CYBERCRIMES IN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION: CRIMINOLOGICAL AND CRIMINAL LAW ANALYSIS OF THE SITUATION

The rapid development of communication systems and the use of computer equipment for the exchange of information lead to the emergence of new social relations that require criminal law protection. The Russian Federation does not stay away from this, and although it joined the high tech race late, the development of its legal norms in this sphere follows global trends. Law aimed at counteracting cybercrimes is no exception. The emergence of the global information space gives rise to previously unknown threats to national and international security. Key characteristics of information space, such as its trans-border character, anonymity, speed, difficulty of identifying the actor in the network have led to the growth in the number of IT users and increased the attractiveness of the information infrastructure from the standpoint of using the Internet for criminal purposes. Counteracting these threats has become an important element of the complex of measures to ensure security at the national and the global levels. The authors of the article present the comparative evaluation of the level of cyber-threats in Russia, offer a generalized assessment of the place that cybercrimes hold among other global threats and of the economic damage inflicted by cybercrimes. They examine the key sources of cyber threats, the critical problems and technologies. The authors also make a prediction of the possible threats associated with the introduction of artificial intelligence systems. Besides, they carry out the analysis of the current criminal law norms which prohibit illegal activities in the Internet and pay attention to the debatable scientific and practical issues.