Computer

Crimes
Subject: Information Technology
Upper six

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 What is a computer crime?
• Computer crime can broadly be defined as criminal activity, involving:
• an information technology infrastructure,
• including illegal access (unauthorized access),
• illegal interception,
• data interference (unauthorized damaging, deletion, deterioration,
alteration or suppression of computer data),
• systems interference (interfering with the functioning of a computer
system by inputting, transmitting, damaging, deleting, deteriorating,
altering or suppressing computer data),
• misuse of devices,
• forgery (ID theft),
• and electronic fraud.

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• COMPUTER CRIME is any crime where:
Computer is a target.
Computer is a tool of crime
Computer is incidental to crime

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 Types of Computer Crimes
• HACKING
• VIRUS DISSEMINATION
• SOFTWARE PIRACY
• CREDIT CARD FRAUD
• NET EXTORTION
• PHISHING
• SPOOFING
• CYBER STALKING

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 HACKING

• Hacking in simple terms means illegal intrusion into a computer system

without the permission of the computer owner/user.
• Hacking can cause damage to computer-based property such as files, web
pages or software.
• The person who indulges in this activity is called a “hacker”.

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 VIRUS DISSEMINATION
• Malicious software that attaches itself to other software.
• Virus, worms, Trojan Horse, are the malicious software's.

SOFTWARE PIRACY
• Theft of software through the illegal copying of genuine programs or
the counterfeiting and distribution of products intended to pass for the
original.
• Retail revenue losses worldwide are ever increasing due to this crime
• Can be done in various ways-
End user copying, Illegal downloads from the internet etc

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 CREDIT CARD FRAUD

• You simply have to type credit card number into www page off the vendor
for online transaction.
• If electronic transactions are not secured the credit card numbers can be
stolen by the hackers who can misuse this card by impersonating the
credit card owner.

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 PHISHING
• Phishing is the criminally fraudulent process of attempting to acquire
sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card
details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic
communication. 

• It is technique of pulling out confidential information from the

bank/financial institutional account holders by deceptive means.

•  Phishing is typically carried out by e-mail or instant messaging and it

often directs users to enter details at a fake website whose look and feel
are almost identical to the legitimate one .

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 • Phishing email
• From: *****Bank [mailto:support@****Bank.com]
• Sent: 08 June 2004 03:25
• To: India
• Subject: Official information from ***** Bank
• Dear valued ***** Bank Customer!
• For security purposes your account has been
• randomly chosen for verification. To verify
• your account information we are asking you to
• provide us with all the data we are requesting.
• Otherwise we will not be able to verify your identity
• and access to your account will be denied. Please click
• on the link below to get to the bank secure
• page and verify your account details. Thank you.
• https://infinity.*****bank.co.in/Verify.jsp
• ****** Bank Limited

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FAKE LOGIN PAGE

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 Spoofing

• Getting one computer on a network to pretend to have the identity off

another computer, usually one with special access privileges ,so as to
obtain access to the other computers on the network.

NET EXTORTION
• Copying the company’s confidential data in order to extort said company
for huge amount.

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 Measures To Curb The Crime.
• A) Encryption: 
• This is considered as an important tool for protecting data in transit.
• Plain text (readable) can be converted to cipher text (coded language) by
this method and the recipient of the data can decrypt it by converting it
into plain text again by using private key.
• This way except for the recipient whose possessor of private key to
decrypt the data, no one can gain access to the sensitive information.

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 • B) Firewalls: 
• It creates wall between the system and possible intruders to protect the
classified documents from being leaked or accessed.
• It would only let the data to flow in computer which is recognized and
verified by one’s system. It only permits access to the system to ones
already registered with the computer.

• C) Digital Signature: 
• Are created by using means of cryptography by applying algorithms.
• This has its prominent use in the business of banking where customer’s
signature is identified by using this method before banks enter into huge
transactions.

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 • D) Synchronized Passwords:
• Voice, fingerprint identification or retinal and biometric recognition etc. to
impute passwords and pass phrases of a user are used.

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