ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the big picture of the investigation from all perspectives, giving a sense of broad goals and how each sector works to further individual and common objectives. Law enforcement would have easy access to private sector evidence and records. Information would be shared among regulators and all law enforcement agencies to create effective prevention and response to cybercrime. A cybercrime investigation might cross into all three groups’ authority, and it might be difficult for one entity to judge the significance or global relevance of facts at the time they are discovered. Certain private entities, such as service and communications providers, often are used by criminals to commit cybercrimes and might hold evidence relevant to crimes, while being directly affected themselves. Law enforcement agencies investigate cybercrime to prevent, deter, detect, investigate, and prosecute criminal conduct. Investigations are a process with a beginning and an end, evolving through many intervening stages.
