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Essay on Computer Crime In The 90s
| Date: |
09-07-99 8:21am |
| Subject: |
Technology |
| Word Count: |
1606 |
| Page Count: |
6.42 |
Computer Crime in the 90's
It's the weekend, you have nothing to do so you decide to
play around on your computer. You turn it on and then start up,
you start calling people with your modem, connecting to another
world, with people just like you at a button press away. This is
all fine but what happens when you start getting into other
peoples computer files. Then it becomes a crime, but what is a
computer crime really, obviously it involves the use of a
computer but what are these crimes. Well they are: Hacking,
Phreaking, & Software Piracy.
To begin I will start with Hacking, what is hacking. Hacking
is basically using your computer to "Hack" your way into another.
They use programs called scanners which randomly dials numbers
any generating tones or carriers are recorded. These numbers are
looked at by hackers and then used again, when the hacker calls
up the number and gets on he's presented with a logon prompt,
this is where the hacking really begins, the hacker tries to
bypass this anyway he knows how to and tries to gain access to
the system. Why do they do it, well lets go to a book and see
"Avid young computer hackers in their preteens and teens are
frequently involved in computer crimes that take the form of
trespassing, invasion of privacy, or vandalism. Quite often they
are mearly out for a fun and games evening, and they get
entangled in the illegal use of their machines without realizing
the full import of what they are doing" , I have a hard time
believing that so lets see what a "hacker" has to say about what
he does "Just as they were enthraled with their pursuit of
information, so are we. The thrill of the hack is not in breaking
the law, it's in the pursuit and capture of knowledge." , as you
can see the "hacker" doesn't go out to do destroy things although
some do. It's in the pursuit of knowledge. Of course this is
still against the law. But where did all of this start, MIT is
where hacking started the people there would learn and explore
computer systems all around the world. In the views of
professional hacking is like drugs or any other addictive
substance, it's an addiction for the mind and once started it's
difficult to stop. This could be true, as hackers know what they
are doing is wrong and they know odds are they will be caught.
But as I mentioned some hackers are just above average criminals,
using there skills to break in banks and other places where they
can get money, or where they can destroy information. What a
hacker does at a bank is take a few cents or even a few fractions
of a cents from many different accounts this may seem like
nothing but when all compiled can be alot. A stick up robber
averages about $8,000 each "job", and he has to put his life and
personal freedom on the line to do it while the computer hacker
in the comfort of his own living room averages $500,000 a "job".
As for people destroying information, this is for taking some one
down, destruction of data could end a business which for some is
very attractive. It can cost a company thousands of dollars to
restore the damage done.
Now that you have an understanding of what a "hacker" is, it
time to move on to someone closely associates with a hacker. This
is a Phreak, but what is that. For the answer we turn to the what
is known as the "Official" Phreakers Manual "Phreak [fr'eek]
1. The action of using mischievous and mostly illegal ways in
order to not pay for some sort of telecommunications bill,
order, transfer, or other service. It often involves usage of
highly illegal boxes and machines in order to defeat the
security that is set up to avoid this sort of happening.
[fr'eaking] v. 2. A person who uses the above methods of
destruction and chaos in order to make a better life for all. A
true phreaker will not go against his fellows or narc on people
who have ragged on him or do anything termed to be dishonourable
to phreaks.
[fr'eek] n. 3. A certain code or dialup useful in the action of
being a phreak. (Example: "I hacked a new metro phreak last
night.")
The latter 2 ideas of what a phreak is, is rather weird. A Phreak
like the hacker likes to explore and experiment, however his
choice of exploring is not other computer but the phone system as
a whole. Phreaks explore the phone system finding many different
ways to do things, most often make free calls. Why do they do
this, " A hacker and phreaker will have need to use telephone
systems much more than an average individual, therefore, methods
which can be used to avoid toll charges are in order. " . A
phreak has two basic ways of making free calls, he can call up
codes or PBXs on his phone and then enter a code and make his
call or he can use Electronic Toll Fraud Devices. Codes are
rather easy to get the phreak will scan for them, but unlike a
hacker will only save the tone(s) number instead of the
carrier(s). Then he will attempt to hack the code to use it,
these codes range from numbers 0 - 9 and can be any length,
although most are not more than 10. Electronic Toll Fraud Devices
are known as Boxes in the underground. Most are the size of a
pack of smokes, or than can be smaller or bigger. I will not go
too deep. They are electronic devices than do various things,
such as make outgoing calls free, make incoming calls free,
simulate coins dropping in a phone, etc. People who "Phreak" are
caught alot these days thanks to the new technology.
Software Piracy is the most common computer crime, it is the
illegal coping of software. "People wouldn't think of shoplifting
software from a retail store, but don't think twice about going
home and making several illegal copies of the same software."
and this is true because I myself am guilty of this. The major
problem is not people going out and buying the software then
making copies for everyone, it's the Bulletin Boards that cater
to pirating software, that really cause the problem. On anyone
one of these boards one can find an upwards of 300 - 1000+ of
pirated software open for anyone to take. This is a problem and
nothing can really be done about it. Few arrests are made in this
area of computer crime.
I will now devote a brief section to the above mentioned BBS' ,
most are legal and do nothing wrong. However there are many more
that do accept pirated software, pornographic pictures,
animations , and texts. As well as a trading area for phone
codes, other BBS', Credit Card numbers, etc. This is where a
majority of Hackers and Phreaks come, as well as those who
continue to pirate software come to meet and share stories. In
this is a new world, where you can do anything, there are groups
that get, crack, and courier software all over the world some of
them are called: INC: International Network Of Crackers, THG:
The Humble Guys, TDT: The Dream Team. As well a number of other
groups have followed suit such as Phalcon/SKISM (Smart Kids Into
Sick Methods), NuKE, and YAM (Youngsters Against McAfee) these
are virus groups who write and courier their work anywhere they
can, they just send it somewhere, where anyone can take it and
use it in any manner they wish, such as getting even with
someone. All of these activities are illegal but nothing can be
done, the people running these boards know what they are doing.
As it stands right now, the BBS world is in two parts Pirating
and the Underground, which consists of
Hackers/Phreaks/Anarchists/Carders(Credit Card Fraud)/Virus
programmers. All have different boards and offer a variety of
information on virtually any subject.
Well from all of this reading you just did you should have a
fairly good idea of what computer crime is. I didn't mention it
in the sections but the police, phone companies are arresting and
stopping alot of things every day. With the new technology today
it is easier to catch these criminals then it was before. With
the exception of the BBS' the police have made some major blows
busting a few BBS', arresting hackers and phreaks. All of which
were very looked up to for knowledge in their areas of specialty.
If I had more time I could go into these arrests but I must
finish by saying that these are real crimes and the sentences are
getting harsher, with alot of the older people getting out the
newer people are getting arrested and being made examples of.
This will deter alot of would-be computer criminal away.
Francis, Dorothy B. "Computer Crime", New York
Lodestar Books, 1987
Mentor, The "The LOD/H Presents: A Novice's Guide To
Hacking"
Phoenix Project Productions, 1989
Frog, Zap the, "Reach Out And Touch Someone"
ZenCor Technologies, 1992
Parker, Donn. "Fighting Computer Crime" New York: Scribners
1983
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