CJS/201
Jesse Wilkie
The difference between cybercrime and traditional crime are: Cybercrime is a type of crime that not only destroys the security system of the county but also the financial system of individuals or businesses. Cybercrime is done by hackers that crack into computers and steal software, credit card information or bank account information. When cybercrime is involved, the ultimate goal for the hacker is for financial gain. Cybercrime is about making a profit and continuing to make a profit. Hackers hate authority that stands in the way of their financial goals. The penalty for illegally accessing a computer system ranges from 6 months to 5 years or a fine. The penalty for computer hacking depends on many factors the age of the hacker, the system they hack into and the motivation for hacking into the system. Traditional crime on the other hand is a crime against public law. It is a physical hands on crime such as; rape, property crime; or committed with a weapon.
A case of cybercrime that is very relevant is that of Jonathan James. He was the first juvenile to Sent to prison for hacking. James was 16 years of age at the time of his sentencing. In an Anonymous PBS interview he said, “I was just looking around, playing around. What was fun for me was a challenge to see what I could pull off.” He targeted high-profile organizations. He installed a backdoor into a Defense Threat Reduction Agency server which is an agency of the Department of Defense that is for reducing the threat to the U.S. and its allies from nuclear, biological, chemical, and special weapons. The backdoor he created enabled him to view sensitive emails and get employee usernames and password. He also cracked into NASA computers, stealing software worth approximately $1.7 million. According to the Department of Justice, “The software supported the International Space Station’s physical environment, NASA was forced to shut down its computer systems, which cost an