Topic:
Country: United Kingdom
Delegate Name: Harrison Powell
Country: United Kingdom
Committee: SOCHUM
Topic: Cybercrime
Delegate: Harrison Powell
School: Williamston High School
Cyber attacks can be defined as an attempt by hackers to damage or destroy a computer network or system, some common forms are as follows: hacking (breach of personal data, passwords and information of your person), phishing (ridiculous emails and text messages that contain unsafe links, or ask for personal information), malicious software and distributed denial of service or DDOS, which shutdowns websites for a limited amount of time. Cybercrime has been present since the invention of telegraphs, and continues to be ever evolving and more difficult to enforce against. Cybercrime can also be quite severe such as security breaches of large companies akin to those such as Adobe and Sony Pictures Entertainment. Other countries also commit cyber crimes like Russia and China; both countries have been the source of multiple cyber attacks. These countries have been accused of cyber espionage and stealing of information. The Chinese government was caught stealing information of individuals in Microsoft Exchange, one of the worlds largest email softwares. Cybercrime is an enormous threat to democratic countries, industries and individuals. The protection of people and their personal information is essential to social wellbeing, the protection of high profile government information needs to be enforced, and the selling of information on black markets needs to be stopped.
The United Kingdom was a signatory to the Budapest Convention in the early 2000’s which gives an international framework to combating cybercrime and laying down laws against cybercrime. The United Kingdom has signed many acts to counter cybercrime. The most known in the UK is the Computer Misuse Act or CMA; the CMA outlines cyber crimes such as hacking, misuse or stealing of information and ransoming of information. These offenses can result in prison sentences up to 10 years with unlimited fine amounts. The UK has also signed the Data Protection Act which gives citizens the legal right to know what personal information is being used by businesses and the government. It also lays out rules on how your information should be used and what crimes are being committed when mishandling information. In the United Kingdom billions pounds are lost each year to cybercrime. Businesses in London are the most affected by cyber crimes such as hacking and phishing. In 2021 alone the United Kingdom has lost more than 1.3 billion pounds to cybercrime.
The UK plans on continuing our mission against cybercrime with the help of international law enforcement agencies such as Interpol and International Cyber Security Protection Alliance. We also encourage the general public to talk with their families to make safe choices on the internet and use computer skills wisely, as well as create greater security for their personal information through VPNs and two factor authentication. The UK plans to work with government agencies who specifically focus on cybercrime, the European Council, signatories of the Budapest Convention and other nations to continue an effort against cybercrime. The United Kingdom does believe it is appropriate to intervene on individual countries in cases of combating cybercrime.
