COMPUTER CRIME THE

CRIME OF THE FUTURE

ITAB TERM PAPER

Vignv[Type text] Page 1

 I.T Applications for Business

Term Paper Report

Submitted to:
Mrs. Ch. Jyothi

Submitted by:
1. C.V. Vedavyas (10207)
2. K. Chaitanya (10208)
3. C.S.N. Rao (10209)
4. K. Deepak (10210)
5. Dibya Ranjan (10211)
6. Reena Julie (10212)

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INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................................4
CYBER STALKING..........................................................................................................................................5
DEFAMATION..............................................................................................................................................7
Intellectual Property Theft..........................................................................................................................9
CREDIT CARDS FRAUDS..............................................................................................................................11
CYBER TERRORISM....................................................................................................................................13
MONEY LAUNDERING................................................................................................................................15
HACKING....................................................................................................................................................17
IDENTITY THEFT.........................................................................................................................................19
SALE OF ILLEGAL DOCUMENTS..................................................................................................................21
Spreading of Viruses & Worms..................................................................................................................22
Data Theft..................................................................................................................................................23
Crimes of the Future..................................................................................................................................24
CONCLUSION.............................................................................................................................................25
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................................26

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 INTRODUCTION

Computer crime is an issue rapidly increasing in size as computers become more widespread and
interconnected. One reason computer crime seems so important is because it can involve the
displacement of large amounts of money virtually instantaneously, simply because so many
records exist only or primarily on computers. However, this is again too narrow a view of the
effects of computer crime. As we define computer crime to be any crime in which the computer
is the primary factor, we see that not only our money, but also our children and our privacy are at
risk. Recently, a radical anti-abortionist web site was found guilty of threatening the life of
doctors who performed abortions. This constitutes a new way of using computers to commit a
crime that falls outside of many older definitions, but it is clearly an activity that is extremely
important to prevent in the future but Computer Crime Is Connected to Everything

Here are no precise, reliable statistics on the amount of computer crime and the economic loss to
victims, partly because many of these crimes are apparently not detected by victims, many of
these crimes are never reported to authorities, and partly because the losses are often difficult to
calculate. Nevertheless, there is a consensus among both law enforcement personnel and
computer scientists who specialize in security that both the number of computer crime incidents
and the sophistication of computer criminals is increasing rapidly

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 CYBER STALKING

Cyber stalking is the use of the Internet or other electronic means to stalk or harass an
individual, a group of individuals, or an organization. It may include false accusations,
monitoring, making threats, identity theft, and damage to data or equipment, the solicitation of
minors for sex, or gathering information in order to harass. The definition of "harassment" must
meet the criterion that a reasonable person, in possession of the same information, would regard
it as sufficient to cause another reasonable person distress.

When identifying cyber stalking "in the field," and particularly when considering whether to
report it to any kind of legal authority, the following features or combination of features can be
considered to characterize a true stalking situation: malice, premeditation, repetition, distress,
obsession, vendetta, no legitimate purpose, personally directed, disregarded warnings to stop,
harassment, and threats. A number of key factors have been identified.

 False accusations: Many cyber stalkers try to damage the reputation of their victim and
turn other people against them. They post false information about them on websites. They
may set up their own websites, blogs or user pages for this purpose. They post allegations
about the victim to newsgroups, chat rooms or other sites that allow public contributions,
such as Wikipedia or Amazon.com.
 Attempts to gather information about the victim: Cyber stalkers may approach their
victim's friends, family and work colleagues to obtain personal information. They may
advertise for information on the Internet, or hire a private detective. They often will
monitor the victim's online activities and attempt to trace their IP address in an effort to
gather more information about their victims.
 Encouraging others to harass the victim: Many cyber stalkers try to involve third
parties in the harassment. They may claim the victim has harmed the stalker or his/her
family in some way, or may post the victim's name and telephone number in order to
encourage others to join the pursuit.
 False victimization: The cyber stalker will claim that the victim is harassing him/her.

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  Attacks on data and equipment: They may try to damage the victim's computer by
sending viruses.
 Ordering goods and services: They order items or subscribe to magazines in the
victim's name. These often involve subscriptions to pornography or ordering sex toys
then having them delivered to the victim's workplace.
 Arranging to meet: Young people face a particularly high risk of having cyberstalkers
try to set up meetings between them.

