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CYBER CRIMES
1. INTRODUCTION:
Today an increasing number of companies are connecting to the Internet to support sales activities or to provide their employees and customers with faster information and services.
The virtual world has taken over the real one, E-business and E-commerce, which are the new mantras and electronic transactions and dominate the overall business paradigm. In this rapidly evolving e-world that depends on free flowing information, security is the major problem to be considered.
Security on Internet is challenging. Security on an Internet is important because information has significant value. Implementing security involves assessing the possible threats to one’s network, servers and information. The goal is then to attempt to minimize the threat as much as possible.
This developing world of information technology has a negative side effect. It has opened the door to antisocial and criminal behavior.
1.1 The Computer Dependent Age:
The modern world relies on computerized system for almost every thing in the life, from air, train and bus traffic control to medical services. Systems
on co paradise human lives. The society depends on computer system, therefore has profound human dimension too.
The rapid expansion of large-scale computer networks and the ability to access systems through regular telephone lines increase the vulnerability to these systems. And it also increases the opportunity for misuse or criminal activity.
Security is needed for both external and internal threats.
1.2 History of computer crimes:
It is difficult to determine when the first crime involving a computer actually took place. The computer has been around in some form since the abacus, which is known to exist in 3500BC in Japan, China, and India.
In 1801, profit motives encouraged Joseph Jacquard, a textile manufacturer in France, to design the forerunner of the computer card. This device allowed the repetition of services of stamps in the weaving of special fabrics. However Jacquard’s employees were committed to discourage further use of new technology.
1.3 Definition of computer crimes:
Experts debated on what exactly constitutes computer crime or a computer related crime. Even after several years there is no internationally recognized definition of these terms. A global definition of computer crime has not been achieved. Computer crime has been defined as “any illegal unethical or unauthorized behavior involving automatic processing or transmission of data”.
Threats come in two categories:
1. Passive threats.
2. Active threats.
Passive threats:
This involves monitoring the transmission data of an organization.
Here the goal of the assembler if to obtain information that is being transmitted. Passive threats are difficult to detect because they do not involve alterations of data. These are of two types:
a. Release of message content.
b. traffic analysis.
Active threats:
These threats involve some modification of data stream or the creation of a false stream. These are of three types:
a. Modification.
b. Denial of message service.
c. Masquerade.
2. TYPES OF CYBER CRIMES:
2.1 Fraud by computer manipulation:
Intangible assets represented in data format such as money on deposits or hours of work are the most common targets related to fraud.
Modern business is quickly replacing cash with deposits transacted on computer system creating computer fraud. Credit card information as well as personal and financial information on credit card has been frequently targeted by organized criminal crimes. Assets represented in data format often have a considerably higher value than traditionally economic assets resulting in potentially greater economic class.
2.2 Computer Forgery:
This happens when data is altered which is stored in documents that are in computerized form. Computers however can also be used as instruments for committing forgery. A new generation of fraudulent alteration or duplication emerged when computerized color laser copies became available.
These copies are capable of high-resolution copying, modification of documents that are even creating false documents without benefit of original. They produce documents with an equality that is indistinguishable from original documents.
Experts can only distinguish this.
The widespread of computer networks is the need for people with common and shared interest to communicate with each other. Information can easily be represented and manipulated in electronic form. To meet the needs of sharing and communicating information, the computers need to be connected which is called data communication network.
2.3 Damage to Data/Programs:
This category of criminal activity involves either direct or search unauthorized access to computer system by introducing new programs known as viruses, worms or logic bombs. The unauthorized modification suppression or erasure of computer data or functions with the Internet to hinder normal functioning of the system is clearly a criminal activity and is commonly referred to as computer sabotage.
VIRUS: (Vital information resources under seize).
Virus is a series of program codes with the ability to attach itself to legitimate programs and propagate itself to other computer programs. Viruses are file viruses and bootsector viruses.
It attacks the fat so that there is no sequence of file content and it destroys the data content.
WORMS: (Write Once Read Many).
They are just added to the files and they do not manipulate. It differs from a virus in that it does not have the ability to replicate itself.
LOGIC BOMB:
As it involves the programming the destruction or modification of data is at a specific time in the future.
2.4 Unauthorized access:
The desire to gain unauthorized access to computer system can be prompted by several motives:
1. From simple curiosity.
2. To computer sabotage.
International unjustified access by a person not authorized by the owners or operators of a system may often constitute criminal behavior.
Unauthorized access creates the opportunity to cause additional unintended damage to data and system crashes. Accessing is often accomplished from a remote location along a telecommunication network by one of several means. The intruder may be able to take advantage of security measures to gain access or may find loopholes in existing security measures or system procedures. Frequently hackers impersonate legitimate users. This is especially common in systems.