Computers have become much more important and popular to our society in recent decades. The computer’s ability to perform so many tasks speedily and reliably makes it useful for a wide variety of purposes. Therefore much important information is stored on computers. Because people and organisations depend on computers every day for a variety of significant tasks, it is imperative that the systems which are used are protected from loss, damage and misuse. This essay identifies some potential risks to computer systems and software and the safeguards that can be taken to minimise these risks. A computer security risk is defined as any event or action that could cause a loss or damage to computer equipment, software, data and information, or processing capability. Some of these risks, such as viruses, unauthorised access and use, and information theft, involve deliberate acts, which are against the law. Any illegal act involving a computer generally is referred to as a computer crime. With the advent of the modern day digital computer, a new methodology of crime has been created. Electronic crime is held partly responsible for wreaking havoc in the financial world. Computer systems are under attack from a multitude of sources today. These range from human threats such as hackers to malicious code such as viruses and worms. The term hacker, though initially a positive term, has become associated with people who try to break into computer systems. Crackers and hackers typically break into systems by connecting to them via modems and logging in as a user. Some do no damage, but merely wander around the system before logging off, while others leave some evidence of their presence by either leaving a message or altering data. Unauthorized use is the use of a computer system or computer data for unapproved or possibly illegal activities. This may range from an employee using the database for personal activities to gaining access to a bank system and completing an unauthorized transfer Human threats are perpetrated by a person or groups of people who attempt to penetrate computer systems through computer networks, public switched telephone networks or other sources. These attacks generally attack known security vulnerabilities of systems. These vulnerabilities are mainly due to software configuration errors. Methods used by hackers to gain unauthorised acces... ... middle of paper ... ...vity. Society is still seeing the infancy of computers, not just in its general growth, but in its capabilities of controlling every facet of our normal lives. If we do not attempt to broaden our awareness of computer science, we will continue to become victims of electronic attacks. Virus problem is getting worse. Increasing pressures to connect to the outside world, exchange information and do it all rapidly, decrease the control over what is exchanged and increases the potential for malicious code to penetrate even the best protected environments. The virus-writing underworld is determined to cause as much damage and trouble as they can, using the Internet to the maximum potential to spread rapidly while not exposing themselves to any dangers of being caught. Anti-virus companies are finding it more difficult to keep up the research effort and most recently consolidated or abandoned their efforts. The future is not very rosy, but given sufficient determination and resources to crack the virus problem, it is possible to combat it. Hopefully, after reading this report you have a better understanding of what future lies before us and what we must do to keep its integrity intact.
In reality, most hackers are ordinary people with a great deal of curiosity, above-average skills with a computer, a good understanding of human nature, and plenty of time to kill. Hackers have no distinguishing characteristics. Your next-door neighbor could be a hacker, as could your niece or nephew, one of your co-workers, or even the kid who serves you coffee in the morning. Not all hackers are dangerous and out to destroy business or damage lives. The view of the general public toward hackers is mixed. A recent CNN-poll shows 33% of respondents labeling hackers as "useful," 17% seeing them "as a menace," and the majority (45%) seeing hackers as "both" useful and a menace (CNN, 1999).
Hackers are people who are getting into our computer systems, destroying our personal property and stealing our information. Years ago, a hacker was a person who was capable of creating elegant and or unusual uses of technology. These days, a hacker refers to a person who attempts to penetrate security systems on remote computers (Hackers 2). Not only are computer hackers causing many problems for businesses, they are also causing many problems for the average person. Hackers get in personal information and get a hold of credit card numbers, various banking accounts and financial information, and just about anything else they want to know about you. They are going to get it whether you like it or not.
While there are several competing if loosely defined definitions of cyberterrorism, Hua and Bapta have clearly broken down the core elements to illuminate the nuances between traditional terrorism and an ordinary hacker. As Hua and Bapta aptly state, "modern economies are heavily dependent upon Information Technology (IT) based information systems for survival" (Hua & Bapna 2013). Given our dependence on Information Systems, some effort of consideration must be given to securing them.
Hacking has two primary definitions; the first refers to the enthusiastic and skilful use of computers to solve problems (Techterms, 2013); the second, to “gain unauthorized access to data in a system or computer” (Oxford Dictionaries, 2013). In the context of this essay the second definition is more appropriate and will be the meaning inferred throughout. This definition also more closely aligns with legal terminology used in the UK when describing the hacking of computers. The Computer Misuse Act (1990) introduced three criminal offenses:
The history of cybercrime goes back to 1971 and the first computer virus called the Creeper which was created by Bob H. Thomas, who was a BBN engineer (Dalakov, Meltzer, and Phillips). BBN which stands for Bolt, Beranek and Newman, is now Raytheon BBN Technologies (“About”, Dalakov). A computer virus is a program that is created to cause damage to a computer or perform other malicious acts (204). The Creeper virus was designed to infect the ARPANET network. The ARPANET, which stands for Advance Research Projects Agency was set up by the U.S. Government as an agency in 1969 to provide a network of computers that would connect various academic and research organizations; it was the predecessor of the Internet (“Internet”, Morley, and Parker).
