Introduction to Cyber crime
Cybercrime definitions
A crime conducted in which a computer was
directly and significantly instrumental is known
as “Computer Crime”.
Computer crime as also other various
definitions :
Any threats to the computer itself, such as theft of
hardware or software and demands for ransom.
Any financial dishonesty that takes place in a
computer environment.
Cyber Crime definitions…
A crime committed using a computer and
the Internet to steal person’s identity or
sell illegal or smuggled goods or disturb
any operations with malicious program is
known as “Cyber Crime”.
Another definition is :
Any illegal activity done through the internet.
Any criminal activities done using cyberspace
and WWW.
The first Cyber Crime
The first recorded cyber crime took
place in 1820.
In 1820, Joseph-Marie Jacquard, a textile
manufacturer in France, produced the loom. This
device allowed the repetition of a series of steps
in the weaving of special fabrics. This resulted in
a fear amongst Jacquard's employees that their
traditional employment and livelihood were being
threatened. They committed acts of sabotage to
discourage
Jacquard from further use of the new
technology. This is the first recorded cyber
crime!
Cyberspace
Cyberspace is a world-wide network of
computer networks that uses the TCP/IP
for communication to facilitate
transmission and exchange of data.
A “nebulous place” where humans
interact over computer networks.
Internet and other computer networks.
Cyberspace
Cyberspace is a place where you can
chat, explore, research and play
(INTERNET).
Cyber squatting
This term is derived from “squatting”
which is the act of occupying an
vacant/unoccupied space that the
squatter does not own or rent.
Cybersquatting is the act of registering a
popular Internet address--usually a
company name--with the intent of selling
it to its rightful owner.
Cyberpunk
The word “cyber” and “punk” are two different
words which means “disorder via machine”.
The word cyberpunk was coined by writer
Bruce Bethke, who wrote a story with that title
in 1982. He derived the term from the words
cybernetics, the science of replacing human
functions with computerized ones, and punk,
the harsh music that developed in the youth
culture during the 1970s and '80s.
The movies based on cyberpunk are :
Terminator I, II and III
Until the end of the world
Mad MAX I, II and III
The Matrix (series)
The X-Files
Solaris
Cyber warfare
Defn: Information warriors unleashing vicious attacks
against an unsuspecting opponent’s computer
networks, wreaking havoc and paralyzing nations.
Cyber warfare refers to politically motivated hacking.
Attack on information infrastructure.
information infrastructure refers to information
resources, including communication systems that
support an industry, institution or population.
Example :
Pentagon planning.
Cyberterrorism
Cyberterrorism is the premeditated , politically motivated
attack against information, computer systems, computer
programs and data which result in violence against
noncombatant targets by sub national groups or
clandestine agents.
Cyber terrorism is “any person, group or organization
who with terrorist intent, utilizes, accesses or aids in
accessing a computer or computer network or electronic
system or electronic device by any available means and
there by knowingly engages in a terrorist act.
Use of information technology and means by terrorist
groups and agents
Diff. between Cyber Crime and
terrestrial crime
It differs in four ways.
1. How to commit them is easier to learn
2. They require few resources relative to the
potential damage caused.
3. They are often not clearly illegal.
4. They can be committed without being
physically present.
Cybercrime and Information
Security
Lack of information security gives rise to
cyber crime.
Cyber security means protecting
information, equipment, devices,
computer, computer resource,
communication device and information
stored in all these from unauthorized
access, use, disclosure, disruption,
modification or destruction.
Who are Cybercriminals
Cybercrime involves such activities like
Child pornography
Credit card fraud
Cyberstalking (irritation)
Defaming another online
Gaining unauthorized access to computer system
Overriding encryption to make illegal copies
Software piracy
Stealing another’s identity to perform criminal act.
Types of Cybercriminals
Type 1 : Hungry for recognition
Type 2 : Not interested in recognition
Type 3 : The insiders
Type 1: Hungry for recognition
Hobby hackers
IT professionals
Politically motivated hackers
Terrorist organizations.
Type 2: Not interested in recognition
Psychological spoiled
Financially motivated hackers
State-sponsored hacking
Organized criminals
Type 3 : The insiders
Disgruntled or former employees
seeking revenge
Competing companies using employees
to gain economic advantage through
damage / theft.
Classifications of Cybercrimes
Cybercrime against individual
Cybercrime against property
Cybercrime against organization
Cybercrime against society
Crimes start from Usenet newsgroup
Cybercrime against individual
Email spoofing
Phishing
Spamming
Cyberdefamation
Cyberstalking and harassment
Pornographic offense
Password sniffing
Cybercrime against property
Credit card frauds
Intellectual Property Crime
Internet time theft
Cybercrime against organization
Unauthorized accessing of computer
Password sniffing
Denial-of-service attacks
Email bombing
Salami attack
Logic bomb
Trojan Horse
Data diddling
Crimes starts from Usenet newsgroup
Industrial spying
Computer network disturbance
Software piracy
Cybercrime against society
Forgery
Cyberterrorism
Web jacking
E-Mail Spoofing
A spoofed E-mail is one that appears to
originate from one source but actually
has been sent from another source.
Example
A branch of global trust bank
experienced a customer spreads out the
rumor that bank is not doing well.
Spamming
People who create electronic spam are
called “Spammers”.
Spam is the abuse of e-messaging
systems to send unsolicited (unwanted)
bulk messages.
Spamming is difficult to control.
The another definition of spamming is in
the context of “search engine
spamming”.
To avoid spamming, following web
publishing techniques should be
avoided.
