What Are Computer Access Crimes
Alternatively referred to as hi-tech crime, cyber crime, e-crime, or electronic crime. A skilled computer user, also known as a “hacker,” commits computer access crime when they unlawfully surf or take sensitive information from a business or an individual.
This individual or group of people could occasionally be malicious and damage or otherwise corrupt the computer or data files.
Why do people conduct crimes involving computers?
A computer crime is typically committed in order to get commodities or money. Some individuals attempt to steal through computer crimes for a variety of reasons, including greed and desperation. Some persons might also engage in computer crime as a result of peer pressure or coercion.
To demonstrate their proficiency, some people also commit crimes with computers. A successful computer criminal may experience a strong sense of accomplishment. These individuals, often known as “black hat hackers,” enjoy wrecking devastation and turmoil on other people and businesses.
Boredom is another another factor in the commission of computer crimes. They don’t care if they commit a crime; they just want something to do.
Photo by https://unsplash.com/@quinterocamilaaCamila Quintero Franco on Unsplash
Computer crime examples
The various categories of computer crimes that exist nowadays are listed below. Any link can be clicked to access more details about each crime.
Child pornography is the creation, dissemination, storage, or viewing of such material.
Click fraud – Fraudulent clicks on Internet advertisements.
Any click on an advertiser’s link that is made fraudulently and brings in money for the publisher but wasn’t made by someone interested in the advertisement is known as click fraud. In order to produce income, a human or computer program might, for instance, click or view numerous advertisements displayed on a web page. Nowadays, the majority of ad networks are able to spot click fraud and stop publishers from getting paid for erroneous or fraudulent clicks.
Copyright violation – Stealing or using another person’s Copyrighted material without permission.
Cracking – Breaking or deciphering codes designed to protect data.
A cracker is someone who can crack codes and passwords and can access security systems illegally. This person frequently employs a crack, which is a program or script that was created to perform the desired actions.
Hacking, threats, and extortion directed at a person or company are all examples of cyberterrorism.
Cyberbullying and cyberstalking are online forms of harassment and stalking.
A cyberbully, also known as a cyberstalker, is someone who broadcasts offensive or unwelcome things about another person or otherwise harasses them via email, instant messaging, or SMS.
A cyberbully may upload fake information or information that the target does not want others to know in an effort to harm that person’s reputation. Facebook and Twitter are two popular examples of online social media sites where cyberbully harassment of others takes place.
A cyberbully frequently posts information or remarks under a false name or account to conceal their identity.
Cybersquatting is the act of registering a domain name belonging to another person or business with the sole purpose of later selling it to them for a high price.
A person or business that buys a domain name with the goal of holding it for later sale at a high price is said to be engaging in cybersquatting. Domain squatting and typo squatting are two more names for cybersquatting.
When a cybersquatter purchases a domain, it becomes inaccessible, declares the site is under development, or advertises or directs traffic to a rival. I could also know how to purchase the domain.
For instance, someone might typosquat “computerhoe.com” (the name is lacking a “p”) in order to increase traffic from computerhope.com or for other reasons. In order to prevent someone from typosquatting a mistyped domain, several businesses, including Computer Hope, register alternative domains and reroute them. Naturally, not every error or misspelling can be anticipated, and it might be costly to register every potential misspelling of a domain name.
Cybersquatting victims may file a lawsuit under the Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act or contest the name through the ICANN (Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers). It must be proven that the domain was registered in bad faith in order to file a complaint.
Creating Malware – Writing, creating, or distributing malware (e.g., viruses and spyware.)
Malware is software designed with the intention of doing harm to your computer, such as altering settings, erasing software, causing malfunctions, tracking surfing patterns, or opening it up to attacks. Malware can hurt people by potentially interrupting computers or making them inoperable, which could have an impact on their health and welfare. In order to install itself on your computer without your permission, it employs dishonest and unethical methods. For instance, you might go to a website, request a download, and unintentionally install this program on your computer. Additionally, it may install itself automatically via flaws in your web browser or operating system without your intervention.
