LAW

INVESTIGATION
AND ETHICS
OBJECTIVE

• IDENTIFY THE TYPES AND TARGETS OF COMPUTER CRIME

LIST OF SOME COMPUTER CRIMES

-USE OF MALWARE
-STEALING A PERSON’S IDENTITY
-CYBERSTALKING
-CHILD PORNOGRAPHY
-SPAM
USE OF MALWARE

• MALWARE IS AN UMBRELLA TERM FOR VIRUSES, WORMS, AND OTHER NEFARIOUS SOFTWARE
PROGRAMS INTENDED TO SEPARATE A COMPUTER USER AND HIS OR HER INFORMATION OR
MONEY. SOME OF THE MORE POPULAR MALWARE PROGRAMS APPEAR TO BE VIRUS SOFTWARE
ALERTING USERS TO AN INFECTION AND ASKING THAT THEY PURCHASE A RELATED PRODUCT TO
REMOVE THE VIRUS. IN REALITY, THE SEEMINGLY HELPFUL ALERT MESSAGE IS ACTUALLY THE
VIRUS AND WHEN YOU ENTER YOUR PAYMENT INFORMATION INTO THE SYSTEM TO PURCHASE
“PROTECTION,” YOU ARE ACTUALLY SUPPLYING THAT INFORMATION TO CRIMINALS.

• TO AVOID FALLING VICTIM TO MALWARE, DO NOT DOWNLOAD SOFTWARE FROM SITES YOU DO
NOT TRUST. AVOID PIRATED SOFTWARE AND DO NOT OPEN FILES UNLESS YOU KNOW THEIR
SOURCE. AVOIDING ACCUSATIONS OF LAW BREAKING WHEN IT COMES TO MALWARE IS SIMPLE:
DO NOT SEND VIRUSES TO OTHER COMPUTER USERS AND DO NOT ATTEMPT TO GAIN ACCESS
TO ANYONE’S INFORMATION WITHOUT THEIR PERMISSION.
 STEALING A PERSON’S IDENTITY
• MILLIONS OF PEOPLE EACH YEAR FALL VICTIM TO IDENTITY THEFT. SOMEONE GAINS ACCESS TO THEIR PERSONAL
INFORMATION AND USES IT FOR HIS OR HER OWN BENEFIT. HACKERS HAVE THE ABILITY TO GAIN ACCESS TO
FINANCIAL ACCOUNTS OR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS AND DESTROY A PERSON’S LIFE.

• TO AVOID HAVING YOUR IDENTITY STOLEN, NEVER LOG INTO FINANCIAL ACCOUNTS USING A PUBLIC COMPUTER.
NEVER SHARE PERSONAL INFORMATION IN EMAIL, INSTANT MESSAGING, OR ANY TYPE OF UNENCRYPTED
COMMUNICATION. ANY TIME YOU MAKE A PURCHASE ONLINE, CHECK TO ENSURE THE SITE IS SECURE AND NEVER
PROVIDE YOUR CREDIT CARD INFORMATION TO A SITE THAT IS NOT KNOWN TO BE REPUTABLE.

CYBERSTALKING
• CYBER STALKING IS EXACTLY WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE: USING THE COMPUTER TO STALK SOMEONE, HARASS THEM,
AND GAIN UNINVITED ACCESS TO THEIR LIFE. STALKING IS A COMMON ACCUSATION IN DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
CASES AND OTHER FAMILY LEGAL DISPUTES, SO IF YOU ARE IN THE MIDST OF ENDING A RELATIONSHIP, IT IS
BETTER TO AVOID INTERACTING WITH YOUR FORMER ROMANTIC PARTNER ONLINE. ANY INTERACTION CAN BE
TWISTED TO LOOK LIKE AN UNWANTED ADVANCE, SO THE LESS TIME YOU SPEND ON SOCIAL MEDIA SITES THE
BETTER. AND NEVER, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, ATTEMPT TO GAIN ACCESS TO A FORMER LOVE INTEREST’S
EMAIL OR OTHER PERSONAL INFORMATION ONLINE.
CHILD PORNOGRAPHY
• IT IS NO SECRET THE INTERNET IS A HOT BED FOR PORNOGRAPHIC MATERIAL. MUCH OF
IT IS PERFECTLY LEGAL TO ACCESS, BUT JUST AS MUCH OF IT IS ILLEGAL BECAUSE IT
FEATURES UNDERAGE PARTICIPANTS. EXPLOITING CHILDREN ONLINE IS BIG BUSINESS
AND IF YOU ARE ACCUSED OF VIEWING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY WITHOUT REALIZING
YOU ARE DOING ANYTHING WRONG, YOU WOULD NOT BE THE FIRST PERSON. TO AVOID
BREAKING THE LAW REGARDING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY, USE COMMON SENSE: NEVER
CLICK ON ANYTHING SUSPICIOUS AND IF YOU CANNOT BE 100% SURE WHAT YOU ARE
DOWNLOADING OR VIEWING, AVOID IT.

