Internet Security
ENG 161_03
Essay V
December 1, 2012
Internet Security and Cyber Crime / REVISION Society as a whole depends upon a basic human need for security. Over the last decade the relationship between security and society has grown complex and the balance between the two has been challenged by the introduction of the internet and digital technologies. Since the internet was developed in the 1960s to maintain communications in the event of nuclear war a lot has changed. By the 1980s, millions of computers, business and personal, were connected. Then by the 1990s e-commerce quickly expanded. Virtually every person on the planet has access to this cyber world and is free to conduct business and to communicate without borders. As businesses and lifestyles have migrated from a physical world to a digital world so have the criminal elements. The growth of cybercrime has governments, businesses, and citizens questioning laws, jurisdictions, and the need to take a stand on their approach to cyber security. The question of whether or not cybercrime is a serious problem remains a hotly contested topic. By definition, cybercrime is a crime related to technology, computers, and the internet. The most publicized cybercrimes that concern governments, businesses and citizens include: 1) Cracking, gaining unauthorized access to computer systems to commit a crime, 2) Phreaking, obtaining free telephone calls or having calls charged to different account by using a computer,
3) Cyberstalking, harassing and terrorizing selected human and institutional targets using the computer, causing them to fear injury or harm, 4) Cyberpornography, producing and/or distributing pornography using a computer, 5) Cyberterrorism: unlawful attacks and threats of attack by terrorists against computers, networks, and the information stored therein to intimidate or coerce a government or its people to further the perpetrator’s political or social objectives (Schell), 6) Cyberbullying: (which has not yet
Essay V
December 1, 2012
Internet Security and Cyber Crime / REVISION Society as a whole depends upon a basic human need for security. Over the last decade the relationship between security and society has grown complex and the balance between the two has been challenged by the introduction of the internet and digital technologies. Since the internet was developed in the 1960s to maintain communications in the event of nuclear war a lot has changed. By the 1980s, millions of computers, business and personal, were connected. Then by the 1990s e-commerce quickly expanded. Virtually every person on the planet has access to this cyber world and is free to conduct business and to communicate without borders. As businesses and lifestyles have migrated from a physical world to a digital world so have the criminal elements. The growth of cybercrime has governments, businesses, and citizens questioning laws, jurisdictions, and the need to take a stand on their approach to cyber security. The question of whether or not cybercrime is a serious problem remains a hotly contested topic. By definition, cybercrime is a crime related to technology, computers, and the internet. The most publicized cybercrimes that concern governments, businesses and citizens include: 1) Cracking, gaining unauthorized access to computer systems to commit a crime, 2) Phreaking, obtaining free telephone calls or having calls charged to different account by using a computer,
3) Cyberstalking, harassing and terrorizing selected human and institutional targets using the computer, causing them to fear injury or harm, 4) Cyberpornography, producing and/or distributing pornography using a computer, 5) Cyberterrorism: unlawful attacks and threats of attack by terrorists against computers, networks, and the information stored therein to intimidate or coerce a government or its people to further the perpetrator’s political or social objectives (Schell), 6) Cyberbullying: (which has not yet
Cited: Bowling, Brian. "Internet Crime a Growing Worry." Greensburg: Tribune Review, 30 October 2012. B1 and B10. Print. Floreno, J. "Computer Crimes." American School and University [serial online] February 2011: 34-36. Web. 12 November 2012. Gerdes, L., Book Editor. Cyber Crime. Farmington Hills: Greenhaven Press, 2009. Print. Kim, Hal J.,. "Online Social Media Networking and Assessing Its Security Risks." International Journal of Security and Its Applications (2012): 11-18. Web. 12 November 2012. Mustacchi, J. "R U Safe?" Educational Leadership 2009: 78-82. Web. 12 November 2012. Schell, B. and Martin, C. Cybercrime. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, Inc., 2004. Print.