Cyber stalkers have been classified into different categories

1) obsessed lovers.
2) Delusional people who often believe that a stranger is or can fall in love with them…as in the
case of fans stalking celebrities.
3) Vengeful cyber stalkers are those who have a grudge against his victim due to some minor or
imagined reason.
4) Racist stalkers who target particular communities.
5) Egoistic aggressors who want to show-off to their friends.

Suggestions:
1) Not to sharing personal information online.
2) Not to filling out profiles on websites
3) Not to using gender specific or provocative screen names or e-mail addresses
4) Not to flirting or arguing online

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 DEFAMATION

Internet Defamation is a negative false statement of material fact published on the Internet. 
With the Internet, defamatory statements can be published online to a worldwide audience,
making Internet Defamation potentially disastrous to your reputation and to your business.  It
takes the expertise and experience of an Internet Defamation Lawyer to assist you in protecting
your good name. Internet business competition is unforgiving.  Your competitors may attempt to
engage in Internet business defamation

Internet libel or online libel by posting defamatory posts to gain a competitive advantage. 
Defamatory forum posts, blog posts, or online articles could ruin your business.  Once the
Internet defamation is circulated on the Internet, recovering from Internet defamation may be
difficult and time consuming.  Your business may not be able to recover its lost customers and
the business opportunities lost because of Internet defamation.  An Internet defamation lawyer
with our firm is an expert in removing defamatory posts on the Internet and in prosecuting legal
action against those who defame your business online, even cyber-gripers

As an individual, a defamatory post may keep you from obtaining your dream job or from
growing your own business.  As a professional, Internet defamation may cause you to lose your
clients and be questioned by your peers.  Our Internet defamation attorneys can assist you to
protect your good name. Internet defamation laws may vary by jurisdiction. An Internet
defamation lawyer with experience in cyber libel, cyber slander, Internet defamation law, and in-
depth knowledge of the technical aspects of the Internet can effectively assist you to defend your
name from cyber defamation.

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Suggestions:

 Separate your email addresses. For example if you buy and sell on Craigslist or Ebay than
make one email, address for them. Keep a separate email address just for employment
related purposes because potential employers WILL google it. This way if one of your
email addresses gets compromised, you are still safe.
 NEVER give out your complete name in forums, blogs, and article postings. This allows
Google to not cache your name and store it for upcoming searches for years and years.
Also, if you have a unique first name, do not use it either but instead use an alias.
 Do not give out your telephone numbers when posting articles, blogs, forum postings,
and classifieds. Instead just use your made up email address for contact purposes.
 Try to keep online transactions as much on email as possible. When you share phone
numbers then people can easily compromise your identity and defame you if needed.

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 Intellectual Property Theft

Intellectual property (IP) theft is defined as theft of material that is copyrighted, the theft of trade
secrets, and trademark violations. A copyright is the legal right of an author, publisher,

composer, or other person who creates a work to exclusively print, publish, distribute, or perform
the work in public. The United States leads the world in the creation and selling of IP products to
buyers nationwide and internationally. Examples of copyrighted material commonly stolen
online are computer software, recorded music, movies, and electronic games.

Theft of trade secrets means the theft of ideas, plans, methods, technologies, or any sensitive
information from all types of industries including manufacturers, financial service institutions,
and the computer industry. Trade secrets are plans for a higher speed computer, designs for a
highly fuel-efficient car, a company's manufacturing procedures, or the recipe for a popular salad
dressing, cookie mix, or barbeque sauce. These secrets are owned by the company and give it a
competitive edge. Theft of trade secrets damages the competitive edge and therefore the
economic base of a business.

A trademark is the registered name or identifying symbol of a product that can be used only by
the product's owner. A trademark violation involves counterfeiting or copying brand name
products such as well-known types of shoes, clothing, and electronics equipment and selling
them as the genuine or original product.

