The Ever-Changing Face of Computer Crime

Fraud, theft, and stalking--place the term "cyber-" in front of these words and there is a huge world of criminal activity surrounding them. The industry of computer security is growing to meet this activity, and it needs skilled professionals.

The Two Types of Computer Crime

The government separates computer crime into the following two categories:

• Crimes using a computer or network

Falsified identification, fraud, copyright infringement, and even types of pornography fall into this category. Criminals make use of computer or network systems to target non-computer victims.
• Crimes against a computer or network

In this category, criminals target the computer or network systems themselves, aiming to disable or destroy them.

The Face of Crime

Computer security has become increasingly difficult to provide. Government and business officials are faced with the challenge of creating new security systems on a regular basis; once computer criminals learn a security system, they are often able to bypass it using any number of methods.

Some use "botnets," software robots that run constantly, to troll the Web for private information. Others use a strategy that industry experts call "phishing," where the criminal impersonates an individual or business to gain private information. To protect themselves, they use secure websites, proxy servers, and route their communications internationally to conceal their identities.

When computer criminals see a law enforcement response to these strategies, they often switch and adopt new ones, succeeding in keeping their identities secret. This faceless world of computer crime is in need of computer security experts to join the ranks of government and businesses fighting to protect vital information. With training in computer and network security, you can help take a byte out of computer crime.

Sources
Catching Cyber Criminals from the Computer Crime Research Center
Realted Articles