Assignment 1: Categories of Computer Crime Due Week 2 and worth 50 points Write
ID: 3584456 • Letter: A
Question
Assignment 1: Categories of Computer Crime Due Week 2 and worth 50 points Write a 2-3 page paper in which you: 1. Explain in detail the four (4) common categories of computer crimes and provide at least one (1) example for each. ((The computer as incidental to a crime, computer as a target, Computer as the Instrumentality of the Crime, Crimes associated with the Prevalence of Computer)) 2. Determine which of these categories of computer crimes presents the greatest overall threat at the present time and why you perceive this to be the case. 3. Address what the U.S. government, court systems, and law enforcement agencies can do better to counteract this specific category of computer crime. 4. Use at least three (3) quality references for this assignmentExplanation / Answer
Computer crimes” is often used to define any criminal activities that are committed against a computer or similar device, and data or program therein. In computer crimes, the computer is the target of criminal activities. The “computer” in this context refers to the hardware, but the crimes, as we shall see, more often than not relate to the software and the data or program contained within it. The criminal activities often relate to the functions of the computer; in particular, they are often facilitated by communications systems that are available and operated through the computer, thereby contributing to a less secure computing environment. Examples of interactive systems include Internet connectivity for access to the World Wide Web (WWW) through PCs, laptops, tablets and hand-held devices, and telephony or messaging connection through hand phones and other mobile devices. Crimes are also perpetrated not merely through the means of connectivity alone but also through other software programs and applications that are available for use in transaction and human interaction, such as electronic mail and instant messaging services, audio-visual conferencing programs and file transfer facilities. Computer crimes range from the catastrophic to the merely annoying. A case of computer-driven espionage might wreak devastating losses to national security. A case of commercial computer theft might drive a company out of business. A cracker's prank might not actually cause damage at all--but might cause a video game company or another computer user some annoyance. Some computer crimes are perpetrated for kicks, and some for social or political causes; others are the serious business of professional criminals. There is perhaps no other form of crime that cuts so broadly across the types of criminals and the severity of their offenses. This chapter touches on a wide range of computer attacks.[1] Some are truly crimes, and others are not. Whether a particular attack is viewed as being a full-fledged crime or is simply dismissed as being a prank will depend upon the motives of the attacker, the type of organization and data attacked, and other aspects of the situation that can't be neatly summarized in a chapter of this kind. The attacks discussed in this chapter are those in which the computer itself--or, more likely, the information it stores--is the target of the crime. We do not cover crimes in which the computer is simply used by the perpetrators in their criminal enterprises (for example, drug deals in which a syndicate keeps computerized records). We also do not cover the larceny of computers and computer components. There are many ways to categorize computer crimes. You might divide them according to who commits them and what their motivation might be (e.g., professional criminals looking for financial gain, angry ex-employees looking for revenge, crackers looking for intellectual challenge). Or, you might divide these crimes by how they are perpetrated (e.g., by physical means such as arson, by software modifications, etc.).