In the twenty-first century software, music, and trade secret pirates operate through the Internet.
Anything that can be digitized reduced to a series of zeroes and ones can be transmitted rapidly
from one computer to another. There is no reduction of quality in second, third, or fourth
generation copies. Pirated digital copies of copyrighted work transmitted over the Internet

Recommendations:
 Review and amend existing intellectual property rights (IPR) related legislation to ensure
better enforcement in the country.
 Provide Jordan’s National Library with adequate financial and technical resources to
ensure improved law enforcement.

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  Provide adequate human resources, specialized in IPR and copyright It related issues,
such as e–security to ensure adequate enforcement.
 Encourage universities and research centers to conduct research on computer software
piracy in Jordan to identify appropriate preventative actions and remedies.
 Continue and enhance the support to the awareness campaigns about IPR and copyright
conducted by The Jordan intellectual property association (JIPA) and other organizations.
Specific awareness seminars must target Software developers, and mainly exporters to
educate them about these laws and resources and how to utilize them to protect their
intellectual property interests domestically and abroad.
 Build the capacity of Jordanian judges to become capable of handling computer software
piracy cases.
 Coordinate with international organizations to learn from developing countries’
experiences in combating computer software piracy.

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 CREDIT CARDS FRAUDS

Credit Card Fraud is one of the biggest threats to business establishments today. However, to
combat the fraud effectively, it is important to first understand the mechanisms of executing a
fraud. Credit card fraudsters employ a large number of techniques to commit fraud.
Credit card frauds are committed in the following ways:
1. An act of criminal deception (mislead with intent) by use of unauthorized account and/or
personal information.
2. Illegal or unauthorized use of account for personal gain.
3. Misrepresentation of account information to obtain goods and/or services.
Lost or stolen card is the most common type of fraud; others include identity theft, skimming,
counterfeit card, mail intercept fraud and others.
Amongst the high-risk countries facing Credit Card Fraud menace, Ukraine tops the list with
staggering 19% fraud rate closely followed by Indonesia at 18.3% fraud rate. Also in the list of
high risk countries are Yugoslavia (17.8%), Turkey (9%) and Malaysia (5.9%). Surprisingly
United States, with its high number Credit Card transactions, has a minimum fraud rate.
Fraudsters execute a credit card fraud in many ways.
As technology changes, so do the technology of fraudsters, and thus the way in which they go
about carrying out fraudulent activities. Frauds can be broadly classified into three categories,
i.e., traditional card related frauds, merchant related frauds and internet frauds.

Internet Related Frauds

The Internet has provided an ideal ground for fraudsters to commit credit card fraud in an easy
manner. Fraudsters have recently begun to operate on a truly transnational level. With the
expansion of trans-border or 'global' social, economic and political spaces, the internet has
become a New World market, capturing consumers from most countries around the world. The
most commonly used techniques in internet fraud

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1. Site cloning: Site cloning is where fraudsters clone an entire site or just the pages from which
you place your order. Customers have no reason to believe they are not dealing with the
company that they wished to purchase goods or services from because the pages that they are
viewing are identical to those of the real site. The cloned or spoofed site will receive these details
and send the customer a receipt of the transaction via email just as the real company would. The
consumer suspects nothing, whilst the fraudsters have all the details they need to commit credit
card fraud.
2. False merchant sites: These sites often offer the customer an extremely cheap service. The
site requests a customer’s complete credit card details such as name and address in return for
access to the content of the site. Most of these sites claim to be free, but require a valid credit
card number to verify an individual’s age. These sites are set up to accumulate as many credit
card numbers as possible. The sites themselves never charge individuals for the services they
provide. The sites are usually part of a larger criminal network that either uses the details it
collects to raise revenues or sells valid credit card details to small fraudsters.
Credit card generators: These are computer programs that generate valid credit card numbers
and expiry dates. These generators work by generating lists of credit card account numbers from
a single account number. The software works by using the mathematical Lehn algorithm that
card issuers use to generate other valid card number combinations. The generators allow users to
illegally generate as many numbers as the user desires, in the form of any of the credit card
formats, whether it be American Express, Visa or MasterCard.

