Essay On Computer Crime

1025 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Description of evolution of computers

Keeping Up with Computers
Computer crimes have been occurring since the late 1960’s. Computers and technology has evolved very much so since the 1960’s and it is now nearly impossible to do business without them. With the invention of small thumb drives and cards that can store large amounts of data it can be very easy to steal valuable information from a computer without anyone knowing. Since much of this valuable information is made up of people’s financial and health information as well as trade secrets and company information this is an important issue to be addressed. Laws need to be continually updated or created in order to adapt to computer crimes and to punish those committing them.
The first federally prosecuted case of a computer crime occurred in October of 1966 when a consultant, Milo Arthur Bennett, hired by Minneapolis bank to program and maintain its computer systems was caught changing the bank’s checking account program. He changed the program so that it did not alert the bank of overdraft charges in his account. Mr. Bennett was found guilty of embezzlement and this began the problem of computer crimes and thus the need to define them and create laws to punish them.
Computer crime is defined by Mariam Jennings as “theft, espionage and other illegal activities accomplished through the use of a computer” (Jennings G-5). Some crimes using a computer can include using computers to commit economic espionage, to commit electronic fund transfer crimes, to circumvent copyright protection devices, for unauthorized access, spamming, commit fraud, and cyberbullying. Since there are so many ways to commit crimes with computers there are many laws to protect people from criminals.
The Economic Espionage Act (EEA) ...

... middle of paper ...

... case states have passed laws to protect people from cyber-bullying, cyber-stalking and cyber-harassment.
It has been almost fifty years since the first case of computer crime was prosecuted. Since then computers have made themselves at home in the everyday lives of Americans. There have been numerous new laws created to fight against the criminals using computers to cause damage to individuals, businesses and the United States. These laws are in constant need of updates and changes because of how fast computers are evolving. In this era almost everyone carries a computer around with them, either a laptop, tablet or smartphone. Although existing laws are sufficient there will always be the need for new laws to keep up with the technological changes that occur every day. Every time a criminal commits a new crime this opens the door for a new law to be needed.

Show More
Related

  • Essay On Prosecuting Cybercrimes

    668 Words  | 2 Pages

    In todays fast pace world of technology many of us leave ourselves vulnerable to become victims of a cybercrime. With people using the internet to do everything from paying bills, personal banking, and on-line shopping their financial and personal information is available at the stroke of a key to a hacker. Often someone is unaware that they have been attacked and had their information stolen. The use of the internet has grown exorbitantly throughout the world. Nelson Online reported that as of December 31, 2014, there were 360,985,492 users of the internet throughout the world. (2015) With so many users in so many countries accessing the internet, prosecuting cybercrimes is nearly impossible.

    Read More

  • Essay On Computer Forensics

    3119 Words  | 7 Pages

    Computer Forensics is defined as “the application of computer investigation and analysis techniques in the interest of determining potential legal evidence” [Nelson, Bill, Phillips, Amelia, Enfinger, Frand, and Stewart, Chris (2004)] and has been prevalent in the law enforcement fields and government agencies since the mid-1980s. [Daphyne Saunders Thomas, Karen A. Forcht(2004)] Yet still, the existence does not justify the cause for the creation, development, and the integration of computer forensics into daily life. An online article from Penn State University goes into the history in more detail. The first actual legislation involving computer crime took place in the Counterfeit Access Device and Computer Fraud and Abuse Act in 1984. Among other things, this enforcement made it officially a misdemeanor to obtain financial or credit information through a computer. Because of this laws nature (being a federal legislati...

    Read More

  • Computer Crime: Technology and Cyberspace

    1350 Words  | 3 Pages

    A major part of the world today revolves around technology and cyberspace. Almost every day one will use a type of computer in some way, whether it is work related or if it is for personal use such as social networking. Another thing occurring on a daily basis is criminals committing either trivial or major crimes; so it is not hard to imagine that these two actions would start to syndicate into one. Cyber-crime is defined as “unauthorized use of a computer for personal gain” (Dictionary.com), but the true depth of the definition is so much deeper. Anyone can be affected by cyber-crime, it can affect personal computer users all the way to massive corporations. There are many government agencies trying to get control of this growing problem. Cyber-crime is a problem affecting everyone; it will continue to grow unless computer users become educated on the threats out in cyberspace and become aware of the risks taken every day when one logs on to his or her computer.

    Read More

  • Essay On Crime And Crime

    1786 Words  | 4 Pages

    The media is a dominating aspect of American culture. The way the media depicts crime and criminal behavior has an effect on the way society views crime and criminals. Television series such as CSI, NCIS, Law and Order, Criminal Minds and countless others, have become very popular in our society today showing that our culture has an immense interest in crime. It is clear that there is a fascination with criminals and why they do the things they do. To analyze the way crime dramas represent crime and criminal behavior, I completed a content analysis of one episode of Criminal Minds. The episode I chose was season one; episode eight, which first aired in 2005, titled ‘Natural Born Killer’.

    Read More

  • Computer Forensic Tools

    895 Words  | 2 Pages

    The use of computers in homes, schools, offices, and other places has increased in the past few years due to technological developments. As computers have become important components of modern communication, their increased use has also led to the emergence of computer crimes. Computer crimes basically involve the use of a computer system to carry out an illegal activity. In attempts to lessen the frequency and impact of computer crimes, law enforcement agencies use computer forensic to investigate these offenses. Actually, computer crimes are governed by specific laws and dealt with through conducting a computer forensic investigation (Easttom & Taylor, 2011, p.337). Notably, a computer forensic investigation is usually carried out through the use of computer forensic tools, which help in collection of evidence based on the specific offense.

