COMPUTER CRIMES

Definition:
- It refers to any crime that involves a computer/ mobile and a network. The computer may have
been used in the commission of a crime or it may be the target.
- It may alternatively be referred to as cybercrime, e-crime, electronic crime, or hi-tech crime.
Cyber Criminal is a person who commits an illegal act with a guilty intention or commits a crime
in context to cybercrime.

 Crackers
 Hackers
 Pranksters
 Career criminals
 Cyber terrorists
 Cyber bullies
 Salami attackers
Why do people do Computer Crimes?

 For the sake of recognition.

 For the sake of quick money.
 To fight a cause, one thinks he believes in.
 Catching by law and enforcement agency is less effective and more expensive.
 New opportunity to do legal acts using technical architecture.
 Official investigation and criminal prosecution is rare.
 No concrete regulatory measure.
 Lack of reporting and standards
 Difficulty in identification.
Categories of Computer Crime
Computer Crime against Individual

 E-Mail Spoofing- interrupting the victim's e-mail service by sending him many emails.
 Phishing- trying to fool people into parting with their money.
 Spamming- abuse of electronic messaging system to send unsolicited bulk messages
indiscriminately
 Cyber defamation- intent to lower down the dignity/image of the person by hacking his
mail account and sending some mails with using vulgar language to unknown persons
mail account.
 Cyber stalking and harassment- the use of internet to repeatedly harass another person
group, or organization.
 Computer sabotage- the use of the internet to halt the normal functioning of a computer
system through the introduction of worms, viruses, or logic bomb is referred to as
computer sabotage.
  Malware- any software that infects and damages a computer system without the owner's
permission and takes control of any individual‘s computer to spread a bug to other
people‘s devices or social networking profiles
Computer Crime against Property

 Intellectual Property Crimes- any unlawful act by which the owner is deprived completely
or partially of his rights is a crime.
 Cyber Squatting- involves two persons claiming for the same Domain Name either by
claiming that they had registered the name first. For example, two similar names i.e.
www.yahoo.com and www.yahhoo.com.
 Cyber Vandalism- destroying or damaging the data or information stored in computer
when a network service is stopped or disrupted.
 Hacking Computer System- an illegal intrusion into a computer system and/or network
which results to loss of data as well as computer system.
 Altering in an unauthorized way- a common form of theft by employees altering the data
before entry or entering false data, or by entering unauthorized instructions or using
unauthorized processes.
Computer Crime against Organization

 Hacking- unauthorized control/access over computer system and destroys the whole
data as well as computer programs.
 Password sniffing- monitor and record the name and password of network users as they
login, at site.
 Denial of service attacks- attackers typically target site on high-profile web servers,
attacks are designed to consume resources so that other users are unable to use the
resources and are therefore ―denied service.
 Virus attack- malware program that replicates by inserting copies of itself into other
computer programs, data files, or the boot sector of the hard drive; the affected areas
are then said to be "infected.
 E-mail bombing/mail bomb- refers to sending a large no of emails to the victim to crash
victim‘s e-mail account or server crash.
 Salami attack- these attacks are used for committing financial crimes. The key here is to
make the alteration which is completely unnoticed.
 Logic bomb- a piece of code intentionally inserted into a software system that will set off
a malicious function when specified conditions are available.
 Trojan horse- email viruses that can duplicate themselves, steal information, or harm the
computer system.
How to Prevent Computer Crimes

 Keep the Computer System Up-To-Date

Cyber criminals will use software flaws to attack computer systems frequently and
anonymously. Most Windows based systems can be configured to download software patches
and updates automatically. By doing this they will monitor all online activity with the intent to
protect the system from viruses and other malicious programs.
  Protect Your Personal Information
Using many of the online services today involves sharing basic personal information to
include name, home address, phone number, and email address. Using common sense is the
best way to protect against and prevent Cyber Crime. Do not respond to email messages that
contain misspellings, poor grammar, odd phrases, or web sites with strange extensions.

 Install or Update Your Antivirus Software

Antivirus software is designed to prevent malicious software programs from embedding
on your computer. If it detects malicious code, like a virus or a worm, it works to disarm or
remove it. Viruses can infect computers without the users’ knowledge. Antivirus software is the
next line of defense so that cyber criminals who exploit flaws in software packages may be
thwarted. This will also deter several automated and simple attacks criminals use to break into
your system.

 Choose a Strong Password and Protect It

Usernames, passwords, and personal identification numbers (PIN) are used for almost
every online transaction today. A strong password should be at least eight characters in length
with a mixture of letters and numbers. Using the same password for various sites or systems
increases the risk of discovery and possible exploitation. It is never a good practice to write a
password down and leave it near the system it is intended to be used on. Changing a password
every 90 days is a good practice to limit the amount of time it can be used to access sensitive
information.

 Read Website Privacy Policies

On many social networking and photo sharing sites, there is wording on the privacy
policies that allow the website to keep information and photos posted to the site, sometimes
indefinitely, even after the original has been deleted by the user. While this may not discourage
one from posting images or messages, awareness that this can be later retrieved and
disseminated may be a consideration as to what information or photos are posted. What today
may seem to be a harmless prank can have a devastating effect on one’s reputation several
years later when applying for a job or other opportunity.

 Review Financial Statements Regularly

Reviewing credit card and bank statements regularly will often reduce the impact of
identity theft and credit fraud by discovering the problem shortly after the data has been stolen
or when the first use of the information is attempted. Credit card protection services can often
alert a person when there is unusual activity occurring on his or her account, for example,
purchases in a geographically distant location or a high volume of purchases. These alerts
should not be taken lightly and could be the first indicator a targeted victim receives that
something is wrong.

 Turn Off Your Computer

With the growth of high-speed Internet connections, many opt to leave their computers
on and ready for action. The downside is that being “always on” renders computers more
susceptible. Beyond firewall protection, which is designed to fend off unwanted attacks, turning
the computer off effectively severs an attacker’s connection—be it spyware or a botnet that
employs your computer’s resources to reach out to other unwitting users.
References:

 https://www.japss.org/upload/11._Dashora%5B1%5D.pdf
 https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/c/compcrim.htm
 https://www.ccplus-usa.com/cyber-crime-can-prevent/
 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213020916301537#:~:text=Cybercri
me%20against%20organization%20and%20society,forgery%2C%20web%2Djacking
%20etc.

Videos from Youtube:

 Failon Ngayon: Cybercrime cases in the Philippines https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=tKOeloKIe8Y
 Cybercrime: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMMKJg4eX-8
