Internet Crimes, Term Paper Example

There is no question that the world has become a different place since the development of computer technology.  Indeed, in virtually every area of our lives—financial, social, physical, educational, and many others—we are dependent on cyber-technology to perform our daily functions both at work and at home, for professional and social purposes.  It has changed the educational process for children as well, extending to impoverished third- world countries who are frequently the recipients of computers provided by human relief organizations with the goal of bringing those societies into the 21^st century.  In addition, it has helped people with very limited resources to advance to educational and professional roles that they would not ordinarily have had, without the exposure to computers.

While the benefits of cyber-technology are many and widely acknowledged, they have also opened up a whole new realm of criminal behavior; Internet crime, or as it is commonly known, cyber-crime, takes many forms and only continues to increase in sophistication and magnitude.  These threats can range from being relatively harmless although aggravating, to dangerous and potentially devastating.  This paper will describe the most common and various types of Internet crimes, the manner in which cyber-attacks can be prevented or thwarted, and the threat to national security that cyber-attacks may present, potentially, and how that issue is being addressed.

Forms of cybercrimes

As stated, there are increasing forms of cybercrimes developing constantly.  Some of the most common are:

• Hacking, in which a computer system is reprogrammed in ways that are counter to the intentions of the computer’s owner. This crime has significant implications for national security, since it could not only sabotage the classification of information but it could potentially cause havoc, such as hacking into the power grid or the intelligence-gathering services.
• Identity fraud and theft, crimes which occur when someone illegally utilizes the personal information belonging to someone else, typically for financial benefits.
• Cyber-stalking, when a criminal harasses a victim through electronic means such as e-mail, sending messages through an Internet chat room, and is able to remain anonymous because of the nature of cyberspace.
• Denial-of-service attacks, in which the victims are unable to access their accounts or Internet services such as e-mail.
• Spam, or using electronic messages to send unsolicited messages in bulk.
• Viruses, which are computer programs that can reproduce and infect an unlimited number of host computers unwittingly.
• Malware, which is short for malicious software, includes a variety of forms of aggressive, intrusive, or annoying software which invades computers without their owner’s consent.
• Phishing, in which emails are sent to a receiver falsely pretending to be a legitimate sender, usually a business enterprise, in an effort to obtain private information such as passwords and usernames, social security numbers, and other personal data that often results in identity fraud or other fraudulent crimes.
• Credit card fraud, a common Internet crime that occurs when the member’s credit card information is obtained online and used illegally to purchase goods and services.
• Illegal downloading, which occurs when someone downloads any type of files or software such as movies and music, while ignoring the copyright of the original artist and not paying for the software, essentially committing theft of services.
• Child pornography, which involves taking pictures or videos of children performing or being used for sexual acts and then posting those pictures on the Internet.
• Industrial espionage or information warfare, when someone spies on their competitors to gain the advantage, financially.
• Kidnapping children via chat rooms which is, unfortunately, a new and modern way for child molesters to find their victims. (Divine, 2010)
• Obscene or offensive content that is often used on the Internet for many reasons including harassment or for the gratification of the person who posts the material.
• Harassment occurs when a specific individual or individuals are the targets of hateful or negative comments, often based on race, ethnicity, gender, or sexual preference.
• Cyber-terrorism involves the hacking into and crashing of official web sites such as government and national security sites. Recently, there have been many such concerns that have been covered extensively by the New York Times (Shanker, 2010.)
• Electronic money laundering and tax evasion, which utilizes computer technology to conceal monies obtained illegally, and to avoid paying taxes on them (Ophardt, 2010).
• Privacy problems, when information is lost, and becomes a huge obstacle for people when, for example, their medical information which has been computerized is either on a network that crashes, or that is hacked into and their information falls into the hands of other, unauthorized people. In worst case scenarios, until the health reform care bill becomes law, in that situation, people could be denied health insurance based on pre- existing conditions.

Prevention of Cybercrimes

Despite the many methods used to commit cyber-crime, there are aexisting lso various ways in which one can protect oneself from these illegal acts.  The most obvious way is to refrain from posting personal information on the Internet, especially using social networks such as Facebook and Twitter.  It is never advisable to disclose one’s full name, address, Social Security number, credit card information, and other vital statistics on the Internet.  When buying products online, it is imperative to make sure that the sites one is using are secure and reputable.  It can be very useful to do a web search, using the name of the company involved, since it happens frequently that when customers have negative experiences with businesses, they post the information online to warn other perspective customers to avoid that service.  In addition, it can be helpful to check the Better-Business-Bureau website to see if the company has a record of complaints filed against it.

Changing passwords frequently, as well as having different passwords for different websites can also decrease the chances that if someone obtains your personal information through a password, they will not be able to use your identity at every site which you visit.  In addition, it helps to have passwords that are not too obviously associated with an individual, such as a birth date, address, telephone number and first or last name.

It is also important to thoroughly look over one’s credit card statements and financial statements on a monthly basis, to make sure that everything that appears on those statements are transactions that have been legitimately authorized.  It is also unwise to meet someone that initially has been encountered online without taking precautions such as bringing other people along and scheduling the encounter in a public place.

