EU gives cyberdetectives advice

Reuters | Latest Financial News / Full News Coverage: "EU gives cyberdetectives advice
Fri 24 October, 2003 14:06 BST


BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Making evidence of cybercrime stand up in court should be easier after the European Commission released guidelines on how to investigate computer viruses, website hacking and online credit card fraud.

Just like physical evidence, any electronic evidence of online crime contained in website logs, emails or data files can easily be damaged during an investigation.

While police procedures on physical evidence have existed for a long time, the Commission said its guidelines were the first to give comprehensive advice on tackling computer crime.

'The tools developed by the project represent the first complete end-to-end methodology to guide investigators through the difficult task of computer forensics,' it said on Friday.

EU researchers developed the guidelines with advice from police and lawyers as well as French telecommunications firm Alcatel and British government defence agency QinetiQ.

The project's website -- See ctose.org-- gives firms advice of how to deal with typical problems they might face, from a civil dispute over an e-commerce transaction to hackers placing illegal material on a company website.

'The methodology ensures all electronic evidence is legally and properly gathered and preserved, acting as uncontaminated and compelling proof that a crime or fraud has been committed,' the EU's executive said in a statement."