Recommendations
1 .The Card Verification Method3 (CVM) consists of a 3- or 4-digit numeric code printed on the
card but it is not embossed on the card and is not available in the magnetic stripe, fraudsters who
have temporary possession of a card could, in principle, read and copy the CVM code.
2. Biometrics, which provides a means to identify an individual through the verification of
unique physical or behavioral characteristics, seems to super cede PIN as a basis for the next
generation of personal identity verification systems. There are many types of biometrics systems
under development such as finger print verification, hand based verification, retinal and iris
scanning and dynamic signature verification.

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 CYBER TERRORISM

Cyber terrorism is a phrase used to describe the use of Internet based attacks in terrorist
activities, including acts of deliberate, large-scale disruption of computer networks, especially of
personal computers attached to the Internet, by the means of tools such as computer viruses.

There are an almost uncountable number of ways that the terrorist can use the computer as a tool.
Facilitating identity theft, computer viruses, hacking, and use of malware, destruction or
manipulation of data all fall under this category. These uses of the computer, when combined
with ‘computer as target’ form the ‘traditional’ picture of cyber terrorism. These will be
discussed in more detail later in the section Computers: The Weapon of the Cyber terrorist.
The new terrorism
New terrorist organizations are highly funded, technologically articulate groups capable of
inflicting devastating damage to a wide range of targets. While most published work in the
computer industry has focused on the impact of the computer as target (pure cyberterrorism) it is
our belief that the real danger posed by the synthesis of computers and terrorism is not only the
insertion of computer as target in the terrorism matrix, but in many of the other areas, too.
The most deadly and destructive consequence of this helplessness is the emergence of the
concept of “cyber terrorism”. The traditional concepts and methods of terrorism have taken new
dimensions, which are more destructive and deadly in nature. In the age of information
technology, the terrorists have acquired an expertise to produce the most deadly combination of
weapons and technology, which if not properly safeguarded in due course of time, will take its
own toll. The damage so produced would be almost irreversible and most catastrophic in nature.
Cyber terrorism is the premeditated, politically motivated attack against information, computer
systems, computer programs, and data which result in violence against noncombatant targets by
sub national groups or clandestine agents.”
Computers — the weapons of the cyber terrorism
It becomes obvious that the most likely ‘weapon’ of the cyber terrorist is the computer. Thus,
one might ask, are we arguing that one should restrict access to computers, just as access to
explosives is restricted? Not quite, but close. We believe that the stockpile of connected
computers needs to be protected. There are many laws that define how one should protect a

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firearm from illegal/dangerous use. The mandatory use of trigger locks, though controversial, has
been put forward to prevent danger should the gun end up in the wrong hands. Similarly,
powerful explosives like C4 are not simply sold over the counter at the corner store. Explosives
and guns are certainly not entirely analogous to computers. A better analogy might stem from the
concept of an ‘attractive nuisance’.
A Cyber Terrorist will place a number of computerized bombs around a city, all simultaneously
transmitting unique numeric patterns, each bomb receiving each other's pattern. If bomb one
stops transmitting, all the bombs detonate simultaneously. The keys: 1) the Cyber Terrorist does
not have to be strapped to any of these bombs; 2) no large truck is required; 3) the number of
bombs and urban dispersion are extensive; 4) the encrypted patterns cannot be predicted and
matched through alternate transmission; and 5) the number of bombs prevents disarming them all
simultaneously. The bombs will detonate.

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 MONEY LAUNDERING

Money laundering refers to the process of concealing financial transactions. Various laundering
techniques can be employed by individuals, groups, officials and corporations. The goal of a
money laundering operation is usually to hide either the source or the destination of money.
Money laundering happens in almost every country in the world, and a single scheme typically
involves transferring money through several countries in order to obscure its origins. In this
article, we will learn exactly what money laundering is and why it's necessary, who launders
money and how they do it and what steps the authorities are taking to try to foil money-
laundering operations.

The most common types of criminals who need to launder money are drug traffickers,
embezzlers, corrupt politicians and public officials, mobsters, terrorists and con artists. Drug
traffickers are in serious need of good laundering systems because they deal almost exclusively
in cash, which causes all sorts of logistics problems. Not only does cash draw the attention of
law-enforcement officials, but it's also really heavy.

