Running head: THE GROWING THREAT OF COMPUTER CRIME The Growing Threat of Computer Crime Diana Ritter Baker College of Cadillac May 9, 2001 Abstract Computers have been used for most kinds of crime, including fraud, theft, larceny, embezzlement, burglary, sabotage, espionage, murder, and forgery, since the first cases were reported in 1958. One study of 1,500 computer crimes established that most of them were committed by trusted computer users within businesses; persons with the requisite skills, knowledge, access, and resources. With the arrival of personal computers to manipulate information and access computers by telephone, increasing numbers of crimes--electronic trespassing, copyrighted-information piracy, vandalism--have been …show more content…
Convicted computer hacker, John Lee, a founder of the infamous “Master’s of Deception” hacker group stated that he could change credit card records and bank balances, get free limousines, airplane tickets, and hotel rooms (without anyone being billed), change utility and rent rates, distribute computer software programs free to all over the internet, and easily obtain insider trading information. Imagine………this is just one person. Think of all the hundreds of “hackers” that are out there. Computer stalking. One type of computer criminal rapidly emerging is the “cyber stalker”. One such stalker, the pedophile, surfs the net looking to build relationships with young boys or girls and then sets out to meet them in person to pursue his/her sexual intensions. This type of activity also leads to sellers of child pornography over the internet. Virtual crimes. Stock and bond fraud is already appearing on the internet. Stocks and bonds that appear on the market are actively traded (for a short period of time) and then disappear. These stocks and bonds are nonexistent-only the electronic impulses are read. One must note, however, no matter how clever the hacker, the most serious security threat in most enterprises is password theft. Password stealing is the “holy grail” of hacking. Once a username/password combination has been found, the hacker has free rein to exploit that user account. Firewalls, intrusion detection
As the technology is increasing day by day, many people fall victim to cyber theft. This high development of technology and the availability of internet to most of the public, broadens the pathway of cyber-crime. Cyber-Security was once not a serious issue. But, now many people are complaining about their credit card information getting stolen or sudden drop of credits in their bank account. The internet has become the integral part of today’s generation of people. Many people share their information out in the web through social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram etc. Internet has touched every aspect of life right from the beginning to the present. As people share their personal information online; most of their accounts get hacked by cyber-criminal or in other words black hat hackers. And, trusting internet nowadays isn't a wise thing to do.
Computer crimes and crimes involving the use of computers have become a fact in our world today. Crimes no longer involve just hackers seeking to make a name for themselves. We now store critical information for our lives on our computers, cell phones and tablets. Just as the average home user uses their computers for more and more of their daily activities, the same can be said of criminals. On our computers are our finances, schedules, contacts, addresses, pictures and videos, phone numbers, medical information, research and internet history. According to a 2014 McAfee report, their extrapolated, estimated annual cost to the global economy as a result of cybercrime is over $400 billion. (CSIS & McAfee, 2014) Additionally, crime does not just
new advances in the electronic technologies during the past decades have administered a new wealth of criminal activity. Software like Computer viruses, malware, software privacy, spam and etc. Technologically savvy artist replicate websites, so when a person's online activities occurs in a virtual world it can be compromised.Many times Cyber intrusions rely on human interaction and it often involves tricking people into breaking security procedures.
If there is nothing done about cyber hacking, money, and important resources will be stolen from innocent people trying to live a successful life. “Cyber-crime units exist within local, state, federal, and international law enforcement agencies. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) plays a critical role investigating crimes committed through the Internet” (Dingwell).
With the dramatic development in the technology of computers and communications, the entire world has certainly benefited a great deal, but the purchase price of computers might also be very expensive. Computer crimes are now becoming very serious problems that are costing as much as billions of dollars. Also, computer crimes are threatening the continuing future of communication, confidentiality, and even the integrity of businesses and organizations.
With the constant changes in society and advances in technology, it is no surprise that new types of crime have started to emerge. Such as terrorism, white-collar crime, green crime, cyber-crime, and organized crime. Often times these crimes tend to overlap because technology is such a huge factor
The Internet plays critical roles in the fabric of today 's society, and people use their computers and mobile devices for business, social contact, recreation playing games and many other activities. However, everyone faces cyber crime risks when using their computersm and these perils range from phishing to investment fraud. People use their computing devices to work, buy products and services and store vital personal information. Unfortunately, everything that you read and view on the screen isn 't always what it appears. Crooks and con artists have always come up with creative ways to steal personal information, trick people out of their money and valuables and promote questionable practices such as pyramid schemes. Digital communications and the Internet have increased access to information for everyone, but easy access empowers criminals who can work in relative anonymity to commit their cyber crimes.
