Computer Crime

Computer Crime


     Computer crimes need to be prevented and halted thought increased

computer network security measures as well as tougher laws and enforcement of

those laws in cyberspace:


     Computer crime is generally defined as any crime accomplished through

special knowledge of computer technology.  All that is required is a personal

computer, a modem, and a phone line.  Increasing instances of white-collar crime

involve computers as more businesses automate and information becomes an

important asset. Computers are objects of crime when they or their contents are

damaged, as when terrorists attack computer centers with explosives or gasoline,

or when a "computer virus"--a program capable of altering or erasing computer

memory--is introduced into a computer system.  As subjects of crime, computers

represent the electronic environment in which frauds are programmed and

executed;  an example is the transfer of money balances in accounts to

perpetrators' accounts for withdrawal. Computers are instruments of crime when

used to plan or control such criminal acts as complex embezzlements that might

occur over long periods of time, or when a computer operator uses a computer to

steal valuable information from an employer.


     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.

Much of known computer crime has consisted of entering false data into computers,

which is simpler and safer than the complex process of writing a program to

change data already in the computer. With the advent of personal computers to

manipulate information and access computers by telephone, increasing numbers of

crimes--mostly simple but costly electronic trespassing, copyrighted-information

piracy, and vandalism--have been perpetrated by computer hobbyists, known as

"hackers," who display a high level of technical expertise.  For many years, the

term hacker defined someone who was a wizard with computers and programing.  It

was an honor to be considered a hacker.  But when a few hackers began to use

their skills to break into private computer systems and steal money, or

interfere with the system's operations, the word acquired its current negative

meaning. Organized professional criminals have been attacking and using computer

systems as they find their old activities and environments being automated.


     There are not a large number of valid statistics about the extent and

results of computer crime.  Victims often resist reporting suspected cases,

because they can lose more from embarrassment, lost reputation, litigation, and

other consequential losses than from the acts themselves.  Limited evidence

indicates that the number of cases is rising each year, because of the

increasing number of computers in business applications where crime has

traditionally occurred.  The largest recorded crimes involving insurance,

banking, product inventories, and securities have resulted in losses of tens of

millions to billions of dollars--all facilitated by computers.  Conservative

estimates have quoted $3 billion to $100 billion as yearly losses due to

computer hackers.  These losses are increasing on a basis equivalent to the

number of computers logged on to networks, which is almost an exponential growth

rate.  The seriousness of cybercrimes also increases as the dependancy on

computers becomes greater and greater.


     Crimes in cyberspace are becoming more and more popular for several

reason.  The first being that computers are become more and more accessible;

thus are just become another tool in the arsenal of tool to criminals.  The

other reason that computer crimes are becoming more and more common are that

they are sometimes very profitable.  The average computer crime nets a total of

$65
This is ONLY a preview of the article. If you would like to view the entire document, you must subscribe to Academic Library. Please register below now!









Subscribe to Academic Library
When you subscribe to the Academic Library, you get 24-hour access to the online database containing full-text articles written by thousands of scholarly students. For only $8.95 per month, you receive unlimited monthly access to view and download all of our 40,000 articles available online. That is less than the price of one textbook!
This price includes:

24-hours-a-day, 7 days a week unlimited access on any computer with Internet access
Complete access to all 40,000 articles, essays, and research papers
Ability to view and download virtually unlimited number of documents
Ability to browse through perfectly arranged catalog of articles
Superior search and relevancy ranking techniques using Google SiteSearch and our local search engine
Instant access to the online database after registration


You can pay by credit card, checking account. You get instant access after registration:


You will be billed $ 8.95 every 30 days (recurring billing) starting on the day you subscribe.

Your credit card will automatically be renewed for your convenience until you cancel.




If you are already registered, please click here to login.