Repeating keywords
Use of keywords that do not relate to the
content on the site
Redirection
Duplication of pages with different URLs
Hidden links
Cyberdefamation
The Indian Penal Code says about defamation
is
“Whoever by words either spoken or intended
to be read, or by signs or by visible
representations, makes or publishes any
imputation concerning any person intending to
harm or knowing or having reason to believe
that such imputation will harm, the reputation of
such person, is said, except in the cases
hereinafter expected, to defame that person.”
When above happens in electronic form,
its known as Cyberdefamation
Libel is written defamation and Slander
is oral defamation.
Internet Time Theft
Such theft occurs when an unauthorized
person uses the Internet hours paid by
another person.
Basically, internet time theft comes
under hacking.
Salami Attack
These attacks are used for committing
financial crimes.
The main idea here is to make the
alteration so insignificant that in a single
case it would go completely unnoticed.
For ex. A bank employee inserts a
program, into bank’s servers, that
deducts a small amount of money from
the account of every customer. No
account holder will notice this
unauthorized debit, but the bank
employee will make sizable amount.
Data diddling
A data diddling attack involves altering
raw data just before it is processed by a
computer and then changing it back after
the processing is completed.
Forgery
Fake currency notes, postage and
revenue stamps, marksheets can be
forged using sophisticated computers,
printers and scanners.
Web Jacking
Web jacking occurs when someone
forcefully takes control of a website.
First stage of this crime involves
“password sniffing”.
Newsgroup Spam
This is one form of spamming.
The first widely recognized Usenet spam
titled “Global Alert for All : Jesus is
Coming Soon” was posted on 18th
January, 1994 by Clarence L. Thomas
IV a sysadmin at Andrews Unversity.
Industrial Spying
The internet and privately networked
systems provide new and better
opportunities for spying.
“Spies” can get information about
product finances, research and
development and marketing strategies.
This activity is known as “industrial
spying”.
One of the interesting case is about The
famous Israeli Trojan story, where a software
engineer in London created a Trojan Horse
program specifically designed to extract critical
data gathered from machines infected by his
program.
He had made a business out of selling his
Trojan Horse program to companies in Israel,
which would use it for industrial spying by
planting it into competitor’s network.
Hacking
Purpose of hacking are many, the main
ones are as follows :
Greed (Hunger)
Power
Publicity
Revenge
Adventure
Desire to access forbidden information
Destructive mindset
Hackers write or use ready-made
computer programs to attack the target
computer.
Government websites are hot on
hacker’s target lists and attacks on
government websites receive wide press
coverage.
In December 2009, NASA’s site was
hacked by SQL Injection.
Online Frauds
This comes under spoofing. The purpose
of spoofing is to make the user enter
personal information which is then used
to access business and bank accounts.
This kind of online fraud is common in
banking and financial sector.
It is strongly recommended not to input
any sensitive information that might help
criminals to gain personal information.
Story of Nadya Suleman and her eight
babies. Hacked by MOD (Mother of
Disappointment).
CIA (Central Intelligence Agency), the
US website was hacked.
Dept. of Justice site defaced.
Pentagon, the US site defaced.
Twitter site hacked.
Pornographic Offenses
The internet is being highly used by its
abusers to reach and abuse children
sexually, worldwide.
“Pedophile” are people who are sexually
attracted to children . They are physically
and psychologically forcing minors to
engage in sexual activities.
How they operate?
Pedophiles use a false identity to trap
the children/teenagers.
They seek teens in the kids’ areas.
They be friend of them.
Then they get email address of the child
and start making contacts on email too.
These emails contains sexually explicit
language.
They start sending pornographic
images/text to the victim to fed to into
his/her mind that “This is normal and
everybody does it”.
At the end of it, the pedophiles set up a
meeting with the child out of the house
and then use them as a sex object.
Software Piracy
This the “The Biggest” challenge area.
Software piracy is “theft of software
through the illegal copying of genuine
programs or the fake program and
distribution of products intended to
pass for the original”.
Disadvantage of piracy
The software, if pirated, may potentially
contain hard-drive infection virus.
There is no technical support in the case
of software failure.
There is no warranty protection
There is no legal right to use the product.
According to the fourth annual BSA
(Business Software Alliance ) and IDC
global Software Piracy study, in Asia
pacific 55% of software installed are
illegal.
Computer Sabotage
Inserting worms, viruses or logic bomb in
computer is referred as computer
sabotage.
Logic bomb is event dependent program
created to do something only when a
certain event occurs.
Example CIH ( Chernobyl virus ).
Email bombing
It refers to sending a large number of e-
mails to the victim to crash victim’s email
account or to make victim’s mail server
crash.
Usenet Newsgroup
Usenet is a mechanism that allows
sharing information in a many-to-many
manner.
Usenet mainly used for following crime :
Distribution/sale of pornographic material
Distribution/sale of pirated software
Distribution of hacking software
Sale of stolen credit card number
Sale of stolen data
Password Sniffing
Password sniffers are programs that
monitor and record the name and
password of network users as they login.
Credit Card Fraud
Information security requirements for
credit cards have been increased
recently.
Millions of dollars lost by consumers who
have credit card stolen from online
database.
Identity theft
Identity theft is a fraud involving another
perosn’s identity for an illegal purpose.
Computer Network Intrusions
Hackers can break into computer
systems from anywhere in the world and
steal data, plant viruses, insert trojan
horses or change user names and
passwords.
Questions
1. What is CyberCrime? How do you
define it?
2. How do we classify cybercrimes?
Explain each one briefly.
3. What are the different types of
cybercriminals? Explain each one
briefly.
4. State the difference between
“cybercrime” and “cyberfraud” if any.
5. Define the following terms
1. Cyberterrorism
2. Cyberpunk
3. Cyberdefamation
4. Cyberwarefare