Malware is frequently discovered on websites that carry out unlawful or dubious legal operations, like offering free downloads of copyrighted music, film, or software. Many of these websites might give away services for nothing in an effort to entice users to utilize their products or download their applications. These programs or services are frequently malware-infected, which infects your computer.
Data tampering is a type of computer fraud where numbers are purposefully changed during data entry.
Data diddling is a type of computer fraud in which numbers are purposefully fabricated during data entering. When submitting tax returns or other financial papers, it frequently entails inflating or understating revenue or costs in order to benefit a business or a specific person. This action is carried out manually by a person working in data input or remotely via hacking or malware. Data tampering is a type of cybercrime that can result in severe fines or even jail time.
Data diddling, in contrast to other fraud, refers only to information that is falsely entered, not afterwards. The word data, which refers to digital information, and the verb diddle, which implies to distort or exploit, make up the phrase.
Denial of Service attack: When a system is overloaded with requests to the point that it is unable to handle regular requests.
DOS, which stands for disk operating system, is an abbreviation for the Windows command line and MS-DOS. Any operating system that runs off of a disk drive is commonly referred to by this term. Disk operating systems today can be categorized as dall operating systems.
A DoS assault, short for denial of service, involves bombarding a networked computer with an unusually large volume of requests, which slows down or crashes the network. Since a single person cannot produce enough traffic for a DoS attack, these attacks are typically carried out by a number of zombie or worm-infected machines for a DD
Data theft is the theft of someone else’s private or confidential information.
When information is illegally duplicated or taken from a business or other people, it is referred to as data theft or information theft. Typically, this data consists of user information like passwords, SSNs, credit card numbers, personal information, or other secret company data.
The person who stole this information was captured and is being prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law because it was taken unlawfully. Depending on where they are located and where the data theft took place, different legal actions may be taken against them.
Doxing is the act of disclosing another person’s private information without that person’s consent.
Doxxing, often known as being “doxed,” is the practice of disclosing someone’s private information online without that person’s permission. Full name, address, history, and other identifying information that makes it impossible for a user to stay anonymous are a few examples of personal information. Personal contacts, social networks, the selling of data, hacking, or publicly available web databases are frequently used to acquire this information.
Spying on a person or company is espionage.
Products or services that are fake or counterfeit are referred to as fake. An example of anything phony might be a fake antivirus or bogus technical help.
Anything that is fake or counterfeit is not real. For instance, with computers and the Internet, phony computer assistance businesses have been set up to spoof other legitimate computer businesses. Computer fraud is the use of fake goods and services to defraud unwary customers out of their money and personal information.
Fraud: Changing banking records to move money to an account or using a credit card fraudulently are examples of data manipulation.
Computer fraud is the theft of resources from individuals or organizations using computers, the Internet, Internet-connected devices, and Internet services. Phishing, social engineering, malware, and DDoS attacks are some instances of illegal computer operations used to obstruct service or access another user’s funds.
The Comprehensive Crime Control Act was initially passed by the US government on October 12, 1984, and it has since undergone numerous revisions and updates in an effort to combat computer fraud. The penalty for breaking this law are severe. However, there are many people who oppose this act because they believe it is too broad and gives the law’s application too much latitude. According to this point of view, many persons who would not often be deemed violators are penalized because laws are too vague.
Graffiti that projects an image or message onto a building is referred to as “green graffiti.”
Graffiti is a form of writing that may be used on Palm OS gadgets to let users write onto their PalmPilots. Apple has a license for it for the Newton as well. The image serves as an illustration of the graffiti writing style.
As shown in the image, begin at the bottom left and draw a “A” without the horizontal line to form the letter “a”. The user would have to memorize and sketch each letter they wished to enter in order to input multiple characters. The bottom of the diagram illustrates another way to construct the characters for space, backspace, carriage return, and period.