The basic money laundering process has three steps:

1. Placement - At this stage, the launderer inserts the dirty money into a legitimate financial
institution. This is often in the form of cash bank deposits. This is the riskiest stage of the
laundering process because large amounts of cash are pretty conspicuous, and banks are
required to report high-value transactions
2. Layering - Layering involves sending the money through various financial transactions
to change its form and make it difficult to follow. Layering may consist of several bank-
to-bank transfers, wire transfers between different accounts in different names in different
countries, making deposits and withdrawals to continually vary the amount of money in
the accounts, changing the money's currency, and purchasing high-value items (boats,
houses, cars, and diamonds) to change the form of the money. This is the most complex
step in any laundering scheme, and it's all about making the original dirty money as hard
to trace as possible.

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 3. Integration - At the integration stage, the money re-enters the mainstream economy in
legitimate-looking form -- it appears to come from a legal transaction. This may involve a
final bank transfer into the account of a local business in which the launderer is
"investing" in exchange for a cut of the profits, the sale of a yacht bought during the
layering stage or the purchase of a $10 million screwdriver from a company owned by
the launderer. At this point, the criminal can use the money without getting caught. It's
very difficult to catch a launderer during the integration stage if there is no
documentation during the previous stages.

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 HACKING

Computer hacking is when someone modifies computer hardware or software in a way that alters
the creators original intent. Hacker is a person who uses a computer system without a specific,
constructive purpose or without proper authorization. He is a person who gains unauthorized
access to a computer system and makes amendments.

What Do Hackers Do?

Access confidential Information

Threaten someone from your computer

Broadcast your confidential material or letter

Store illegal or espionage material

Hackers Technique

Foot printing

Scanning

Enumeration

Gaining Access

Escalating Privilege

Covering Tracks

Creating Backdoors

Denial of Service

Foot printing: To learn as much as you can target system, it’s remote access capabilities, it’s
port and services, and the aspects of its services.

Scanning: Bulk target assessment and identification of listing services focuses the attention on
the most promising avenues of entry.

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Enumeration: More intrusive probing now begins as attackers begin identifying valid user
accounts or poorly protected resource shares.

Gaining Access: Enough data has been gathered at this point to make an informed attempt to
access the target.

Escalating Privileges: If only user level access was obtained in the last step, the attacker will
now seek to gain the complete control of the system.

Covering Tracks: Once total ownership of the target is secured, hiding this from system
administrators become paramount, lest they quickly end the romp.

Creating Backdoors: Trapdoors will be laid in various parts of the system to ensure that
privileged access is easily regained at the whim if the intruder.

Denial of Service: If an attacker is unsuccessful in gaining access, they may use readily
available exploit code to disable a target as a last resort.

SIGNIFANT HACKS
2003 Two hackers who broke into Riverside County, California court computers and
electronically dismissed a variety of pending cases plead guilty to the crime. Both William
Grace, 22, and Brandon Wilson, 28, were sentenced to nine years in jail after pleading guilty to
72 counts of illegally entering a computer system and editing data, along with seven counts of
conspiracy to commit extortion

2002 Italian police arrest 14-suspected hackers who are accused of thousands of computer
intrusions, including attacks on   the U.S. Army and Navy and the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration. They were all members of two hacking groups, called Mentor and
Reservoir Dogs. 

2002 Hacker Vasily Gorshkov, 27, of Chelyabinsk, Russia, is sentenced to three years in prison
for convictions on 20 counts of conspiracy, fraud and related computer crimes. Gorshkov is also
ordered to pay restitution of nearly $700,000 for losses he caused to Speakeasy Network of
Seattle and the online credit card payment company PayPal. 

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 IDENTITY THEFT

Identity theft is a form of fraud in which someone pretends to be someone else by assuming that
person's identity, typically in order to access resources or obtain credit and other benefits in that
person's name. The victim of identity theft can suffer adverse consequences if he or she is held
accountable for the perpetrator's actions. Organizations and individuals who are duped or
defrauded by the identity thief can also suffer adverse consequences and losses, and to that extent
are also victims.

