- Pierre Penalba is the commander of the Nice cybercrime department.
- He released “Cyber Crimes”, a series of chronicles from his years of service (Albin Michel editions).
Hackings, scams, identity theft, porn revenge ... Each year, 26 million French people are victims of cybercrime. To raise awareness of the dangers of computers and the Internet, Pierre Penalba released Cyber Crimes from Albin Michel editions. The police commander in charge of the Nice cybercrime group since 2009 (the first in the provinces) recounts his daily life as a cyberflic, "very far from TV series and their belongings folded in 42 minutes" but which is not lacking spicy.
Professionals, individuals, adults, children ... Everyone seems to be affected by cybercrime.
From the moment you have a connected device, you are 100% concerned. All of these devices are susceptible to attack. On the other hand, each predator has its specific audiences. If you are a parent, you are affected by crooks and pedophiles who pose as children or teachers on the networks. From 20 to 50 years old, it will be scams and especially blackmail on the webcam for intimate photos or videos. Beyond that, it becomes much rarer, if you know what I mean [ laughs] . For the elderly, these are mostly stories of identity theft or scams where hackers hold out to them for purchases of goods.
Among your chronicles, there are many cases of pedocrime. In particular that of Emma, 11 years old, targeted by a blackmailer ...
This case was striking. The problem came from her parents who used the computer they had given her to buy swimsuits. They saw an ad on Le Bon Coin that said "I have fifty jerseys for sale in lots of different sizes. If you want to have the list, click on the link". By clicking, the parents infected their computer with a virus created by a hacker. His goal was to break into the computers of young girls aged 9 to 12, before making them live atrocious webcam blackmail. Technically, he had found the perfect trick.
We also smile a lot when reading your book, whether through lived scenes, incredible characters (like this conversation with those you nickname "the two cousins of Mado la Niçoise", delighted to meet "the experts "), or your titles and personal comments. Is humor necessary to do your job?
It is a way of supporting things. We see so many horrible cases. Doing a little humor, even if it's often dark humor, it helps us to hold on. Sometimes you would hear us on cyber, it would shock you. If you don't have a sense of humor, depression is guaranteed. Humor is also part of my character. I wrote my book as I handle my business.
Some chapters end with practical advice. Can you remember some of them?
Being wary of everything must be a leitmotif. The first cause of infection is through phishing in emails. You should never click on a link you receive and never go to a site you don't know. It is a minimum protection measure.
The second very important thing is to never leave a child alone in front of his computer or tablet. He should be in the main room and parents should be able to monitor what he is doing. When they go to kindergarten, they watch their children from a distance. For the computer, it's the same. They also wouldn't leave their children alone in the city's most rotten neighborhood until 4 a.m. Well when they leave them alone with their tablet or a phone at night in their room, it's the same. The Internet is a wonderful world, but not a world of Care. Finally, beware of connected objects. They are permanent spies. If they are hacked, people can know what you are doing. In the USA, an enclosure was used by a pedophile to speak with a young girl in her bedroom. The more connected objects you have, the less your privacy exists. I do not question their usefulness but their use must be mastered. I wish people were a little more paranoid.
Finally, if you are a victim of cybercrime, what should you do?
You can go to internet-signalement.gouv.fr and cybermalveillance.gouv.fr. There are lots of tips and indications on the steps to follow. Then, you must immediately go to the police station to file a complaint. More and more police are trained in cybercrime and know how to respond. If the complaint is filed quickly, it is possible to block transfers for example.
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