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A -Term Paper- On Computer Crime and Cyberattacks

Article · April 2016

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American University of Nigeria

School of Information Technology and Computing

Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering

A 


- Term Paper-
On

Computer Crime and Cyberattacks

By

Emmanuel Zidafamor

05th May 2016

Abstract

Today, people use computers for many different reasons depending on their level of skill and

their needs. A look at the number of people using computers today reveals the surprisingly high

amount of individuals. As technologies increase, the number of people using computers

increases. A good example is China, which has close to three hundred million computer users.

With the high number of computer and cyber users, it is accurate to say that computer crime and

cybercrime also increases by the day. Computer criminals rely on the changing technologies as

much as regular people do. The first cyber crime recorded occurred in 1820. This aspect is not a

surprising fact because the first form of computer, the abacus was already around for more than a

thousand years.

Introduction

Cyber crime is an illegal activity conducted through the use of a computer. This aspect includes

the hardware device as well as the internet. In this case, the computer and the internet act as tools

that facilitate the occurrence of the crime. Cybercrime includes a broad range of the offense.

These include cyberstalking, child pornography, unauthorized access, forgery and fraud among

others. Industries, governments and people around the world tend to focus on various kinds of

cyber crime. These include piracy, cyber stalking, cyber terrorism, cyber pornography and

cracking.

Cyber crime also involves the traditional crimes that occur over the internet. The issue of

computer and cyber crimes represents the latest and most complicated problem around the world

(Cousins, 06). For instance, there are individual and organized hackers. Individual hackers

frequently perform these activities as a way of proving that they are good at computer
 3

programming and that they have the capacity of hacking and breaching software. Organized

piracy in most cases occurs for monetary purposes. These groups could hack into large

enterprises like banks to gain financial benefits. Reports from around the world indicate that in

the past two years, there have been over a million complaints around the world. Most of these

complaints included issues of hack threats, denial of services, fraud and other computer-based

problems. In some cases, the company complains of the loss of files and corruption by viruses.

Computer crimes

Computer crimes, on the other hand, are crimes committed with the help of a computer. Any

criminal activity that occurs with the aid of a computer is thus a computer crime. Computer

crimes existed since the production of the computer (Scutt, 303). With the changing world and

increasing technology, the computer is one of the tools that people use to aid them in their

criminal activity. This kind of crime does not necessarily involve the loss of data on the

computer or even the change of data on the computer.

A computer crime also refers to a situation whereby someone accesses data without the

permission of the administrator. This aspect shows that a computer crime does not have to

involve the loss or modification of data on the network. The worst type of computer crime is the

access to data without notification of the administrator. Currently, many criminals conduct

computer crimes in groups. The reasoning behind this is that if done in larger groups, there is a

lower risk and ease of stealing. Many people that commit these rogue crimes included rogue

hackers and crackers, many of whom are employees of different organizations. Statistics show an

increasing amount of computer crime, which shows the seriousness of the problem.
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Types of cyber crimes

Various terms define the activities that occur in cyber and computer crime. Fraud involves

illegally taking money from individuals through tricking them. Fraudsters are the highest

population of people involved in computer and cyber crimes. Fraudsters have various ways of

attaining their goals. These include the use of emails from prominent organizations or individuals

and luring innocent people to share amounts of money for non-existent products and services.

Black Hat criminals, on the other hand, are hackers that break into networks and computers and

create computer viruses (Scutt, 303). These types of computer criminals are the villains of that

world because they damage networks and computers for what seems to be the fun of it.

Identity theft is another form of computer crime. It involves the use of another person's identity

illegally. This aspect means that the individual has no knowledge of the use of his character. It

usually has a devastating ending, because the fraudster could conduct some activities using a

person's sensitive information, without their knowledge. The stolen details could include the

name of an individual, the social security number, their international passport or their credit

cards. An example is where one uses the details of an individual to create and collect loans which

eventually affect the person.

Phishing is another type of computer and cyber crime which involves the sending of millions of

messages to different people. The recipients in most cases fall for the trick and believe that the

messages have a genuine source. In most cases the messages look very real. The hackers use the

messages to look for information and extort money from the people. Pharming is another way

that people use the internet to trick people. Unlike phishing, this technique involves the change

of the IP address of a website. When an individual types a website, they end up on a fake internet
 5

site. The hackers use the same Domain name but a different IP address. In this situation, an

individual would end up filling a fake page with his sensitive information.

