Computer Crime: Crime of the Information Age

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Computer Crime Crime of theInformation Age

• Valerie Russell
• CSCI 030
• Delahunty

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What is computer crime?

• Computer crime is classified as a white-collar
  crime.
• It is a crime in which computers are used as the
  instrument of the offense, or in which computers
  are the object of the offense.

Computer crimes are generally placed in one of
two categories fraud or abuse.
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Types of Computer Crime
Computer as Instrument Computer as Object
Theft by computer (using computer as a tool to steal) Damage to software/hardware (physical or electronic damage to computers or computer programs)
Harassment/extortion (using computer as a means for intimidation or threats) Data alteration (changing information for undue advantage or revenge)
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Areas of Computer Crime

• Currently, computer crime breaks down into six
  major areas
• Trespass, 2
• Theft of or denial of services, 10
• Alteration of data, 12
• Damage to software, 16
• Theft of information or programs, 16
• Theft of money, 44
• (Source National Center for Computer Crime Data)

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Examples of bad guy tricks

• Bomb
• Data diddling
• Denial of Service (DOS) attack
• Piggybacking
• Salami technique
• Scavenging
• Trapdoor
• Trojan horse
• Zapping

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Types of Perpetrators

• Insiders
• -Work for the company or organization
• -Have access to the physical and intellectual
  property of their employers
• -Are trusted

• Motivations
• -Financial gain
• -Revenge
• -Curiosity
• -Challenge of getting away with it

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Types of Perpetrators contd

• Outsiders
• -Hackers
• -Vendors
• -Former employees
• -Competitors
• -Customers
• -Employees of associated businesses
• -Terrorists
• -Consultants
• -Political activists
• -Foreign government agents

• Motivations
• -Same as insider motivations
• -Revenge of a former employee
• -Competitors wanting inside information
• -New employees who provide information relative
  to their previous employer
• -Political agenda
• -Nationalistic economic pressures

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Hackers

• US Dept of Justice describes hackers as
• Between 15-45 yrs old
• Predominantly men, with number of women
  increasing
• No prior criminal record
• Target businesses and govt agencies systems
• Bright, motivated, willing to accept challenges
• Fear ridicule, exposure and loss of status
• Usually work alone
• Hold a position of trust, usually first to arrive
  to work, last to leave
• View criminal acts as a game

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A Hackers Motivation

• To learn about computers as a hobby
• To defy authority
• To respond to a challenge
• To beat the system
• To cause disruption
• To show contempt for others
• To show how smart they are

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Viruses

• Virus software is probably the most widely
  discussed class of computer threat.
• In order to classify as a virus program, the code
  in the program must be able to replicate or copy
  itself so as to spread through the infected
  machine or across to other machines.
• Not all viruses are destructive.

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Types of Viruses

• Beneficial virus program
• Benign virus program
• Beastly virus programs
• Boot infections
• System infectors
• Application program infectors
• Data infectors

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Typical Viruses

• Form
• Melissa
• Ripper
• Junkie
• MDMA
• Anti-CMOS
• Concept

• Monkey
• Cookie Monster
• One_Half
• Wazzu
• Michelangelo
• Cascade
• Jerusalem

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Magnitude of the Computer Crime Problem

• The threat of computer crime is growing as
  computers become a bigger part of our everyday
  lives.
• U.S. organizations lose billions of dollars each
  year, but it is difficult to determine exactly
  how much for several reasons

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Magnitude of problem contd.

• Difficulty in detecting when a system has been
  invaded or affected.
• Those crimes that are detected are never reported
  to the authorities an estimated 85 of the time.

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Investigating Computer Crime

• Determine that a crime has taken place
• Preserve evidence
• Estimate financial loss
• Determine expertise needed for assistance
• Identify suspects and witnesses
• File complaint and claim

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Prevention and Security

• Protect with passwords to gain entry to system or
  site
• Anti-virus software and other security software
• Secured waste, paper shredding
• Back up files
• Protect personal information and make sure site
  is secure
• Protect physical areas from unauthorized entry,
  equipment from being accessed, video cameras
• Federal legislation

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Instances of Computer Crime

• The U.S. Department of Defense computers are
  attacked more than 200,000 times per year.
• A controller at Halifax Technology Services
  admitted embezzling 15 million by generating
  corporate checks to herself over a period of
  three years.
• Of the 40 million of counterfeited money seized
  in 1998, 16 million of it was computer
  generated.

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• Donald Burleson inserted a virus into the
  computer system at a brokerage where he had been
  fired. The virus erased 168,000 sales commission
  records.
• Robert Morris, released a macrovirus that brought
  more than 6,000 university, research and military
  computers to a standstill, causing millions of
  dollars in damage.
• An executive at Squibb and Sons, Inc., plead
  guilty to fraud in a scheme to steal more than 1
  million of merchandise from the company.
• A brokerage clerk transformed 1700 shares of his
  own stock, worth 1.50 per share, to the same
  number of shares in another company worth 10
  times that much.
• A 14 year old boy broke into the computer of
  Citibank and used access codes to order more than
  11,000 of merchandise, and had it sent to a post
  office box.

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Conclusion

• Because of technological advances and societys
  growing reliance on computers, computer crime is
  sure to become a part of almost all types of
  crime in the near future. Precautionary measures
  must be taken.