Harvesting: Gathering other people’s account or account-related information.
A harvester, often known as a web harvester, is a piece of software made specifically for data parsing. To extract account names, e-mail addresses, names, and phone numbers from a website, for instance, a web harvester may process a significant number of web pages.
In account harvesting, a person or program logs a valid user’s login and password in order to gain unauthorized access to their account (s). Hackers that attempt to harvest accounts may utilize phishing scams, sniffing malware, or shoulder surfing to gather account information. Once a large number of accounts have been harvested, hackers can use those accounts to spam other users, steal sensitive or private information, or engage in other unlawful financial activity.
Participating in the unlawful act of purchasing or selling other people is known as human trafficking.
Pretending to be someone you are not is identity theft.
Identity theft, often known as online identity theft, is the illicit acquisition of information about another person. The full names, maiden names, addresses, dates of birth, social security numbers, passwords, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and credit card numbers are among the information that thieves search for. The burglar can then use this data to gain access to a bank account, an email account, a smartphone, present themselves as you, or sell your data.
Online purchases or sales of illegal products, such as drugs, weapons, and psychoactive substances, are referred to as il
Stealing useful or conceptual knowledge created by another individual or business is known as intellectual property theft.
IPR violation – Any infringement of another’s copyright, patent, or trademark is an intellectual property rights violation.
Phishing or vishing – Deceiving individuals to gain private or personal information about that person.
Phishing, which sounds like fishing, is a dishonest person or organization that defrauds users. They accomplish this by sending emails or developing websites that are intended to gather a person’s online bank, credit card, or other login details. Users provide their personal information because they believe these emails and websites to be trustworthy because of their appearance. The information below provides instances of phishing efforts as well as tips on how to protect yourself from threats and attacks.
These emails could seem official to people who commonly use online services since they have that look and feel. However, these emails are made to entice recipients to click a link that allows criminals to steal sensitive data like credit card numbers, usernames, and passwords. The following advice can help you recognize these emails and respond to them appropriately.
Infecting a computer or network with malware known as ransomware, which encrypts data and keeps it hostage until a ransom is paid.
A dangerous virus known as ransomware infects a computer and then locks or encrypts specific areas, preventing users from accessing their data or computer. Usually, when the ransomware has been installed on the user’s computer, a notice requesting payment to unlock it is displayed. Ransomware can lock as little as a few files or the entire hard drive, depending on how challenging it is to erase.
Salami-slicing is the practice of stealing little sums of money from each transaction.
Salami slicing is the general term for everything that has been divided into tiny actions or fractions. Salami slicing, for instance, is the practice of taking minute portions of each transaction that add up to a sizable amount of money that has been obtained unlawfully. This tiny sum from thousands of transactions can quickly accumulate up if you took pennies’ worth of money on each transaction.
Scam: The practice of duping others into accepting false information.
Any fraudulent company or technique that defrauds a victim into parting with money or other items is referred to as a scam. Online frauds have developed as a result of the Internet’s ability to link the world, and it is frequently your responsibility to help others exercise caution while interacting with others online.
Sextortion is extortion in which a victim’s sensitive information, particularly of a sexual nature, is fraudulently obtained by another person.
Sextortion is a type of extortion in which a victim’s sexually explicit personal information is unlawfully obtained by another person. The offender can then threaten to make the pictures or messages publicly available in order to extort the victim for money or other demands. In a press release on November 2, 2010, the FBI noted that there had been more than 200 reported cases of sextortion, describing it as a severe cybersecurity problem.
Slander: Posting false information online about a person, organization, or subject.
Software piracy is the act of copying, sharing, or utilizing software that has not been legally obtained by the user.
Software piracy is the practice of using, copying, or disseminating software without authorization or consent. Nowadays, the bulk of software is bought as single-user licenses, which restrict its installation to one computer at a time. Software piracy, which involves copying that software to numerous computers or sharing it with a friend without multiple licenses, is prohibited. Additionally, installing pirated software on your computer could put it at risk for security issues because you never know what else might be loaded.
