Cybercrime as one of the key problems of the present time

Introduction: in the modern conditions, information technologies are widely used in all spheres of human activity, whose main purpose is to optimize social, communication, and economic processes. However, the information technologies often act as a platform for committing crimes, in particular, cybercrimes. In this regard, the authors of the paper set the goal of analyzing the data on cybercrimes and the problems arising during their investigation. Methods: the methodological framework for the study is based on the laws of scientific knowledge and the provisions of dialectical materialism using the system of general scientific methods, including statistical data analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction, and comparison. Results: as a result of the statistical data analysis, it is possible to state the growing amount of crimes that are committed through the information technologies and that, overcoming the limits of the domestic level, acquire the features of a global, world problem. The comparative approach considers the technologies for detecting cybercriminals and investigating cybercrimes in Russia, the United States, and European countries. Special attention is paid to the specifics of cybercrimes in Russia, which make them the most complex categories of crimes, which, in turn, determines the emergence of a number of problems in the investigation of these acts. The research focuses on the problems that arise in practice due to the large number and complex nature of cybercrimes, namely, the lack of special knowledge in the field of information technology among the law enforcement officers, a set of problems related to the effectiveness of investigating cybercrimes and bringing them to court, the lack of a unified investigative and judicial practice in criminal cases of the analyzed category, a number of procedural difficulties, etc. Conclusions: as a result of the study, the main problems that arise during the investigation of cybercrime are systematized, as well as the recommendations that allow effective organization of the work of the law enforcement agencies, which, in turn, will help reduce the number of cybercrimes and prevent their commission.