Denial of service attack refers to a situation where an organization or intended users lack access

to any computer resources. In most cases this kind of attack results in no loss of information or

other security losses. However, this attack reduces the functionality of the inter sites and

services. Another form is malware where people create software that penetrates the computer

system and damages the system of equipment without the consent of the owner.

Hacking is a different kind of computer crime that involves breaking into a computer system

without the consent of the owner. It is similar to trespassing, just in the internet world. Spyware,

on the other hand, includes the use of computer software that takes control of interactions

between the user and the rest of the world. In most cases the victim has no idea that there is a

program recording all his interactions. Spyware programs have the capacity of storing personal

information. The program further has the capacity of redirecting web browser activities which

end up causing harm on the computer. Spyware causes other problems to the computer like

slowing down the internet and other programs.

Logic bombs are programs that run on particular dates or times to produce unwanted function.

They affect data and software and cause severe damage to the system. The logic bombs enter the

system as hidden content or installed by someone in the organization that has evil intentions. A

good example is where a bad employee plants a logic bomb that activates one month after he

quits his job (Scutt, 303). At the specified date and time, the logic bomb goes off and crashes the

whole system. The tricky part about the logic bombs is that they are very hard to detect until
 6

after they cause the damage. A solution to this issue includes various anti-virus software that

have the capability of detecting known logic bombs.

The future of Cybercrime

Cyber crime has an unpredictable future judging from the trends where the culprits always end

up a step ahead of the authorities. Cyber criminals always come up with a new way of

committing the crimes. Authorities have to increase the skill levels if they hope to catch up with

cyber crime committers. Cyber criminals seem always to find a new way of defrauding people

and scamming them for their money. Regions like Asia have a high amount of cyber crime based

on the vast populations and the exposure that this massive population has to the computer

systems. Close to eighty percent of the population have access to computers. A look at the

growth of cyber crimes shows that there is a high chance that it would continue growing. People

Depending on current laws and technical protection is no longer enough protection against cyber

and computer crimes. There have to be better protection measures in place to protect people

against cyber crimes. For example, people have to be more aware on where and when they can

carry out online banking. A lot of individuals lack awareness on the advancements of cyber

crimes. A good example is where someone does his banking with the little information that the

bank stores all his data. A solution to this issue would be the installation of new anti-viruses and

configuring firewalls.

The effects of cyber and computer crimes

Computer and cyber crimes result in the loss of billions of dollars every year. The issue increases

each day and causes significant losses to companies and individuals around the world. The

United States is the country with the highest cases of cyber crimes. In most cases hackers and
 7

cyber criminals flourish more in countries that have inadequate laws and regulations regarding

crime laws. Many insurance companies around the world try to provide protection against cyber

crime.

Computer and cyber crimes cause businesses to suffer losses in a scenario where hackers steal

valuable and confidential information from a company. The information could include the plans

of the company, which the hacker could sell to competitors of that particular company and in this

way, set the company back so many steps (Bassett, Jennifer, and Evergreen, 02). In a different

scenario, the company ends up wasting so much time handling the harmful incidents caused by

computer crimes. The wasted time reduces the productivity of the enterprise. Many companies

also spend a lot of time creating preventive measures. The energy put in investing in this

preventive measure is also a derailleur and is one of the impacts of cybercrime.

Cyber crime could cause people to lose confidence in a company. For instance, people would not

feel safe banking or involve themselves with a hacked organization. They would feel insecure

about sharing their confidential information with such an organization. This aspect affects the

productivity of the team (Seger, 121). Further, the rising costs of stopping viruses and malware

affects the companies financially.

Computer crimes cause a lot of harm and frustration especially in a scenario where the individual

has no knowledge of the offense. Some of the current cyber criminals are so bright that they

could hack and steal information without leaving the slightest clue. Using the information for the

evil purposes eventually affects the individual in an adverse way, leaving them feeling extremely

frustrated. The fact that there are few tangible ways of recovering the lost money or information
 8

makes it even worse because the individual finds himself in a situation where there is nothing

they can do about the situation.