Other types of software theft include physically taking the disc, having the software code stolen by a programmer, and employing keygens to unlock programs you didn’t pay for.
Spamming is the practice of sending unwanted emails to a large number of addresses.
Internet junk mail is referred to as spam (not the meat product), also known as mass e-mail marketing, UCE (unsolicited commercial e-mail), and bulk e-mail. Spam is unsolicited email that is sent to tens of thousands or even millions of recipients with the purpose of promoting a specific good or service or a money-making fraud. Gary Thuerk, a Digital employee who was promoting the new DECSYSTEM-2020, 2020T, 2060, and 2060T on ARPANET, wrote the first spam email on May 1, 1978.
Even though it’s against the law in many nations, responding to spam might result in your email address being added to additional spam lists because it shows your address is active. It is typically preferable to not reply and delete any spam email that you receive. It’s okay to click the Unsubscribe or Remove e-mail link if you’re receiving spam from a business with which you gave your email address and you believe the business to be reliable.
By tricking a system into believing you are someone you are not, you are spoofing.
Spoofing is a generic word for hacking or deceit used to get over security measures by pretending to be someone else, a computer, a software program, a hardware device, or another person. IP spoofing is one of the most well-known spoofing techniques.
IP spoofing is a technique for getting around network security measures or connecting to a network by pretending to be a different IP address. Some security programs utilize an IP address or a range of IP addresses to identify a person. Security protections might be evaded if the attacker spoofs their IP address to match this specification. A web page, poll, or online competition may be tricked into believing that the user is someone else by using this technique to manipulate the site’s automatically acquired data.
Email spoofing, also known as address spoofing, involves changing the sender’s email address to make the receiver believe that the message came from someone else. By misleading consumers into believing an email is safe when it actually includes a virus or is spam, this type of spoofing is frequently used to get past spam filters.
Spoofing of the caller ID or phone number
Anyone can make up a phone number or area code to call from. Telemarketers use this kind of spoofing to disguise their genuine identities, and hackers use it to gain access to unprotected voicemail messages on phones.
Telemarketers frequently use the caller ID spoofing technique to place calls with numbers that look like yours. If you have the prefix 123 and are in the 801 area code, for instance, you might receive numbers like 801-123-4567 or 801-232-7654. Despite being against the law, telemarketers nevertheless employ this strategy because local numbers are more likely to be picked up by call recipients.
Internet spoof
A phony web page or parody on another widely viewed page is referred to as a web page. For instance, a malicious person may make a fake version of Google, eBay, or PayPal’s homepage that looks just like the real thing but is actually housed on a separate server. These URLs are frequently used in phishing emails to transfer dangerous files or collect user data like usernames and passwords. IP cloaking can also be used to spoof web pages.
Swatting is the practice of making a fictitious police call to someone else’s residence.
Swatting is a sort of harassment used by someone seeking revenge against another person. Swatting is the act of one individual retaliating against another by reporting a fictitious bomb threat, murder, or other violent crime at the latter’s residence. A S.W.A.T. team is then sent to the area as a result of the bogus report. Everybody watching the event online can see the swatting if it occurs while the victim is live streaming a game or other event.
The name is derived from the S.W.A.T. (Special Weapons and Tactics) team, a specific police unit trained to use force to enter a residence, place of business, or other type of building. By employing this method, the caller is betting that the police would dispatch S.W.A.T. to break into the residence, causing damage and perhaps even the death of the victim.
Swatting began as prank calls asking the police to visit someone’s house. It has gained popularity in recent years as a result of callers dialing in more complex hoaxes to deploy the S.W.A.T. team and create more of a commotion.
The FBI and the local police are both quite concerned about this incident. Swatting is illegal under numerous laws, including federal ones, has killed people, and if caught, is punishable by up to several years in jail.
Theft is defined as taking anything that is not yours, such as software, hardware, or information.