    Read More

  • Hacking

    1389 Words  | 3 Pages

    Computer hackers in today's world are becoming more intelligent. They are realizing that people are constantly developing more hack-proof systems. This presents the hackers with a bigger challenge and a bigger thrill. The government is realizing this and is working on making harsher laws to, hopefully, scare the potential hackers. With the increase in hacking and hacker intelligence, governmental regulation of cyberspace hasn't abolished the fact that it's nearly impossible to bring a hacker to justice.

    Read More

  • The Growing Problem of Computer Crime

    2353 Words  | 5 Pages

    Computer crime is defined as, “Criminal activity directly related to the use of computers, specifically illegal trespass into the computer system or database of another, manipulation or theft of stored or on-line data, or sabotage of equipment and data.”(1). This includes both crimes using computers and crimes against computers.

    Read More

  • Use of Technology in Police Departments

    1310 Words  | 3 Pages

    There are different types of computer crimes that many people become victims of every day. Computer crime is any crime that involves a computer and a network. The computer may have been used in the commission of a crime, or it may be the target ("Computer Crime: Chapter 2: What Are the Crimes? ", n.d.) - " Crimes such as data diddling, pump and dump, social engineering and spoofing are computer crimes. Even though these crimes are difficult due to privacy issues, the new technology has made investigations and prosecutions well organized and effective.

    Read More

  • Trends In Law Enforcement

    561 Words  | 2 Pages

    The prevailing presence and growth of the computer industry has rapidly escalated the threat of digital crimes orchestrated by terrorists and common criminals. "The emergence of computer technologies and the growing threats created by digital criminals and terrorists have worked to produce a wide array of challenges for law enforcement officials charged with protecting individuals, private businesses, and governments from these threats"(Digital Crime). Due to the size and complexity of this evolving and growing threat, the federal government and agencies have led the effort to target and deter all computer crimes. Collectively they commit the very best technical expertise combined with political leverage which provides lucrative financial

    Read More

  • Cybercrime And Social Media Essay

    996 Words  | 2 Pages

    Cybercrime and social media are two major global problems that impact society. Today, are more accessible to computers and the Internet than in years prior. Nonetheless, perpetrators attack social media with illegal activity to facilitate their crime. There are different strategies or practices by various countries to combat cybercrime. However, identity theft, cyberbullying and phishing are three major type of cybercrimes which are impacting social networking websites.

    Read More

  • Internet Essay - Online Anonymity and Cyberspace Crime

    2068 Words  | 5 Pages

    The 90's internet boom gave rise to new ways of writing in through access to cyberspace. What used to be printed or handwritten on physical surfaces such as paper, cardboard, or bulletin boards has changed to 0's and 1's, bits and bytes of digitized information that can be displayed thru the projections of computer screens. Moreover, the internet has made the process of publishing one's works, writing letters, or chatting with one another much easier and convenient for everyone around the globe. The internet became a universal tool, giving much freedom and flexibility to the users; it gave them opportunity to deliver their thoughts with little or no restrictions. Since it's impossible to regulate all cyber-activities, internet users are often unrestricted by the normal laws or authorities that would set boundaries around the various online transactions. More importantly, the fact that a net user can take on different identities in cyberspace brings about several ethical and social issues. These anonymous and unrestrictive characteristics of cyberspace often permite abusive users to easily involve themselves in serious cybercrimes such as cyberstalking, cyber-rape, and cyber-harassment through chatting services, emails, cyber communities, and other online communication.

    Read More

  • CyberCrime

    2979 Words  | 6 Pages

    Cybercrime is a global issue plaguing the world. The dictionary defines cybercrime as “crime conducted via the Internet or some other computer network”(Merriam-Webster). The definition remains very broad because the word “cyber” is defined as “relating to the culture of computers, information technology, and virtual reality.” Due to the growing number of people gaining access to the internet, rapid development of technology, and the globalization of the world, more of the world population is becoming susceptible to involvement in cybercrime – whether it be as a victim or a criminal. Cybercrime involves different levels of the world on both the victim and criminal side, from an individual citizen, to small groups, businesses, and the government, to the countries of the world.

    Read More

  • Cybercrime Essay

    2700 Words  | 6 Pages

    Computer crime or Cyber Crime is defined as any type of crime that involves or regards a computer or computer network. Cyber Crime mainly means that the computer may be used as a tool in the commission of the crime or the computer may be the main target of the criminal’s crime. The rapid growth of technology and gadgets as well as the further de...

    Read More

  • Cybercrime Essay

    2112 Words  | 5 Pages

    In today’s society technology is used for everything. With the invention of computers and the internet this open doors to the cyber world. Today you can do almost anything without having to leave your home. The internet gives us the opportunity of shopping online, ordering food online, working from home and video chatting with friends and family across the world. Everyone has a computer and internet access in their homes. While the internet is really convenient it also opens doors for cybercrimes, loss of privacy and the need for computer security.

    Read More

  • Essay On Cybercrime

    1579 Words  | 4 Pages

    Cybercrime refers to all forms of crime conducted through a computer or a mobile device using computer networks. It is thus the use of a computer with the aim of intercepting and manipulating content, disrupting communication, stealing or generally destroying others’ information or hardware through a network. Although cybercrime is a worldwide problem and affects both small and big companies, small companies are affected more from the dangers of cybercrime. The rapid advancement in technology is causing tremendous problems to businesses in terms of more sophisticated cyber-attacks. This project is interesting and beneficial because it enlightens one on the dangers of cybercrime, thus preparing individuals to know how to prevent attacks while online, how to reduce the effects of a cyber-attack and how to prevent future

    Read More

More about Essay On Computer Crime

Open Document