Internet Crime and Moral Responsibility
Internet Crime and Moral Responsibility
Internet Crime and Moral Responsibility 3
Introduction 3
What is Internet Crime? 3
Types of Crimes 3
Phishing 3
Child Pornography 4
Cyber Stalking 5
Computer Intrusion 5
Denial of Service Attacks and Cyber War 5
Identity Theft 6
Whose responsibility is it to report these crimes? 7
Reporting agencies 8
Conclusion 8
References 9 Internet Crime and Moral Responsibility
Introduction
The Internet is the technological genius of the computer age. Although the Internet is a phenomenal tool, providing access to the world, it has also become a Shangri-La for criminals. The Internet because of the ability to remain anonymous is the perfect playground for this type of mayhem. This paper will outline the types of crimes that are being committed via the Internet, it will explain how to protect yourself and your computer against these crimes and then it will focus on why we are morally obligated to report these crimes to the appropriate authorities and how to accomplish this.
What is Internet Crime?
The National White Collar Crime Center defines Internet Crime as the use of a computer to break the law (Beresford 2003). There are two categories of computer crime: Internet crime and Computer-related crime. Computer-related crimes are those crimes that attack the content of operating systems, networks and specific programs. The attacks usually include unauthorized access, sabotage to the system, acquisition of data without the users ' knowledge or permission and hijacking a computer or service. Internet crimes include phishing, viruses, Trojans and Denial of service attacks, password theft, website defacement, etc.
Types of Crimes
Phishing
Phishing uses spurious email addresses and fraudulent websites to give email recipients the idea that the email is legitimate. Often the receiver will give out personal financial information such as credit card numbers, usernames and passwords or even worse, a social
Internet Crime and Moral Responsibility 3
Introduction 3
What is Internet Crime? 3
Types of Crimes 3
Phishing 3
Child Pornography 4
Cyber Stalking 5
Computer Intrusion 5
Denial of Service Attacks and Cyber War 5
Identity Theft 6
Whose responsibility is it to report these crimes? 7
Reporting agencies 8
Conclusion 8
References 9 Internet Crime and Moral Responsibility
Introduction
The Internet is the technological genius of the computer age. Although the Internet is a phenomenal tool, providing access to the world, it has also become a Shangri-La for criminals. The Internet because of the ability to remain anonymous is the perfect playground for this type of mayhem. This paper will outline the types of crimes that are being committed via the Internet, it will explain how to protect yourself and your computer against these crimes and then it will focus on why we are morally obligated to report these crimes to the appropriate authorities and how to accomplish this.
What is Internet Crime?
The National White Collar Crime Center defines Internet Crime as the use of a computer to break the law (Beresford 2003). There are two categories of computer crime: Internet crime and Computer-related crime. Computer-related crimes are those crimes that attack the content of operating systems, networks and specific programs. The attacks usually include unauthorized access, sabotage to the system, acquisition of data without the users ' knowledge or permission and hijacking a computer or service. Internet crimes include phishing, viruses, Trojans and Denial of service attacks, password theft, website defacement, etc.
Types of Crimes
Phishing
Phishing uses spurious email addresses and fraudulent websites to give email recipients the idea that the email is legitimate. Often the receiver will give out personal financial information such as credit card numbers, usernames and passwords or even worse, a social
References: Anti-Phishing Working Group (2004). Phishing Attack Trends Report for October 2004. Retrieved November 18, 2004 from http://www.antiphishing.org/APWG_Phishing_Activity_Report-Oct2004.pdf. Beresford A. D., Mason D., and Haantz, S. (2003). "True" Internet Crime. National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C). Retrieved November 24, 2004 from http://www.nw3c.org. Denning, D. (1990). Concerning Hackers Who Break into Computer Systems. Retrieved November 20, 2004 from http://www.cpsr.net/oldsite/externalSiteView/cpsr/privacy/crime/denning.hackers.html Department of Justice – DOJ. (2000) Identity Theft and Fraud. Retrieved November 17, 2004 from http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/fraud/idtheft.html. Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2003). Online Child Pornography Innocent Images National Initiative. Retrieved November 25, 2004 from http://www.fbi.gov/hq/cid/cac/innocent.htm Federal Trade Commission. (2003). Sentinal Top Complaint Categories. Retrieved November 24, 2004 from http://www.consumer.gov/sentinel/states03/sentinel_top_complaint.pdf PBS. (2003) Interview with Richard Clarke. Cyber War. Frontline. Retrieved November 17, 2004 from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/cyberwar/interviews/clarke.html PBS. (2003). Cyber War. Frontline. Retrieved November 17, 2003 from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/cyberwar/interviews/arquilla.html Williams, P. (2001) Russian organized crime, Russian hacking, and US Security. Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT). Retrieved November 20, 2004 from http://www.cert.org/research/isw/isw2001/papers/Williams-06-09.pdf