Theft is often defined as the unlawful act of taking anything that is not yours or that you have not freely received. For instance, the image shows an instance of hardware theft where a laptop was taken from a moving vehicle (stealing hardware). Thefts of computers, computing equipment, and personally identifiable information fall under the categories listed below.
When information is illegally duplicated or taken from a business or other people, it is referred to as data theft or information theft. Typically, this data consists of user information like passwords, SSNs, credit card numbers, personal information, or other secret company data.
The person who stole this information was captured and is being prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law because it was taken unlawfully. Depending on where they are located and where the data theft took place, different legal actions may be taken against them.
Identity theft, often known as online identity theft, is the illicit acquisition of information about another person. The full names, maiden names, addresses, dates of birth, social security numbers, passwords, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and credit card numbers are among the information that thieves search for. The burglar can then use this data to gain access to a bank account, an email account, a smartphone, present themselves as you, or sell your data.
Software piracy is the practice of using, copying, or disseminating software without authorization or consent. Nowadays, the bulk of software is bought as single-user licenses, which restrict its installation to one computer at a time. Software piracy, which involves copying that software to numerous computers or sharing it with a friend without multiple licenses, is prohibited. Additionally, installing pirated software on your computer could put it at risk for security issues because you never know what else might be loaded.
TheftGuard is a security protection created by Softex that is used with some laptops and handled through the computer BIOS. This protection scheme helps protect laptops that are stolen by not allowing the thief’s to erase the hard drive and remove any protection that is installed. Also, if the stolen laptop is connected to the Internet the owner can choose to disable that laptop, remotely save important data, and remotely track the laptops location.
Setting up a domain that is a misspelling of another domain is known as typosquatting.
A person or business that buys a domain name with the goal of holding it for later sale at a high price is said to be engaging in cybersquatting. Domain squatting and typo squatting are two more names for cybersquatting.
When a cybersquatter purchases a domain, it becomes inaccessible, declares the site is under development, or advertises or directs traffic to a rival. I could also know how to purchase the domain.
For instance, someone might typosquat “computerhoe.com” (the name is lacking a “p”) in order to increase traffic from computerhope.com or for other reasons. In order to prevent someone from typosquatting a mistyped domain, several businesses, including Computer Hope, register alternative domains and reroute them. Naturally, not every error or misspelling can be anticipated, and it might be costly to register every potential misspelling of a domain name.
Cybersquatting victims may file a lawsuit under the Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act or contest the name through the ICANN (Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers). It must be proven that the domain was registered in bad faith in order to file a complaint.
Unauthorized access is the act of entering a system without authorization.
Unauthorized access occurs when someone uses another person’s account or other means to obtain access to a website, software, server, service, or other system. Unauthorized access would be, for instance, if someone repeatedly tried to log into a user account that wasn’t theirs by guessing the password or username until they succeeded.
A user trying to access a part of a system they shouldn’t be accessing could also gain unauthorized access. They would be prevented from entering that location and might get a notification about unlawful access.
Some system administrators configure alerts to notify them when an illegal access attempt occurs so they can look into the cause. These warnings assist in preventing hackers from accessing a private or secure system. With too many unsuccessful login attempts, many secure systems may also lock an account.
Vandalism is the act of destroying any equipment, software, website, or other items.
The deliberate destruction or damage of another person’s or organization’s property without that party’s consent is referred to as vandalism. Hardware vandalism, for instance, is the deliberate breaking or destroying of computer hardware. For instance, a student might purposefully harm a laptop that was provided by the school.
Any of the following could constitute vandalism or cybervandalism on the Internet.
damaging a website by hacking into it.
deliberately causing harm to or destruction of a digital object.
Create phony reviews.
providing false information in a wiki or forum.
cheating in online games or building bots to do so.
spreading false information on social media.
Post malware or a virus for unauthorized download by other people.
Wiretapping – Connecting a device to a phone line to listen to conversations.
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