Purchasing a good virus software program can also significantly decrease the chances that someone will be successful in invading one’s computer; many of these programs provide thorough protection that includes security for files as well as protection from being attacked by spyware, Malware, and viruses.

It is also important to increase computer security by not posting personal photos for online profiles at social networking sites, especially for users that are underage.  In addition, it is always a mistake to post pictures that could possibly jeopardize one’s reputation or even potentially have an effect on future college or employment applications.

Another way to protect oneself from cybercrime is to look at every credit report on an annual basis to make sure that they reflect accurately one’s credit card and other financial accounts.  Finally, if there is anything suspicious in any of these areas, or there is harassment in any form or maliciousness directed at an individual on their computer, the authorities must be contacted so that they can investigate the matter and if appropriate, take action.

Cyber-warfare and National Security

There have been many documented cases of cyber warfare committed all throughout the world.  For example, in 1982, Soviet spies stole computer information from a Canadian Company that resulted in a gas pipeline exploding.  Nearly two decades ago, the Air Force reported that a computer virus had appeared on a printer chip and traveled to Iraq; the apparent purpose of this crime was to cause Iraqi anti-aircraft guns to malfunction.  Instead, however, the virus was found to be a fake.

The topic of cyber warfare and its impact on national security cannot be easily dismissed.  Cyber-war refers to “hostile attempts by one nation to penetrate another’s’ computers or networks” (Clarke & Knake, 2010.) These attacks can take many forms: attacking an area through remote means, such as the unmanned drones currently used to launch attacks in Iraq and Afghanistan; information-gathering, in which classified information is illegally intercepted by an enemy or competitor; sabotage, or the disruption of a system of equipment such as power, water, fuel, communications, and transportation providers; hacking into the electrical power grid; and infiltration of classified national security documents.

The United States has been victimized in the past by cyber-warfare.  In 2008, spies from various countries including China and Russia infiltrated the United States electrical system, leaving behind software that was intended to disrupt the whole system (Gorman ,2008.) SP it was believed that the purpose of that mission was to become familiar with the electrical system and its administration.  Although the invaders did not do any damage to the electrical system, and did not appear two have that as its mission, experts felt that during a time of war, there could have been a different outcome.  These activities were not detected by the companies that were involved in the disruptions, but rather by United States intelligence agencies.  That fact actually bodes well for the United States because the attack was thwarted before it had done damage.  Other aspects of our infrastructure, including water and sewage systems, could be vulnerable to the same sorts of attacks (Gorman.).

On the other hand, the United States has not always been the innocent party when it comes to hacking into computers to serve its purposes.  In 1998, the U.S. hacked into the Serbian Air defense system in order to bomb Serbian targets in Kosovo, along with NATO forces.  The mission was successful and the goal was accomplished but there was a decision made to discontinue the attacks because there was the worry that civilian targets would become damaged.  In the Middle East, conflicts between Israel and Hezbollah have involved computer hacking into each other’s systems, with the help of Soviets.

Recently, the New York Times published a story describing the concerns about cyber-warfare that were expressed by an Army intelligence officer nominated to lead a new Pentagon  department devoted to cyberspace warfare.  Keith Alexander, the nominee, warned Congress that policy directives and legal controls over digital combat are outdated and have not kept up with the military’s technological capabilities (Shanker, 2010.) In his contact with Congress, General Alexander described the various targets that his new department could possibly attack in the future, including traditional battlefield settings such as command-and-control systems, air defense bases and computerized weapons systems.  In addition, to the alarm of many, he included in his list of potential targets civilian institutions and infrastructure such as banks, the power grids, communications and transportation.  The evidence of how seriously cyber-warfare is taken as a threat to National Security is the fact that General Alexander’s only purpose in his position is to confront cyberspace and cyber-warfare.  Although traditionally, the military only functions inside the United States if there is an attack within the borders, a computer attack would occur quickly and without warning.  The gravity of responding to such an attack is underscored by the fact that only a presidential order could allow the Defense department to respond.

In conclusion, it is difficult to imagine how the world functioned prior to the arrival and widespread use of computer technology. The vast array of functions that computers perform present unlimited abilities to reach out across the globe, making the world a smaller place in which people are interconnected at all times.  When there is a disaster or catastrophic event, computers allow the ability to respond quickly and humanly, creating a truly global community.  Along with all the benefits of this new technology, however, is the development of the new underworld of crime that has taken advantage of cyber-technology to engage in illicit behaviors, some of them extremely brilliant in their malevolence.  It is impossible to comprehend that whenever something new arrives to enhance people’s lives, there is a segment of the population that responds with evil intent.  The good news, however, is that there are certainly ways to minimize the chances that one will become a victim of Internet crime.  This paper has outlined the dangers as well as the preventive measures in an effort to demonstrate that far from being helpless to combat Internet crime, we have much control over whether or not we fall victim to its perpetrators.

References

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