International Computer Crimes

Table of Contents

International Computer Crimes

I. Introduction

II. Computer crimes defined

III. Types of Attacks

IV. International Attacks

V. Conclusion

Introduction

Unraveling the evolution of computers and computing technology we can follow the trend that with every new inventions in turn makes our lives in civilization a little easier. From the abacus beginning invented in 1800 BC that allowed merchants to calculate their trades more quickly and accurately, to Alan Turning's invention in 1943 that consist of 1,800 vacuum tubes that established the earliest programmable electronic digital computer, and today we have cloud computing that allows companies to connect with their customers, their employees, and their partners to enhance business agility. Unfortunately, with every good there is an evil and the evolution of computers and computing technology has not only made our lives in civilization easier, it has allowed criminal acts to evolve as well. As computing technology evolve, in tandem, computer crimes rise.

There is no debate that there is a rise in computer crimes. We have all turned on the television, picked up a newspaper, or seen a website headline that reveals a story to some degree or another of a computer crime. Computer crime's have become more or less an everyday incident where we hear about personal computer systems or a network somewhere being attacked. These stories are not limited to only the United States, computer crimes are a global concern and can penetrate and affect any nation. However, do we really understand what computer crime's are? Do you know about the different attacks that are considered computer crimes? This paper will first give you a better understanding on what a computer crime is by elaborating on the idea of what a computer crime consist of. This elaborated definition will include aspect of the FBI

National Computer Crime Squad (NCCS).

Once we have a clear understanding to how a computer crimes is defined, the different types of attacks will be addressed and briefly explained. There are numerous types of attacks so we will only review a few so we can comprehend the diverse and the complexity of degree attacks can present. This will enhance our understanding to how vulnerable computer systems are.

With this new found knowledge we will explore computer crimes on an International level. We will examine how certain attacks have penetrated different nations across the globe to include not only the United States, but Japan and Germany as well. With computer crimes on the rise exploring computer crimes on an International level allows us to be more effective against computer crimes and the diverse attacks. This will give us insight to the extent, capability, and consequence's of computer attacks. Furthermore, we will briefly examine why it is important to be aware of global attacks and how can we benefit from knowing about other countries computer attacks.

Computer Crimes Defined

In the past, a computer crime could simply be defined as a crime like any other crime, except for that in this case the illegal act must involve a computer system either as an object of a crime, an instrument used to commit a crime, or as a repository of evidence related to a crime. Taking the Internet into account, crimes that would have once been seen as associated with telecommunication facilities, now broadens the definition of computer crimes to include an illegal act that involves a computer system or computer-related systems such as a telephone, microwave, satellite, or other telecommunication systems that can connect one or more computers or computer-related systems. (Kizza, 2010) Pertaining to the United States, we can get a slightly larger definition by exploring what is actually investigated by law enforcement agencies. The FBI National Computer Crime Squad (NCCS) concerns itself with criminal offense when two or more computers are involved, which are located in different states. It considers the following to be important computer crimes (FBI's NCCS, 2002):

* "Intrusions of the Public Switched Network (the telephone company)

* Major computer network intrusions

* Network integrity violations

* Privacy violations

* Industrial espionage

* Pirated computer software

* Other crimes where the computer is a major factor in committing the criminal offense

This list is functional for thinking about areas of computer crime, but a practical concise definition comes from the end of the NCCS list: "crimes where the computer is a major factor in committing the criminal offense" .

Now that we have a better understanding to how a computer crime is defined we will look at the target and reasoning's behind these crimes. From our course material we know that computer crimes target resources for a variety of reasons (Kizza, 2010) .

* Hardware-consist of computers, printers, scanners, servers, and communication media

* Software- consist of application and special programs, system backups, and system programs such as operating systems and protocols

* Data- in storage, in transition, or undergoing modification

* People- includes users, system administrators, and manufacturers of hardware and software

* Documentation that consist of user information for administrative procedures, policy documents, and hardware and software.

* Supplies that are comprised of paper and printer cartridges

Not all computer attacks have a specific target. Nonetheless, attacks adjacent to specific computers or groups of computers are becoming more frequent. Home computer users, organizations that are comprised of large networks of computers, and entire infrastructures may be targeted. Attackers may attempt to damage the operations of the Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) that consist of emergency services, telecommunications,