Chapter Outline

1. Computer Manipulation Crimes. These types of crimes involve changing data or creating electronic records in a system for the specific purpose of advancing another crime, typically fraud or embezzlement.

2. Data Alteration or Denial. Data alteration and denial directly targets the computer by attacking the useful information stored or processed bythe computer.

3. Network Intrusion and Theft of Data. Hacking or Cracking are words commonly used to describe the unauthorized entry into a computer system.

4. Denial of Service. More direct than the subtleties of a network intruder, the denial of service leaves little room for argument of a negative effect. Although any resource may be denied to the rightful user, the most prominent example of this crime targeting the computer is the network denial of service attack.

5. Computer Vandalism. When an intruder removes valuable information from a computer system, the intruder denies the legitimate user or owner access to that information.

1. Theft. Parker, creator of the first computer crime typology, notes that market-sensitive proprietary information, financial information, trade secrets, process technology information, human resources information, customer information, information products, transitory information, and security information can all have value to the owner.

2. Theft of Services. Although many services available on the Internet are free, some data and services are considered proprietary. This means the users must pay to use the data or service. The use of these proprietary services without payment is theft.

3. Fraud. Like the common definition of fraud, fraud using a computer exploits the trust, guaranteed by law, in a business transaction. Fraud can be perpetrated by the buyer, seller, or peer in a transaction.

4. Threat and Harassment. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) maintains a Web site that details a range of threatening behaviors conducted on the internet.

1. Money Laundering. The movement of illegally obtained money to legitimate businesses can be greatly facilitated by using computer systems.

2. Criminal Enterprise. Computers appeal to criminal enterprises or businesses for many of the same reasons they appeal to others: they are quick, reliable, very accurate, and perform many business-related tasks far faster than if done manually.

3. Child Pornography. Chapter 12, Crimes Against Children, details the use of the Internet in luring unsuspecting children to pedophiles and in distributing child pornography. In the latter area, the Internet has been the key communication medium for the sale and exchange of child pornography on both an international and domestic basis.

4. Pedaphilia and Sexual Assault. If child pornographers use computer networks to exchange indecent images of children, those images must have been created with children. In other instances, the Internet has been used to lure victims to pedophiles, thus providing opportunity.

1. Intellectual Property Violations. Intellectual property violations are often described as piracy. The Business Software Alliance (BSA) is the principal software industry, antipiracy resource. The BSA estimates loses to piracy in the United States alone at over $2.5 million during 2000.

2. Misuse of Telephone Systems. Telephone "phreakers" are people who trick telephone systems into believing that long-distance and air time are being legitimately purchased.

3. Component Theft and Counterfeiting. Although system and component theft has been dropping in significance, the actual dollar value has grown since the CSI/FBI survey began.

4. Identity Theft. Although identity theft can occur without the aid of a computer, the unique contribution of the computer to this crime is the vastly expanded field of victims and amount of information available.

5. Corporate Crime. The rapid growth of the computer industry has caused many questionable business practice to be developed and eventually accepted as a part of doing business. Examples of these questionable practices include rebate fraud, grossly one-sided End Use License Agreements (EULAs), misleading advertising, component swapping, reselling refurbished components in ‘new’ systems, simple fraud, and many others.

1. Denial of Service Attack Methodologies. AOL punters, WinNuke, Bonk, Tear Drop, Mail Bombs and myriad other software tools have been developed with the sole function of annoying users.

2. Logic Bombs. Logic bombs use illegal program instructions a dn misuse legitimate instructions to damage data structures.

1. Trojan Horse Programs. Trojan horse programs are the delivery vehicle of choice for exploit software. Trojan horse programs masquerade as legitimate programs.

2. Viruses and Worms. A computer virus is a malicious program that is secretly inverted into normal software or into the computer’s active memory.

1. Opportunities

2. Situational Pressures—Financial

3. Situational Pressures—Revenge

4. Personality Traits