SPAM
• THE BEST WAY TO AVOID BREAKING LAWS ASSOCIATED WITH SPAM IS TO NEVER SEND
ANYONE AN EMAIL WITHOUT THAT PERSON’S PERMISSION. IF YOU OPERATE ANY SORT
OF ORGANIZATION OR BUSINESS ONLINE, MAKE SURE YOU OFFER AN OPT-IN AND OPT-
OUT FEATURE FOR EMAIL AND KEEP CAREFUL RECORDS OF RECIPIENT REQUESTS. IF YOU
ARE ACCUSED OF SPAMMING.
 MAJOR CATEGORIES OF COMPUTER
CRIMES
• – MILITARY AND INTELLIGENCE ATTACKS
• – BUSINESS ATTACKS
• – FINANCIAL ATTACKS
• – TERRORIST ATTACKS
• – GRUDGE ATTACKS
• – THRILL ATTACKS
 TYPES OF HACKERS

• WHITE HAT

• – COMPUTER EXPERTS WHO SPECIALIZE IN TESTING SYSTEMS

• – HELP TO FIND AND POINT OUT FLAWS

• – PROVIDE SERVICE LIKE PENETRATION TEST IN ORDER TO HELP COMPANIES

•BLACK HAT

• – THE BAD GUYS WHO BREAK INTO COMPUTERS OR NETWORKS OR CREATE VIRUSES TO STEAL

INFORMATION AND TAKE CONTROL

• – THEIR AIM IS TO PROFIT FROM SELLING THEIR SERVICES OR THE INFORMATION THEY STEAL.
• GREY HAT

– THEY TEST AND EXPLOIT WEAKNESSES IN SYSTEMS WITHOUT THE KNOWLEDGE

OR PERMISSION OF THEIR TARGETS

– GREY HAT HACKERS WILL, HOWEVER, REVEAL THE FLAWS THEY FIND TO

THEIR VICTIMS IN EXCHANGE FOR BEING PAID.

• SCRIPT KIDDIES

– YOUNG AND INEXPERIENCED HACKERS WHO USE OFF THE SHELF PROGRAMS TO

ATTACK NETWORKS AND INTERFERE WITH WEBSITES IN ORDER TO TRY TO MAKE THEIR NAME.
• HACKTIVISTS

– HACKERS WITH POLITICAL OR IDEOLOGICAL MOTIVATIONS

– THEY PERFORM ATTACKS TO EXPOSE WHAT THEY PERCEIVE AS WRONGDOING OR

TO EXACT REVENGE AGAINST GROUPS OR COMPANIES THAT THEY BELIEVE ARE BEHAVING IMMORALLY.

• STATE SPONSORED

– SUPPORTED BY AND DOING THE WORK OF GOVERNMENTS

– THEY HAVE AN ARMIES OF CYBER WARRIORS WHO ATTACK

INSTITUTIONS IN THEIR GOVERNMENT’S INTERESTS.

• CORPORATE SPONSORED

– HACKERS WHO ARE HIRED TO BREAK INTO THE COMPETITION AND

STEAL VALUABLE TRADE SECRETS

– THEY ARE PAID BY A COMPANY OR A MIDDLE MAN TO PERFORM SPECIFIC ATTACKS.

• CYBER TERRORISTS

– HACKERS WHO ARE RELIGIOUSLY OR IDEOLOGICALLY MOTIVATED

– THEIR AIM IS TO SPREAD FEAR AND CREATE CHAOS BY ATTACKING

INSTITUTIONS AND CAUSING UNREST.

 HOW CYBER CRIMINALS COMMIT
CRIMES
• MOST PREVALENT TYPES OF COMPUTER CRIMES

• – DENIAL-OF-SERVICE (DOS) ATTACKS

• – ROGUE CODE

• – SOFTWARE PIRACY

• – SOCIAL ENGINEERING

• – DUMPSTER DIVING

• – SPOOFING OF INTERNET PROTOCOL ADDRESSES

• – EMANATION EAVESDROPPING

• – EMBEZZLEMENT

• – INFORMATION WARFARE
 THE COMPUTER AND THE LAW

• THREE PRIMARY CATEGORIES IN COMMON LAW

– CIVIL LAW: COMPENSATES INDIVIDUALS WHO WERE HARMED THROUGH WRONGFUL ACTS KNOWN AS TORTS

• DOES NOT INVOLVE IMPRISONMENT ONLY FINES

– CRIMINAL LAW: PUNISHES THOSE WHO VIOLATE GOVERNMENT LAWS AND HARM AN INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP

• INVOLVES IMPRISONMENT IN ADDITION TO FINES

– REGULATORY LAW: REGULATES THE BEHAVIOR OF ADMINISTRATIVE AGENCIES OF GOVERNMENT

• CAN EXACT BOTH FINANCIAL PENALTIES AND IMPRISONMENT

COMPUTER ETHICS INSTITUTE’S TEN
COMMANDMENTS OF COMPUTER
ETHICS
 COMPUTER ETHICS INSTITUTE
1. THOU SHALT NOT USE A COMPUTER TO HARM OTHER PEOPLE.

2. THOU SHALT NOT INTERFERE WITH OTHER PEOPLE’S COMPUTER WORK.

3. THOU SHALT NOT SNOOP AROUND IN OTHER PEOPLE’S COMPUTER FILES.

4. THOU SHALT NOT USE A COMPUTER TO STEAL.

5. THOU SHALT NOT USE A COMPUTER TO BEAR FALSE WITNESS.

6. THOU SHALT NOT COPY OR USE PROPRIETARY SOFTWARE FOR WHICH YOU HAVE NOT PAID.

7. THOU SHALT NOT USE OTHER PEOPLE’S COMPUTER RESOURCES WITHOUT AUTHORIZATION OR PROPER
8. THOU SHALT NOT APPROPRIATE OTHER PEOPLE’S INTELLECTUAL OUTPUT.

9. THOU SHALT THINK ABOUT THE SOCIAL CONSEQUENCES OF THE PROGRAM YOU ARE WRITING OR THE SYSTEM YOU ARE
DESIGNING.

10. THOU SHALT ALWAYS USE A COMPUTER IN WAYS THAT ENSURE CONSIDERATION AND RESPECT FOR YOUR FELLOW HUMANS.