Essay/Term paper: Computer crimes

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Information Technology

Computer Crimes


Computer crimes are on the rise 1 in 10 Americans experience some form of
a malicious attack on their computer system. If you pay attention to the rest
of this speech you will understand how a Hackers mind works and how to defend
yourself from them. In this speech I will tell you why and how people break
into computers, what sorts of trouble they cause, and what kind of punishment
lie ahead for them if caught.

Hackers and Crackers break into computer systems for any of a wide
variety of reasons. Many groups break into computers for capital gain while
still others do it as a means to pass time at work or at school. For most it's
a thrill to figure out how to break into a computer. Most people never have any
intention of causing harm. I believe that for the vast majority of people it's
merely the thrill of the "hunt" at pushes them to such great lengths. Many
employees that work in large corporations feel that they don't get paid as much
as they should. Therefore if they have high security clearance they are able to
capitalize from that by selling the data they have access to on the black-market.
Whether it be Ford Motor companies plan for the 1999 F-150 or spec sheets for
the military's new bomber it happens everyday. Too by left is a drawing that
illustrates the method that most Hackers use to take over your computer. Ever
since the dial-up connection was invented anyone with a modem had the ability to
wreck any one of thousands of computers.

One of the most talked about forms of computer crime is computer viruses.
A computer virus is a small but highly destructive program written by an
unscrupulous computer Hacker. Back in 1984 a 17 year old computer Hacker single
handedly brought down four hundred thousand computers in a matter of hours.
Too my left is a graph depicting the # of computer crimes comited from 1988 till
now. Some Hackers create a program called a worm. A worm is a piece of
malicious software and is part of the virus family. People write worms to
transfer money from bank accounts into their own personal checking account.
Another way that Hackers cause trouble is by altering the telephone switching
networks at MCI, AT&T, and Sprint. By doing this they are able to listen to
any conversation they choose. Often-times they will listen in on the Police and
FBI communicating with each-other. This allows them to move to a new location
before they are found. Some Hackers use their knowledge of the telephone system
to turn their enemies home telephone into a virtual pay-phone that asks for
quarters whenever you take the phone off the hook.

A person to commits a computer crime in caught will very likely face a
substantial punishment. Often these types of criminals are never caught unless
they really screw up. The most wanted Hacker Kevin Mitinick was tracked down
and arrested after he broke into a computer that belonged to a Japanese security
professional. After this man noticed that someone had gotten into his computer
he dedicated the rest of his life to tracking down this one man. Kevin was
able to say one step ahead of police for some time but the fatal mistake that he
made was leaving a voice-mail message on a computer bragging about the fact that
he thought he was unstoppable. When he was arrested he faced a 250,000 dollar
fine, 900 hours community service, and a 10 year jail sentence. Many schools
and small businesses still don't have a clue about how to deal with computer
crimes and the like whenever they happen to strike.

In conclusion hopefully you now know a little more about computer crimes
and the people who commit them. Although most computer crimes are never
accounted for the ones that are, are almost always prosecuted to the fullest
extent under the law.