Computer Crime
New times bring new crimes. It's a story as old as humanity and as new as the Internet. First comes cars, then car thieves follow. Telephones are followed by telephone fraud. Now we've got computers . . .. To make home, school, and office life easier, society relies on computers. As a result of this dependency, computer use grows everyday. Along with the growing use of computers comes widespread computer crime. With the Internet becoming increasingly popular, more and more people are becoming computer literate, and networks are becoming more readily accessible. The rise in computer crime can easily be blamed upon the increasing number of users. The Internet is widely deemed as a new community and "wild" electric frontier. Either way you look at it, the Internet offers cover for con artists, ground for grifters, and plenty of places where larceny can lurk. It provides the same opportunities for crime that the real world offers. Internet crimes, however, carry their own intricacies and innovations. These online crimes take advantage of the very same technologies that make the Internet possible. The most common crimes committed on the Internet are the same basic variations of the four main time-tested, real-world crimes: Forgery (o
How are computer crimes committed? Break-in methods include altering input, theft of computer time, software theft, data theft/modification and output theft. The most common method of committing computer crimes is altering input. In order to alter input, the criminal only needs to know how the system works and how to cover their trail. A good example would be an employee in charge of payroll keeping another employee’s record on the payroll after their termination in order to collect paychecks. Stealing business time occurs when one uses a company's computer for personal use such as an employee’s running a side business or keeping personal records on an employer’s computer or playing computer games at work. This frequent occurrence in the workplace takes time from productivity, costing the company money. When considering security for one's computer or network, there are many things to consider. Determine the threats. If the system is in danger, then estimate the danger of each threat. Determine the consequences from each threat. Identify controls against each threat. If threats are internal, take appropriate measures to protect the system from employees. If threats are external, determine if the possible losses from an acted out threat cost more than a control system. Sensitive data should be controlled. Therefore, confidential documents should be shredded before being discarded. Access to computer terminals should be restricted. Another possibility is the implementation of alarms, closed circuit televisions, and access cards. And, very importantly, when transmitting data, encrypt it. Although computers have become an important part of everyday life, with the widespread use of computers comes one more way we can be victimized by criminals. Although no security measure is fool proof, steps can be taken to reduce the chances of becoming a victim of fraud. Be aware of computer crimes and take the necessary precautions to protect yourself and your work. Financial Attacks are most often committed by people inside or close to the company. Obviously, people most familiar with a company's system and operations can commit a crime and easily cover their trails. An MCI assistant was arrested for selling thousands of credit card numbers obtained over telecommunication lines. The total cost of the incident was $50 million. When these criminals are placed in prison, more financial attacks can occur. Prisoners at Metro Jails (Tennessee) were able to illegally access long distance telephone accounts in order to sell calls to other prisoners. Software theft is a large problem in the software industry. Each year, software companies lose millions of dollars to this type of theft. Not only does software theft contribute to loss of sales, but it also adds to the spread of computer viruses. Two examples of software theft are the production of illegal copies of software and the creation of software used to break into systems. An example of how software theft causes software manufacturers to lose money is as follows: If Acme Company has a software package available for $300 and someone makes a copy of that software without purchasing it, Acme Company instantly loses $300. Three hundred dollars may not seem to be that much money for one instance. However, if 1,000 people copy this same package, then the company is out $300,000 which is a large amount of loss in profits. Data theft is another way of committing a computer crime. For example, if an office manager of a stock law firm obtained merger and acquisition information from one of the company's files, he could then use that information to trade the securities of the companies involved with the merger. In this case, the criminal would make millions of dollars from trading the related securities, and the companies could end up at a huge loss. Output theft commonly occurs when information is taken from another's printout or screen. This information is then used to profit unf
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Approximate Word count = 2686
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page double spaced)
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