Computer Crime Essays (1896 words) - Hacking, Hacker Culture

Computer Crime THESIS: Laws must be passed to address the increase in the number and types of computer crimes. Over the last twenty years, a technological revolution has occurred as computers are now an essential element of today's society. Large computers are used to track reservations for the airline industry, process billions of dollars for banks, manufacture products for industry, and conduct major transactions for businesses because more and more people now have computers at home and at the office. People commit computer crimes because of society's declining ethical standards more than any economic need. According to experts, gender is the only bias. The profile of today's non-professional thieves crosses all races, age groups and economic strata. Computer criminals tend to be relatively honest and in a position of trust: few would do anything to harm another human, and most do not consider their crime to be truly dishonest. Most are males: women have tended to be accomplices, though of late they are becoming more aggressive. Computer Criminals tend to usually be between the ages of 14-30, they are usually bright, eager, highly motivated, adventuresome, and willing to accept technical challenges.(Shannon, 16:2) It is tempting to liken computer criminals to other criminals, ascribing characteristics somehow different from 'normal' individuals, but that is not the case.(Sharp, 18:3) It is believed that the computer criminal often marches to the same drum as the potential victim but follows and unanticipated path.(Blumenthal, 1:2) There is no actual profile of a computer criminal because they range from young teens to elders, from black to white, from short to tall. Definitions of computer crime has changed over the years as the users and misusers of computers have expanded into new areas. When computers were first introduced into businesses, computer crime was defined simply as a form of white-collar crime committed inside a computer system.(2600:Summer 92,p.13) Some new terms have been added to the computer criminal vocabulary. Trojan Horse is a hidden code put into a computer program. Logic bombs are implanted so that the perpetrator doesn't have to physically present himself or herself. (Phrack 12,p.43) Another form of a hidden code is salamis. It came from the big salami loaves sold in delis years ago. Often people would take small portions of bites that were taken out of them and then they were secretly returned to the shelves in the hopes that no one would notice them missing.(Phrack 12,p.44) Congress has been reacting to the outbreak of computer crimes. The U.S. House of Judiciary Committee approved a bipartisan computer crime bill that was expanded to make it a federal crime to hack into credit and other data bases protected by federal privacy statutes.(Markoff, B 13:1) This bill is generally creating several categories of federal misdemeanor felonies for unauthorized access to computers to obtain money, goods or services or classified information. This also applies to computers used by the federal government or used in interstate of foreign commerce which would cover any system accessed by interstate telecommunication systems. Computer crime often requires more sophistications than people realize it.(Sullivan, 40:4) Many U.S. businesses have ended up in bankruptcy court unaware that they have been victimized by disgruntled employees. American businesses wishes that the computer security nightmare would vanish like a fairy tale. Information processing has grown into a gigantic industry. It accounted for $33 billion in services in 1983, and in 1988 it was accounted to be $88 billion. (Blumenthal, B 1:2) All this information is vulnerable to greedy employees, nosy-teenagers and general carelessness, yet no one knows whether the sea of computer crimes is only as big as the Gulf of Mexico or as huge as the North Atlantic. (Blumenthal,B 1:2) Vulnerability is likely to increase in the future. And by the turn of the century, nearly all of the software to run computers will be bought from vendors rather than developed in houses, standardized software will make theft easier. (Carley, A 1:1) A two-year secret service investigation code-named Operation Sun-Devil, targeted companies all over the United States and led to numerous seizures. Critics of Operation Sun-Devil claim that the Secret Service and the FBI, which have almost a similar operation, have conducted unreasonable search and seizures, they disrupted the lives and livelihoods of many people, and generally conducted themselves in an unconstitutional manner. My whole life changed because of that operation. They charged me and I had to take them to court. I have to thank 2600 and Emmanuel Goldstein for publishing my story.

Microsoft Word Tips Comparing Two Documents - Proofed

Microsoft Word Tips Comparing Two Documents - Proofed Microsoft Word Tips: Comparing Two Documents When editing a document, it is easy to lose track of what you’ve changed between drafts. Wouldn’t it be useful, then, if you had a quick and easy way of comparing two documents? Good news! There is one! Say â€Å"hello† to the Compare function in Microsoft Word and read on below to find out how this works. What Is the â€Å"Compare† Function? Comparing two documents produces a document with all of the differences between the original and revised version shown as tracked changes. Tracked changes being shown in a document. As well as edits to the text itself, you can use this function to look for differences in formatting or comments that have been added between drafts. This is especially useful when a document has been edited by a third party (e.g., a colleague or friend). Comparing Two Documents To compare two documents in Microsoft Word, all you need to do is: Go to Review Compare on the main ribbon Select Compare from the dropdown menu The Compare function. Choose the original version of the document in the Original document section of the menu (click the file symbol or pick Browse from the dropdown if you cannot see the required document in the list) Select the edited version from the Revised document menu Select which changes you want to highlight and how you want them to be shown (we recommend displaying changes in a new document) Click OK to compare the documents and see the differences The Compare menu. You can then use the options under Review Changes on the ribbon to review each edit. If you then make further changes to the revised version, you may want to save it as a fresh draft. The â€Å"Combine† Function Microsoft Word also offers the option to Combine documents. This is very similar to Compare, but it is designed for use with documents that already contain tracked changes. The Combine function. For example, imagine you have a press release draft that has been redrafted by two colleagues in your office using the Track Changes option in Microsoft Word. You could then use Combine to merge the different drafts of the document into one, while still being able to see who made each edit. This option is therefore useful if you have a document that has been edited by several reviewers. However, for situations involving only two versions of a document, Compare is fine.