CYBER CRIME by cycycy on May 15, 2011 12:05 am No Comments by Cheryl Ting Because of the pervasiveness of the internet,

, I would like to provide an insight to crime that can happen there, on the internet, known to many as cybercrime. According to TechTerms.com, Cybercrime is criminal activity done using computers and the internet. Sometimes, it may also be known as E-crime, computer crime or online crime. When the word cybercrime is mentioned, I reckon many people will be reminded of computer hackers or organizations that commit fraud via the internet. However, apart from the above mentioned, there are various other types of cybercrimes. Maybe even before you know it, you have already fallen victim to internet crime or committed a cybercrime. I would agree that the Internet is a great tool and companion for all age groups especially for students and working adults. It is a great source of information, which even surpasses books, encyclopaedias and dictionaries. This is because all information is available only a few clicks away and easily accessible. While using the internet for research purposes, some people tend to copy paste material without doing any citing. Some were ignorant; some dont know how to do proper referencing, while some just couldnt be bothered. However, people while using this convenience to their advantage, neglected the fact that they could get into trouble. Using ideas and material without authorization of the original author is a crime called plagiarism. Presenting ideas from others as your own is a form of theft. Thus, to avoid plagiarism, acknowledgement of the author should be done. And in this case, referencing tools like the Oxford Reference Online or Harvard Referencing Guide will come in handy. I was unlucky enough to fall into a phishing scam two years ago. The phisher in question sent me an email, stating that he was an administrator from Facebook, and that my Facebook account was reported several times for abuse. The email directed me to a Facebook log in page, to lodge a report if these complaints were false. I did it accordingly, as it looked legitimate to me. It wasnt until the next day when I realised my mistake. I couldnt access my Facebook account anymore. Shortly after, I received a forwarded email from one of my contacts, asking me to beware of a certain phishing scam. The phisher mentioned was the same with the one who sent me the phishing mail. But it was too late. My account was already hacked and the password changed. It wasnt until after I requested a password change that I realised some of my information was changed and some applications sabotaged. Since then, I began to screen my mails more carefully. Phishers try to obtain data such as log in information or credit card numbers through email scams, so think twice before you check out links in fishy emails. By doing a simple search with search engines, we can know that there are many sites offering free download of songs, videos, movies, files, software and other materials. However, it is to common

knowledge that not all of these downloads are legal. Some illegal downloads are against the copyright law. Copyright is defined by Britannica Online Encyclopaedia as the exclusive, legally secured right to reproduce, distribute, and perform a literary, musical, dramatic, or artistic work. Therefore, the uploading and distributing works that are protected by copyright law without permission of the copyright owner is illegal. The same goes to downloading these illegally distributed works. Copyright law is amended to acknowledge the creator, also to protect the monetary rights of the creator from the copyrighted work. Have it ever crossed your mind that when youre downloading illegally on one end, youre letting the creator down at the other end? He/she not only loses revenue, but also influence and honour. Apart from that, it is against the law and you are at the risk of being apprehended. So, the right thing to do is to purchase original works or obtaining them through legitimate sites like iTunes, instead of downloading them from the net illegally. This way, you show respect to both the creator and the law. Another common cybercrime is cyber-bullying among minors, which can form a branch of its own. There are various types of cyber-bullying, such as harassment, threatening, using foul language towards someone, defamation and so on. It is very different from school-bullying, as in school usually those physically or mentally weaker students get harassed or bullied, whereas cyber-bullying can happen to anybody, and sometimes cyber-bullies can even target a random person to satisfy their ego or rage, or just for the gist of it. Sometimes you wont even know who is the one harassing you, as the person could remain anonymous if he or she chooses not to reveal themselves. In 2007, BBC news UK reported the story of a cyber-bullying victim, Julianne Flory. She has an outgoing personality, yet she was insulted by a group of schoolmates through her social networking website. They got access to her instant messaging service and the insults grew worse. In the end, they even threatened to stab her and hurt her family members. It was only resolved after she reported it to the authorities, and the bullies were tracked down and warned. Last but not least, the most serious cybercrime of all hacking. Hack, as defined by the Oxfords Advanced Learners dictionary, is to secretly find a way of looking at or changing information on somebodys computer system without permission. Thus, there are many who use this skill to enter others computer systems in order to obtain data or change information to their own benefit, or for sabotaging purposes. There can be various types of hacking attacks too, each with a different motive and implication, such as theft of identity, theft of confidential business information, obtained credit card information and so on. Sometimes, using others accounts without permission is also a form of hacking. We see this often when someone uses a friends password to log in to social networking sites without permission. This is an act of invading privacy, and it could turn into an offense. Hackers cause serious problems to internet users, companies and the online community, and cannot be ignored. Thus, steps to ensure internet security such as the installation of firewalls, spyware and antivirus software and so on is a must, to prevent hackers having a chance to gain access to your computer system. Regretfully, there are many other illegal activities conducted via the internet that I did not manage to cover. Cyber stalking, creating and distributing viruses to destroy computer systems, illegal trading, stealing of identity, spamming and so on are all classified under cybercrimes. These are happening every second round the clock, on any corner of the earth. INTRODUCTION

Article 1 : Title Author Source : Cyber Crime : Cheryl Ting : TechTerms.com n.d., Cybercrime, viewed 25 February 2011,

http://www.techterms.com/definition/cybercrime BBC News 2007, Cyberbullying: A victims story, viewed 26 February 2011, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/7006473.stm Hack. Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary. 6th ed. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2000. Print.

SUMMARY Internet plays an important role in developing areas such as business, medicine and others. Internet also facilitates communication among employees or customers and expand the knowledge of everyone. It is a good media for all levels of society to obtain a variety of materials. Indirectly, the Internet will also help us to. create a more prosperous life and healthy competition in the era of globalization However, the Internet to expose society to the various types of negative elements. It is also likely to create a syndrome of addiction among Internet users. Further, the increasing social problems. Internet surfing can also be recognized as a kind of time wasting activities for young people who misuse the Internet. This facility can be used to infiltrate and disrupt as 'hacking', which is a lot happening. Government web sites easily invaded for the purpose of annoying. National security is also difficult to control because everything connected through an international network. Inn the past few years, the center of U.S. national security, the Pentagon invaded by a child twelve years old. This is detrimental to the safety aspects of the country and and the world. In addition, a computer virus that becomes a conversation lately also circulated on the internet. Today, many computer viruses are created could result in the computer data is lost and there is also the virus that causes damage to the computer. This will result in a company or government agency paralysis due to system and their data compromised. Health aspects associated with the use of the internet. Exchange of information between the children can help the process of mental and psychological development throughout the growth process. Internet provides opportunities for children to make a deeper analysis on the subject of interest. Library around the world is a source of children for the study of a subject in their studies. If the information sought is not available in local libraries, this information can be obtained and libraries overseas. The users need to understand Internet usage and ensure that is used for the good. Control and supervision of parents and teachers is important that young people take advantage of the internet in order to produce the knowledge society in the country.