Types of Identity Theft

Shoulder Surfing

Skimming

Dumpster Diving

Taking Advantage of Your Offers

The Fraudulent E-mail

Phishing

Shoulder Surfing: This is where the thief nuzzles up to you, sometimes holding a hidden video
camera that is usually in a cell phone and tries to tell what your account number and PIN is while
you are performing a transaction at an ATM or on a telephone. This is why it is always a good
idea to keep an eye on who is around you when you are doing credit card transactions in public.
Shoulder surfing can even take place while you are in a store using a hand held debit device so it
is always a good idea to conceal the numeric pad as you punch your numbers in.

Skimming: This type of fraud usually happens in a place where you are required to give an
employee your card (such as a restaurant.) The employee disappears with your card to process it
but also puts it through a bit of extra processing by using a device that can copy the encrypted
information on the black magnetic stripe in your card. This information is then replicated to
create a copy of your original credit card so charges can be rung up on it.

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Dumpster Diving:  With this type of identity theft the thief goes through your garbage to find
receipts from cash registers, financial statements, credit card statements and even black carbon
statements in order to find out your personal information and your credit card number.

The Fraudulent E-mail: A very common way of obtaining passwords, account numbers, social
security numbers and other information is for the thief to send you an email under the guise of a
company that you trust. Very often, they pose as your credit card company, bank or another
institution that you hold an account with. They will tell you that there has been "fraud" suspected
on your account and that they need you to confirm your account number. Sometimes they will
ask you to change your password that is if they already have your account number. This is a
great way of getting your personal data. Some criminals even have advanced computer
technology that can obtain large amounts of personal data once you provide them with just one
or two important bits of information such as your social security number.

Phishing: This is where criminals posing as a credit consolidation company make you an offer
to obtain your credit report or fix your credit. In order to this they of course need your financial
information and some kind of fee. Once you pay the fee the company of course disappears.

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 SALE OF ILLEGAL DOCUMENTS

Cyber crime is an evil having its origin in the growing dependence on computers in modern
life. Defining cyber crimes, as “acts that are punishable by the information Technology Act”
would be unsuitable as the Indian Penal Code also covers many cyber crimes, such as e-mail
spoofing, cyber defamation, etc.
Cybercrime in a narrow sense (computer crime): Any illegal behavior directed by means of
electronic operations that targets the security of computer systems and the data processed by
them.
Cybercrime in a broader sense (computer-related crime): Any illegal behavior committed by
means of, or in relation to, a computer system or network, including such crimes as illegal
possession offering or distributing information by means of a computer system or network.

Sale of illegal articles: This would include sale of narcotics, weapons and wild life etc., by
posting information on website, bulletin or simply by using email communication

The international Trade in wildlife is a serious problem now days. Globally, illegal wildlife
trade is said to be the second largest illegal trade in volume.

The international illegal wildlife trade is sometimes differentiated from the geographic scale and
commercialization. Interpol has estimated the extent of the illegal wildlife trade between $10
billion and $20 billion per year. While the trade is a global one, with routes extending to every
continent, conservationists say the problem is most acute in Southeast Asia.

Illegal Drug: The illegal drug trade is a global black market. A UN report said the global drug
trade generated an estimated US$321.6 billion in 2003. With a world GDP of US$36 trillion in
the same year, the illegal drug trade may be estimated as slightly less than 1% of total global
commerce. Consumption of illegal drugs is widespread globally.

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 Spreading of Viruses & Worms

Viruses: A computer virus is a computer program that can copy itself and infect a computer
without permission or knowledge of the user. “A program that replicates by “infecting” other
programs, so that they contain a copy of the virus”

Worms: Worms are a subset of viruses .The differ in the the method of attachment; rather than
attaching to a file like a virus a worm copies itself across the network without attachment. Infects
the environment rather than specific objects.

Ex: Morris Worm, WANK, CHRISTMA EXEC

In the past, PCs were mainly under threat from viruses and worms. The main purpose of these
programs was to spread; however, some programs were also designed to cause damage to files
and PCs. Such malicious software, or “malware”, could be described as ‘cyber vandalism’. In the
majority of cases, the goal of viruses and worms was to spread as much as possible, with a high
infection rate leading to fame for that program. But in recent years, the situation has changed
drastically. Today, the biggest threat faced by computers is crime ware. This malicious software
is written by cybercriminals with the purpose of making money illegally. Crime ware may take
the form of viruses, worms, Trojans or other malicious programs.

