Computer crime overview

Easy Peddler wants to ensure you have the safest possible experience with us. Unfortunately, the Internet can be a very dangerous place for the average user. Internet users can be bombarded with fake emails, fake Web sites, viruses, spyware, and many other electronic threats on a daily basis. But you can protect yourself against all these threats with the best weapon of all: information. The more you learn, the easier it will be for you to spot and avoid a particular threat. Computer crime is nothing new. It may involve many well-known crimes, such as fraud, embezzlement, forgery, theft, or even extortion. The only difference is now these crimes are committed using computers. For your reference, we have provided a glossary of the many crimes committed using computers: Adware - a type of malware which is usually included with a software package that automatically downloads, displays, or runs advertising material without the consent of the user. Adware becomes more malicious when it interferes with the function of other software applications, or when it forces users to visit a particular Web site. Confidence scams - an Internet scam, usually sent via email attempting to steal sensitive personal information. Confidence scams sometimes claim that a person has died overseas and you have been named beneficiary to their assets. You are then asked to reply to the message and give them sensitive personal information so they can "send you the money." But in reality, the information you provide gives them the ability to steal your bank information or even personal information. Cyberstalking - an activity in which a "cyberstalker" follows a victim's online activity to gather information, threaten, or to arrange "real life" contact. Cyberstalkers are found mostly on, but not limited to chat rooms, online forums, or personal profile or friend network Web sites. Hacking - an activity in which a "hacker" gains unauthorized access to an information system. An information system may be a personal desktop computer, a notebook computer, a network server, or a computer program. Hackers gain entry to an information system generally to steal, delete, or modify stored information. Identity Theft - an activity in which an attacker obtains your sensitive personal information. Identity theft may occur online or "in the real world." If you become a victim of a phishing or spoofing attack, for example, you may also be a victim of identity theft. When your identity is stolen, attackers steal information such as your social security number, your mother's maiden name, credit card information, or bank account information. It is important to review your credit report at least once a year to make sure there haven't been any unauthorized transactions or lending activities made in your name without your knowledge. Malware - software designed to damage or infiltrate a computer system without the owner's consent. Malware, or malicious software, may include viruses, Trojan horses, worms, spyware, or adware. Phishing - a criminal activity in which a "phisher" steals sensitive personal information from a victim, such as credit card, banking, or personal identification information, by masquerading as a trustworthy person or business. Phishers create fake Web sites and emails to fool their victims. Phreaking - an activity in which a "phreaker" breaks into a telephone system in order to make free long-distance calls. Piracy - an activity that involves the theft of copyrighted material in electronic form. These materials may include, but are not limited to music, software, and motion pictures. Piracy is committed when a user either uploads material for others to download, or when a user downloads material already uploaded by others. Spoofing - a complex networking scam which occurs when one person or program fakes its own identity by falsifying data and therefore gains an illegitimate advantage. A "phishing" scam is very similar to spoofing. Spyware - a type of malware designed to intercept or take partial control of a computer without the computer user's knowledge. Spyware watches the activity of a computer and then sends that information back to a hacker. Some benign spyware simply collects information about Internet activity and then sends the information back to an advertisement agency. Other more dangerous versions of spyware try to record online activity in an attempt to steal password or credit card information. Trojan horse - a type of malware that masquerades as something else, like a game or image file, in order to trick the user. Trojan horses can be destructive and may corrupt programs or file systems. Trojan horses are dangerous, but are not self-replicating. Virus - a type of malware which self-replicates and can cause significant damage to a computer system. A virus attaches itself to, and becomes part of another executable program, but it cannot propagate by itself. Viruses can destroy important system files which may then cause system crashes. Worms - a type of malware that uses computer networks and security flaws to create copies of itself. A copy of the worm will scan a network for other computers that have a specific security flaw. It replicates itself to the new computer using the security flaw, and then starts replicating and spreading all over again. A worm is self-contained and does not need to be part of another program to propagate itself, unlike a virus.