Changing an intelligence agency’s perspective on crypto crimes could be the next step towards the success of a crypto investigation.
Although the price of cryptocurrency has fluctuated dramatically over the past year, this hasn’t diminished the appeal of crypto to criminals. Many of them are moving their illicit activities underground and out of the reach that law enforcement agencies. Because of the open nature of the majority of blockchains the rapid growth should not be of concern for law enforcement authorities. With the right equipment and the proper training monitoring the proceeds of criminals using crypto is actually not as difficult as it seems.
However, intelligence agencies should have a cryptocurrency investigation plan that has the proper tools to lawfully collect digital evidence and properly qualified personnel to investigate the nature of such crimes when they are discovered.
Digital Intelligence (DI) is a two-part definition — the data that is gathered from digital sources and types of data (think smartphones computers, computers and the cloud) and the way agencies utilize, manage and obtain information from the data in order to effectively run investigations. In order for law enforcement agencies to investigate security related to crypto, it must have the right tools and knowledge to drive these investigations forward. When the investigators understand what they’re looking to find, and have the right tools and know-how to analyse and follow leads, crypto starts to appear not as an “invisible” web and more like the DI operations that investigators are used to.
According to a report on the enforcement of cryptocurrency issued by the United States Attorney General’s Cyber-Digital Task Force within the Department of Justice, crypto-based crimes fall under three categories:
1. The use of cryptocurrency as a way to pay for criminal acts
Bitcoin (BTC) was introduced into the mainstream media as a result the highly-publicized, international criminal cases linked to the darknet in 2013. At the time, Bitcoin was the sole form of currency on the dark web. After a series of successful government seizure, anti-regulatory computer developers created Monero (XMR), Dash, Zcash (ZEC) and other privacy-related coins to obscure the public ledger. This makes it difficult for law enforcement agencies to track and take assets.
Legal businesses generally do not make use of the darknet to market goods and services, but this does not mean that legitimate goods are not offered in the darknet. Products that have been stolen, counterfeit items and copies of software that have activated keys stolen are easily discovered with huge discounts.
Businesses also face the risk of information theft. Selling bank accounts, employee records data, customer records, and other confidential information is one of the most lucrative methods used by criminals to earn money through the darknet. In the year 2019, the cryptocurrency intelligence firm CipherTrace discovered that 66% of products and services provided by darknet merchants throughout the year came from stolen payment products of financial institutions that had been compromised.
The most efficient and fastest method to identify criminals is with advanced crypto trackers and analysis software.
2. The financial industry is a target for money laundering and concealing business
Criminals earn money through unlawful activities like drug sales, fraud, weapons trafficking or human trafficking it is necessary for them to find a way to convert the illicit funds so that they appear legitimate. This process is known as “money laundering.”
Due to its ease of use and pseudo-anonymity, cryptocurrency-based money laundering is rapidly becoming a significant method for transfer and laundering of money. In just a few minutes crypto-currency can be moved across the world market link and converted into other cryptocurrency or traded for real assets.
3. Crypto-on-crypto crime
Certain criminals who are involved in crypto choose to focus their efforts on crypto users and exchanges.
In 2018, three North Korean military hackers -and indicted February 2021 — took and extorted over $1.3 billion of fiat currency and cryptocurrency from banks and businesses. As Assistant Attorney General John Demers said:
“North Korea’s operatives, using keyboards rather than masks and guns, are the world’s leading 21st-century nation-state bank robbers.”
In the year 2020, approximately $1.5 billion was lost as a result of fraud and misappropriation, in the CipherTrace’s “2020 Cryptocurrency Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Report.” The DeFi-related crimes only continue to rise quarter-over-quarter.
These kinds of investigations present several challenges to both private and government sectors. The technology behind the cryptocurrency market is complex and is rapidly changing. As a result, police agencies are struggling just to keep up to date with the latest security patches and required hardware to successfully solve cases.
It is evident that the use of cryptocurrency isn’t an overnight phenomenon, since the interest in cryptocurrency has drastically grown. Police may be monitoring specific crypto wallets or addresses, which can be a means of identifying an individual responsible for the transactions. New developments in digital intelligence provide investigators with the capability of visualizing transactions and trace digital paper trails that could reveal evidence about people who are involved in criminal acts.
Training and education is the key
One of the primary challenges for law enforcement agencies when confronting cryptocurrency is the perception. Cryptocurrency is still in its early stages and changing, so people perceive it as a complex subject so education and training are essential. Investigators and agencies need the necessary skills to optimize methods and practices, however it isn’t easy for police chiefs to appreciate the value of training in cryptocurrency because the types of investigations that are available are not new to police officers.
Agencies were faced with the same problem at the time of the war, when top management didn’t consider that cell phone investigations were important. Many teams were not investigating mobile devices due to the lack of the right tools and skills to do proper cell phone data analysis. Today, almost every crime is linked to a cell phone. In the near future, virtually each financial crime is likely to have a connection to cryptocurrency as cryptocurrency is the future of money.
New investigative tools
The third tier is made up of investigative tools. These are physical tools used to gather data from devices as well as software used to analyze the collected data. In order to create the most effective tools for crypto investigators teams, teams must develop solutions around a comprehensive blockchain search engine tool that collects huge amounts of data points in order to trace the cryptocurrency addresses of exchanges, dark markets, and ATMs in crypto.
The latest solutions on the market offer teams the capability to surface cryptocurrency artifacts to act for “leads” to start a blockchain-related investigation.
Technology advancements in cryptocurrency have led experienced criminals to the underground, where police involvement is minimal, and the odds of getting caught are minimal. Law enforcement must now prepare for a complete end-to end investigative system that is focused on understanding tools, services and tools. Digital intelligence is key in finding out the cause of the incident and planning for the next incident and it is crucial to ensure that DI strategies are backed by world-class tools specifically designed for crypto.
Due to the increased usage and the increasing popularity of cryptocurrencies the agencies should be working towards bringing their DI expertise into the company and bringing in skilled experts. This is a two-part approach -agencies require both knowledge and the appropriate equipment to respond appropriately to incidents involving crypto. These are the essential elements for a strong DI strategy. Crypto can be traced back to different types of crimes — from financial fraud to wildlife, drug and human trafficking — which makes it an integral element of DI investigations. As it evolves into the next kind of currency the technology behind cryptocurrency can help speed up the investigation processes.
The solution to these new challenges will require the advancement of police tools and training and strategies that are based on DI and analytics of data. The most important thing to remember is that crypto will not go away, and law enforcement agencies must be proactive today to be ready for the rise in cybercrimes that are sure to become more widespread because of the rising popularity of cryptocurrency. However, crypto is merely a tool for criminals, just as money has always been. However, it should be an instrument used by law enforcement agencies as well.
