Computer Crime

• NCJ Number: 94403
• Author(s): M Thornton
• Date Published: Unknown
• Length: 10 pages
• Publication Format: News/Media
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Washington Post article issued in three parts, May 20, 21, 22

Annotation

The number of computer crimes committed by professionals and youthful pranksters is increasing at a time when computer security is lax and enforcement practically nil. The growth of computer technology also raises ethical and privacy concerns.

Abstract

The Federal Government and private industry say the variety of computer crimes and the potential for damage are staggering. They cite harassment, copyright violations, extortion, multimillion-dollar electronic bank thefts, industrial and military espionage, terrorism, sabotage and even murder. If young computer buffs can gain access to computer credit records, bank records, and defense records, a computer professional can do much more damage. Growth of computer technology and know-how as well as the crime's invisibility make computer crime a fertile field for growth. Many computer crimes are discovered by accident, and most agencies have no procedures for finding problems. Congress is debating several bills dealing with young computer 'hackers,' but the real problem comes from insiders with access to the system. Computer technology has not been designed with security in mind, and most managers are unaware of the potential losses from computer crime. Although requiring a security clearance would weed out potential criminals, clearance checks are often too expensive to apply to the thousands of data processing personnel employed by large agencies. Most computer systems are too 'user friendly,' they allow simple sign-on and password systems that provide easy access. Some schools are including ethics in their computer courses to discourage young computer wizards from tampering with computer records. The vast amounts of data computers store today may be changing society's concept of privacy. What was considered an invasion of privacy a decade ago has been altered in the computer age. The articles include descriptions of common computer schemes, a discussion of the FBI's approach to computer crimes, sample topics in a computer ethics curriculum, and numerous case examples.