WK7 - Computer in Society
Cs 306 –
7.1 Introduction
Computer provides us many convenience and wonderful things. They also make many illegal activities easier
for criminals.
What is the intention of the internet? Name it?
Robber who entered a bank and use gun gets $2,500 - $5,000 on average. The average loss from a computer
fraud is more than $100,000.
Computers present new challenges for prevention, detection, and prosecution of crime. Criminal can steal,
commit fraud, or destroy data from miles away or from another country, by modem, and now wireless etc.
Deciding on punishments appropriate for young hackers is difficult.
7.2 Hacking
7.2.1 What is “Hacking”? What is the “hacker” mean to you?
Phase 1: the early years (1960s and 1970s), when hacking was a positive term;
The joy of programming
“Good hack”
Hackers were called “computer virtuosos”
“clever programming”
Phase 2: the period from the 1970s to 1990s, when hacking took on its more negative meanings;
From the mid of 1970s to 1990s.
The meaning, word “hacker” changed as more people begin using computers … and
began abusing them.
Today: The word “hacking” took on its most common meaning today: breaking into computers on
which the hacker does not have authorized access.
Phase 3: beginning in the mid-1990s with the growth of the web and of e-commerce and the
participation of a large portion of the general public online.
The Web era
- Give two arguments hackers use to justify their activities
- What is the motivation of hackers?
- What are the Techniques used to catch hackers?
- Auction Fraud
- Computer crime – insider?
The future
- Hacking by terrorists and by government-sponsored military organization is likely to increase.
- The Japanese Defense Agency said it is developing computer viruses for military uses.
- China and Singapore are believed to be doing the same, for both military and civilian computer
networks in other countries.
- Religious groups (Third party), I usually call for another politically group does
- Other activists such as Political, FBI, CIA, NSA, Lawyers, Doctors, etc.
- Hack and take a control over Air port Control Tower, would it be fun?
Is that such thing Harmless hacking?
- Some hackers claim that such hacking is harmless. Is it?
7.2.2 Hacktivism, or Political Hacking
Ethical hacking
- Is such hacking ethically justified?
- Should hacktivists be treated differently from other hackers when they are caught?
Some academic writers and political groups argue that hacktivistism is ethical, that it is a modern
form of civil disobedience.
- show off, robbing , vandalism and theft etc..
- It’s hard to identify – A more fundamental problem with evaluating political hacking is that it
can be hard to identify.
Some writer argue that hacktivitism should be considered a ligetimate form of civil disobedience
and not subject to felony prosecution.
7.2.3 The Law
- teenagers hacking
- Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), in 1986
- The USA PARIOT Act (USAPA), 2001
----------------------------------------------------------7.2.4 Catching Hackers
- Melissa Virus
- ILOVEYOU Virus
-Goner WORM IN 2001
How do hacker trackers do their job?
- read hacker Newsletters
- participate in online discussions of hacking
- Sometimes undercover
- attend conferences
- Internet Relay Chat (IRC)
- 30% are government informers
- “honey pots”
- Computer Forensic – new field
- CERT – Computer Emergency Response Team, based at Carnegie Mellon University, was
established in 1988 in response to Internet Worm.
7.2.5 Penalties Appropriate to the Crime
Actual Sentence
- Difficult & different penalties
- depends on the intention
- trespass, vandalism, invasion of privacy, fraud and theft
- under 18, light sentences
- typical sentences include two probation, community services, fine, restitution roughly 30K
- Mafiaboy, the 15 yrs was sentenced to 8 mo Juvenile detention
Discouraging and punishing Youthful Hacking
- The actions of young hackers raise difficult ethical, social and legal issues. P. 298
- Some young hackers will become the great innovators of the next generation
Nobel Prize winner Richard Feynman used “hacker” techniques when he was a young physicist
working on the highly secret atomic bomb project at Los Alamos, in 40s
- a hacker who is caught and given the job
7.2.6 Security
- Security weak
- The defense Information Systems Agency estimated that there were 500,000 hacker attacks on
Defense Dept. networks in 1996, that 65% of them were successful, 1% detected.
- in 199, the GAO reported (301)
- NASA
- EPA
Why is security weak?
It’s no use locking the barn door after the horse is gone.
- New technologies and application
- Wireless networks are insufficiently protected.
Improving Security
- “firewall”
- Encryption
- anti virus software
- computer bugs and system failures..
- backups
- training
- emergency plans
- reporting systems
Does hacking improve Security?
Hackers said they are doing us a favor
How much security?
Security through secrecy?
Criminalize virus writing and hackers Tools?
7.3 Online Scams
7.3.1 Auctions
- Problems
- Solutions
- A few More Issues
7.3.2 Stock Fraud
7.4 Fraud, Embezzlement, Sabotage, Information Theft, and Forgery
7.4.1 Credit Cards, Identity Theft, Cell Phones, and More
- Fraud
- Embezzlement
- Sabotage
- Information theft
- Forgery
7.4.2 Swindling and Sabotaging Employers and Competitors
7.4.3 Swindling the Customer
7.4.4 Digital Forgery
- The problem
- Defenses
- Faking Photos
7.5 Crime Fighting Versus Privacy and Civil Liberties
7.5.1 Scanning for Scams
7.5.2 Biometrics
7.5.3 Search and Seizure of Computers
7.5.4 The Cyber crime Treaty
Exercises