"Hacking" is defined as making a modification to something to improve it or to make it do something it was not originally intended to do. A hacker is someone who will seek out security flaws or holes in a computer or telephone system. Media coverage has given the term "hacker" a negative connotation. However, the original usage was complimentary, indicating someone with a high level of technical sophistication, or someone who enjoyed the intellectual challenge of overcoming or circumventing limitations.
Computer crime is defined as, “Criminal activity directly related to the use of computers, specifically illegal trespass into the computer system or database of another, manipulation or theft of stored or on-line data, or sabotage of equipment and data.”(1). This includes both crimes using computers and crimes against computers.
In today’s society technology is used for everything. With the invention of computers and the internet this open doors to the cyber world. Today you can do almost anything without having to leave your home. The internet gives us the opportunity of shopping online, ordering food online, working from home and video chatting with friends and family across the world. Everyone has a computer and internet access in their homes. While the internet is really convenient it also opens doors for cybercrimes, loss of privacy and the need for computer security.
In Computer security terminology Hacker is a person or group of persons, who exploit, modify and identify weakness in a computer system or network. Hacker may be motivates of reasons such as profit, protest and challenge. based on attitude, belief, and goals hacker groups are categories such as
Privacy exist wherever personal information or other sensitive information is collected, stored, used, and finally destroyed or deleted – in digital form or otherwise. The challenge of data privacy is to use data while safe-guarding individual's privacy preferences and their personally identifiable information. The fields of computer security, data security, and information security design and utilize software, hardware, and human resources to address this issue.
Have you ever been a victim of Cybercrime? In today’s society, you can be a victim of cyber crime at any time of day because everything is based off of technology. Our society is all about fast pace and advancement of technology. People entire lives revolve around technology, which we use every day to get things done. Computer systems practically run much of the world today from security systems to the computer systems that run most businesses technology is taking control of the world. In this age of technology cybercrime becomes an increasingly more concerning issue. The world’s growing dependency on technology also leads to the world’s vulnerability. Steps are in place to protect against and prevent
Cybercrime refers to all forms of crime conducted through a computer or a mobile device using computer networks. It is thus the use of a computer with the aim of intercepting and manipulating content, disrupting communication, stealing or generally destroying others’ information or hardware through a network. Although cybercrime is a worldwide problem and affects both small and big companies, small companies are affected more from the dangers of cybercrime. The rapid advancement in technology is causing tremendous problems to businesses in terms of more sophisticated cyber-attacks. This project is interesting and beneficial because it enlightens one on the dangers of cybercrime, thus preparing individuals to know how to prevent attacks while online, how to reduce the effects of a cyber-attack and how to prevent future
It's hard to imagine that anyone in today's technologically oriented world could function without computers. Personal computers are linked to business computers and financial networks, and all are linked together via the Internet or other networks. More than a hundred million electronic messages travel through cyberspace every day, and every piece of information stored in a computer is vulnerable to attack (Icove-Seger-VonStorch 1). Yesterday's bank robbers have become today's computer hackers. They can walk away from a computer crime with millions of virtual dollars (in the form of information they can use or sell for an enormous profit). Walking away is precisely what they do. The National Computer Crimes Squad estimates that 85-97 % of the time, theft of information from computers is not even detected (Icove-Seger-VonStorch 1). Home computer users are vulnerable, not only for credit card information and login IDs, but also their files, disks, and other computer equipment and data, which are subject to attack. Even if this information is not confidential, having to reconstruct what has been destroyed by a hacker can take days (Icove-Seger-VonStorch 1). William Cheswick, a network-security specialist at AT&T Bell Labs, says the home computers that use the Internet are singularly vulnerable to attack. "The Internet is like a vault with a screen door on the back," says Cheswick. "I don't need jackhammers and atom bombs to get in when I can walk in through the door" (Quittner 44). The use of the Internet has become one of the most popular ways to communicate.
via computers, more common than people think. “Identity theft is the number one crime in
The advantages of technology and the internet have led more criminals to use cyberspace to commit crimes. The threat of cybercrime is increasing as globalization continues to spread across the world. While the impact of globalization has led to amazing, new discoveries throughout the world, Internet connectivity has also made cybercrime easier. America and the rest of the world have become more reliant on technology and use it in more aspects of their lives, technology-users make themselves more vulnerable to cyber attacks. Globalization and the growing use of computers in the world have given people a motive to learn more about computing and become more knowledgeable as programmers. As these people learn more, there is a risk that they will use their new intelligence to commit cybercrimes.