As most people know, connecting computers and computer networks is inherently risky, however necessary it might be (Casey, 6). However, computer crime began in 1969, when university students burned the university’s computers in a protest (Casey, 35). In 1970, people were beginning to learn how to gain access to other computers, an act that was not illegal at the time (Casey, 35). As technology has changed, cybercriminals have adapted to it and they will continue to adapt as long as technology continues to change (Casey, 304).
As much as $40 billion are lost every year due to flourishing computer crimes. In 1993 alone, Internet, the world wide system of computer networks, was swindled out of approximately $2 billion, and about $50 million were stolen from various companies such as GTE Corp., AT&T, Bell Atlantic and MCI ( Meyer and Underwood 45). Ironically these same organizations have been collaborating with software manufacturers for an expanded software production ( Cook 53 ). Multinational corporations and international authorities are threatened by these innumerable white collar crimes since such crimes are most difficult to prevent, and/or detect and highly profitable to the offenders ( Stern and Stern 525 ). This ever growing menace to
A diverse group of people often referred to as “hackers” have been stereotyped as unethical, irresponsible, and a serious threat to society for their actions of breaching of computer systems in an undesirable manner. I will attempt to construct a picture of what a computer crime is, as well as a portrait of what a hacker is, their concerns, and how most hacking occurs. I will also cover the best security measures against undesirable hacking. It is my intent to argue that, most hackers are learners and explorers who want to help rather than cause harm. Additionally, my research will suggests that the general principle of hacking is
Over the past decades, the world has experienced a vast increase in the availability of electronic resources. However, with these advancements, computer crime has become the new form of criminal activity that takes advantage of electronic resource (Michael & Patrick 4). Consequently, these new forms of crime are burgeoning and pose a new challenge to law enforcement agencies at all levels. The question is how do they prevent, investigate, and prosecute these crimes. Law enforcement agencies from the local to the federal level are beginning to institute specific units devoted to handling computer-related offenses. Currently, there does not exist a uniform method to define and address computer crime and computer fraud. Undoubtedly, this has significantly hampered the fight against this vice. In addition, the fact that the public in general, as well as the law enforcers, are not well
In accordance with many decades of cyber evolution, a cybercrime is shown in different ranges of crimes, which depend on the spread of technology and law. From the introduction of computer in the 1960s to the rise of personal computer in 1980s, cybercrime began to appear. The crimes can vary from piracy of software to patent-related crimes. This caused a surge in the introduction of relevant legislation in many countries and international organizations involved. In late 1990s, when Internet and transnational crimes were born, the international community cooperated in many instances such as the passing of the UN General Assembly Resolution 45/121 in 1990 and the manual for the prevention and control of computer-related crimes issued in 1994. Despite all the
Since quickly making thousands of perfect copies is possible for anyone with a PC, the only remaining barrier to widespread copying is access to material worth copying. Advanced communications networks like the Internet provide virtual access to material that really is worth copying. Unfortunately, the wide variety of information that can be transferred, the open, unregulated nature of the Internet, and the irrelevance of geography means that the Internet also provides fertile ground for criminal enterprise. Since the Internet is composed of computers, crimes occurring on the internet are cyber crimes. A computer can be the subject of a crime by being stolen or damaged; it can be the site of a crime (such as fraud or copyright infringement); or it can be the instrument of a crime, such as when it is used to access other machines or store information illegally. These are all cyber crimes in the sense that a computer is
while the computer networks and the results are a new kind of crime, they are
Hacking, as many understand it, is the attempt to access a computer system that one has not been authorized to access. While the reasons people hack can differ widely, in general, the intent is malicious. The growth of computer hacking has grown exponentially with the advent of computer networks and personal computing. While it is a difficult field to enter because of the expertise necessary for one to be effective, for those who are knowledgeable, the number of potential targets is virtually unlimited. Furthermore, once the crime has been committed, it can be very difficult to find the perpetrator and prosecute them. In essence, the advent of the internet has made it possible for a person sitting in a closet in their basement to reach out and touch highly secured computer systems all over the world.