentes en Colombia no evidencia mejorías, pues las cifras de conductas punibles cometidas reflejan un constante incremento, lo cual se agudiza en el emergente ciberespacio, donde los ciberdelitos sexuales implican nuevos desafíos. Por ello, este artículo busca establecer si la política criminal jurídica actual del Estado colombiano basta o no para afrontar esta emergente problemática. Para ello se analiza el ciberespacio como nuevo escenario y se ofrece una relación elemental de las principales conductas constitutivas de ciberdelitos sexuales. Como conclusión, se establece la necesidad de un nuevo paradigma de política criminal que proponga estrategias en que la prevención, y no el populismo punitivo, sea la principal medida para afrontar esta problemática, de lo cual hay un ejemplo en política económica y social.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and fifth generation network technology (5G) are now being utilised by some companies and financial institutions such as banks to enhance their competitiveness and expand their businesses. The general types of AI include functional AI, interactive AI, text AI, visual AI and analytic AI. The key components of AI include machine learning, fast Internet connectivity, deep learning, neural networks and advanced data analysis. These components may be complemented by the adoption and use of standard 5G cellular networks. 5G utilises broadband Internet access and Internet connection, and is now employed by some banking institutions, especially in developed countries. It is not clear whether South African banking institutions have adopted 5G for their Internet connectivity and operations. AI and 5G may be used to detect and combat cybercrimes in banking institutions. On the other hand, AI and 5G may also be abused by cybercriminals to commit financial crimes such as money laundering and insider trading. In this regard it is submitted that South African policy makers should carefully revise the Cybercrimes Bill B6-2017 (Cybercrimes Bill) to embrace the use of AI and 5G to detect and combat cybercrimes in South African banks. Accordingly, this article examines the adequacy of the Cybercrimes Bill. It also explores the regulation and use of 5G and AI to detect, prevent and combat cybercrimes in banks and other financial institutions in South Africa.

The contemporary global financial services market has witnessed a substantial increase in cybercrime which places consumers' personal data at risk. Rapid increases in cybercrime linked to the financial services market have driven financial market regulators to pass novel laws and regulations aimed at curbing the rate of occurrence of cybercrimes connected to personal data sharing. To that end, banks and/or financial services companies in Europe have swiftly moved to comply with the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation. Whilst personal data protection regulation is not a new concept in Europe, most African countries (with exception of South Africa) do not have laws and regulations on personal data protection. With the financial services market being extremely vulnerable to cyber risks owing to the digitisation of the financial services sector, it is important to assess the suitability of South Africa's current regulatory framework concerning the protection of personal data. This article thus examines South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 with a view to ascertaining its suitability and/or adequacy in protecting personal data in the country's financial services market. With the global Covid-19 pandemic bringing about concerns related to rapid increases in cyber-attacks in the financial services market owing to the increased sharing of the sensitive personal data of consumers, there is also need to test the POPIA's conformity with the strict European Union GDPR personal data protection guidelines.

BACKGROUND: The novel Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, a deadly contagious disease has left the global village in disarray, driving people and firms, especially healthcare service providers to rely heavily on information communication technologies (ICTs) for administering telemedicine through digital tools. This study contributes to knowledge and information sharing and debates on cybersecurity. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to analyse the impact of cybercrimes on the global economy at a time when the whole world is focused on fighting and minimising the spread of COVID-19. The study also analysed common cybersecurity threats, attacks and information systems security vulnerabilities during the period of the pandemic. METHOD: The study adopted a systematic literature review from December 2019 to June 2020. There are global research studies on cybersecurity issues brought about by the coronavirus pandemic, and therefore, literature survey was not limited to any geographic area. A mixed method research was adopted in this study. RESULTS: The study revealed that there is an exponential growth of cyberattacks and threats because the global economy has been paying much attention to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, large corporations, healthcare industry and government agencies have been targets for cyberattacks and threats. CONCLUSION: It has been demonstrated that cyberattacks and threats during the COVID-19 pandemic are rising exponentially, creating another wave of challenges for the global economy, which is already reeling under the novel coronavirus. Thus, exerting excessive pressure on financial and human resources that have to contend with the novel coronavirus, with the expectation that resources have to be mobilised to deal with cybercrimes. The study recommends that firms and individuals should devise cybersecurity interventions to protect their data and information systems infrastructure.

Abstract: This article analyses the crime of cyber espionage, with an emphasis on its definition and delimitation. For this purpose, it starts by briefly examining its unlawful character in regards to other cybercrimes stricto sensu. Subsequently, it addresses its meaning and scope, its relationship with other crimes and some problems facing its punishment. Finally, it also makes suggestions for its future legal reform considering what is established in the Convention on Cybercrime of the Council of Europe.

Resumen: El artículo analiza el delito de espionaje informático, con énfasis en su concepto y delimitación. Con dicha finalidad, parte examinando brevemente su injusto en relación con los demás delitos informáticos stricto sensu. Luego, estudia su sentido y alcance, su vínculo con otras figuras delictivas y algunos problemas que enfrenta su castigo punitivo. Por último, plantea sugerencias para su futura reforma legal, considerando lo que establece el Convenio sobre Ciberdelincuencia del Consejo de Europa.