Prevention of cyber crime

People could prevent cyber crime in various ways. An excellent way to the creation of robust

passwords those are hard to compromise (Scutt, 303). Another good idea on the issue of

passwords is the use of random passwords. Constantly changing the password also helps the

person stay ahead of any hackers. On the issue of malware, individuals have to ensure that they

use the lasts anti-viruses and anti-spy software that prevent and kill off any malware. In the case

of misplaced gadgets, the person should make sure they have passwords securing their systems.

Knowing the location of all the software that a person uses would reduce the cases of software

vulnerability and its usability. In other cases, people try to learn to people's passwords through

observation. In this case, people have to be aware of their surroundings, type fast and ensure that

people do not have the chance of observing their passwords. Another good prevention method is

ensuring that the firewall remains on at all times (Cukier, Wendy, and Levin, 278). An upgrade

or replacement would provide even better security. Installation of windows updates would

reduce any Windows vulnerability. In a case of weak configurations, the individual could get

professionals.

The use of spam blockers would help the users end the issue of receiving bogus mail. Most

internet providers provide a blocking feature that helps stop fraudulent and phishing emails. On

the topic of anti-virus, the individual has to ensure that they update it regularly and scan the

computer often to remove any malware on the computer. There are free versions available but for

better security an individual has to consider investing in the best options available.
 9

Users with children should ensure that they have parental control software which helps limit the

children's whereabouts online. This issue is the wise thing to do because at times the children to

go online and check malicious sites without knowing. The parent could monitor the websites that

the child visits as one of the ways of spending more time with their children. Ensuring that the

mother keeps the firewall on is also vital in ensuring that they keep hackers from accessing the

computer.

Law enforcers require investing more in training in this field. They also have to specialize and

learn more about technology and all its technicalities. Using the people caught as part of

community service could help in dealing with the issue of cyber and computer crimes. Punishing

the offenders by forcing them to nab such criminals would help government officials understand

the maneuvers used in cracking and hacking. Big business and also individuals should further

ensure that they have the latest security measure on a regular basis to avoid creating any

vulnerability to their businesses.

The enforcement of proper intellectual property act laws could further enhance the reduction of

computer and cyber crime. The crime of equipment an intellectual property section has the role

of implementing national strategies that help in intellectual properties crimes and computer

crimes from all around the world. Comprehensive programs like the computer crimes initiative

have the task of creating programs designed to help deal with data thefts, electronic penetrations,

and cyber attacks that occur on crucial information (Sathiakumar, et al, 57). The section has a

role in investigating, preventing and prosecuting computer crimes. Working with government

agencies, academic institution, the rivet sector and foreign counterparts could help the section

deal with computer crimes.

Conclusion

In most cases, authorities tend to underestimate the threat imposed by computer and cyber crimes

(Seger, 121). One of the reasons could be the lack of reliable statistics on the actual effects of the

risk. Also, the ministries of companies around the world apply different techniques on dealing

with cyber crime. In enhancing cyber security, the various agencies have to ensure that they

create cultural awareness among people. They should also ensure that they enforce lawful cyber

behaviors among teenagers, children, individuals, and organization. The creation of activities

that improve the level of awareness of information security would further help in dealing with

the problem. For instance, people subscribing to internet banking should always know the risk

factors of internet banking. People have to remain critical of what they see and read.
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References

Bassett, Jennifer, and Nelson Evergreen. "Shirley Homes and the Cyber Thief." (2008). Print.

Cousins, Stephen. "Combat against Cyber Crime." Ports & Harbors. 58.6 (2013). Print

Cukier, Wendy, and Aver Levin. "Internet Fraud and Cyber Crime." Crimes of the Internet.

(2009): pp251-279. Print.

Sathiakumar, Swamidoss, Lalit K. Awasthi, M R. Masillamani, and S S. Sridhar. Proceedings of

International Conference on Internet Computing and Information Communications:

Icicic Global 2012. New Delhi: Springer India, 2014. Internet resource.

Scutt, J. "Cyber Crime." Denning Law Journal. (2014): pp301-304. Print.

Seger, Alexander. "Cyber Crime and Economic Crime." Financial Crimes: a Threat to Global

Security. (2012): pp119-146. Print.

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