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 Data Theft

Data theft is a growing problem primarily perpetrated by office workers with access to
technology such as desktop computers and hand-held devices capable of storing digital
information such as flash drives, iPods and even digital cameras. Since employees often spend a
considerable amount of time developing contacts and confidential and copyrighted information
for the company they work for they often feel they have some right to the information and are
inclined to copy and/or delete part of it when they leave the company, or misuse it while they are
still in employment.

While most organizations have implemented firewalls and intrusion-detection systems very few

take into account the threat from the average employee that copies proprietary data for personal
gain or use by another company.[citation needed] A common scenario is where a sales person
makes a copy of the contact database for use in their next job. Typically, this is a clear violation
of their terms of employment.

The damage caused by data theft can be considerable with today's ability to transmit very large
files via e-mail, web pages, USB devices, DVD storage and other hand-held devices. Removable
media devices are getting smaller with increased hard drive capacity, and activities such as pod
slurping are becoming more and more common. It is now possible to store more than 160 GB of
data on a device that will fit in an employee's pocket, data that could contribute to the downfall
of a business.

Thumb sucking : Thumb sucking, similar to pod slurping, is the intentional or

unintentional use of a portable USB mass storage device, such as a USB flash
drive (or "thumb drive), to illicitly download confidential data from a network
endpoint.

The moniker is derived from the act of downloading, or "sucking", data from a network endpoint
onto a USB flash drive or similar storage device.

A USB flash drive was allegedly used to remove without authorization highly classified
documents about the design of U.S. nuclear weapons from a vault at Los Alamos.

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 Crimes of the Future

Over the past 10 years, crime has been moving away from stealing physical goods, towards
obtaining information. First the means of robbery changed to keep up with an age where people
carry identity information in the form of credit cards and ATM cards instead of cash. However,
these are just the modern equivalents to common mugging.

Recently though, whole new information markets have opened up as playing fields for computer
criminals. Much of the internet economy revolves around advertising. In addition, much of this
advertising is targeted by using databases of personal information. This information is extremely
valuable, and could be stolen, and a black market of information created. Information such as
medical records, HIV test results, grocery purchase histories, and personal emails could all be
stolen and sold to advertisers and other information-based companies. This could lead to
anything from annoying marketing ploys to illegal discrimination in the job market.

Meanwhile, other possible malicious uses of computers have become available. One of the most
worrying is the likelihood of terrorists moving online, and engaging in what is called cyber-
terrorism. These methods of producing terror, destruction, mayhem, and fear can be much more
destructive online than conventional methods in the real world

Vignana Jyothi Institute Of Management Page 24

 CONCLUSION

Over the past ten years, crime (traditionally based in the world of physical goods) has been
increasingly making its way into the world of information. Crime is evolving; since the days
when goods were transported by stagecoach, robbery has changed to keep up, even to our
modern-day equivalent-credit and debit cards. Internet credit card number theft has become a
well-recognized danger. Recently though, completely new information markets have opened up
as playing fields for computer criminals. However, only a small fraction of computer break- ins
are detected, and, additionally, statistics on computer crime are mostly unavailable. Thus, the
amount of damage caused by computer crime is, although recognized to be increasing
dramatically, unknown. The most common forms of computer crime reported to InterGOV
include child pornography, fraud, and e-mail abuse. Even more disturbing are new forms of
cyber-terrorism made possible by the large amount of the physical machinery now operated by
computers. The government has been looking into ways of curbing all these types of crimes;
there are some laws on the books and more being considered. Punishment aside, preventing
computer crime is important. Safeguards against computer crime may come in the form of
limiting access to the information to be protected, using encryption to ensure privacy and
integrity, and educating the public about security issues. After all, it is impossible to eliminate all
technical loopholes.

Vignana Jyothi Institute Of Management Page 25

 REFERENCES

1. http://www.crime-research.org/articles/Future-of-crime-is-computer-oriented/

2. http://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~eroberts/cs201/projects/computer-crime/future.html
3. http://www.google.co.in/
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_crime
5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Credit_card_fraud
6.

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