research paper, Essay, Computers and Internet, Computers, Education, Higher education,

1. v See more essay samples onESSAYSHARK.COM
Research Paper Sample
COMPUTER СRIME
EssayShark.com - Online Academic Assistance

2. v See more essay samples onESSAYSHARK.COM
The widespread occurrence of computer crime has given rise to abundant research and
investigation on the subject. The incidence of criminal behavior on the internet is directly
related to the increase in time users spend at the computer. That is, the longer people spend
working, communicating, doing business, or seeking entertainment on their computers, the
more likely they are to encounter – or attempt – criminal behaviors (Jaishankar 27). Any
endeavor to research this subject must include data, findings, and studies from the early days
of the internet to the present day, because changes and innovations occur rapidly and
constantly.
It is not difficult to find recent works that treat the subject of cyber criminality. A number of
excellent books have been written by Information Technology (IT) experts, and there are also
some very comprehensive law books, which enumerate the aspects of crimes that take place
online, how they are dealt with, and the legislation put into place to control them.
Robert Moore (2010), in his recent book Cybercrime, Second Edition: Investigating High-
Technology Computer Crime,introduces researchers, and those whose job it is to investigate
online misconduct, to existing and emerging hi-tech crimes. He explores legal issues, digital
evidence and how it is presented; and shows how criminal justice responds to cyber
criminology. As new ways of breaking the law using computers are devised by those with
malice in mind, new ways must be found to fight them (Moore 15). This IT expert explains
how certain terms, such as „hacker‟, came about, what online criminals do and how they
think, and how investigators at agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) go
about understanding, investigating and controlling their ill deeds (Moore 24). The book also
treats data manipulation, denial-of-service attacks, the creation of Trojan horses and other
viruses, and goes on to describe the language and ethics of hackers.
“In less than 15 years, cybercrime has moved from obscurity to the spotlight of consumer,
corporate and national security concerns.” (Florencio and Herley, 2012) So starts an article in
a New York Times earlier this year. The article goes on to give some statistics about the
frequency and growth of online crime and how the only reason incidences are not more
massive is that pickings are necessarily limited and exhausted quickly. The writers assert that
although many respondents to surveys exaggerate their losses, it would be a „mistake not to
consider cybercrime to be a serious problem.‟ (Florencio and Herley, 2012).

3. v See more essay samples onESSAYSHARK.COM
In their latest book Computer Crime, Investigation, and the Law, C. Easttom and J. Taylor
(2010) write that the online world is awash „in identity theft, online child predators, and even
cyber espionage‟. They enumerate cases of unauthorized access, phishing, auction fraud,
session hijacking, brute force attacks, foot-printing, and website hacking that are becoming
harder to predict, prepare for, or counter. Hacking techniques are becoming more
sophisticated and difficult to fight (Easttom and Taylor 209). Identity theft techniques, for
instance, are doubling in efficiency every week, and because the consequences for the victims
can be very severe and difficult to reverse, hundreds of thousands of people are affected.
In Cyber Criminology: Exploring Internet Crimes and Criminal Behavior, the editor K.
Jaishankar (2011) has collected articles by a number of noted authors on the subject of
computer crime, with topics that include the criminal subculture of the internet, deviants‟ and
perpetrators‟ perspectives, how hackers regard identity construction, digital piracy, and cyber
stalking. This interesting book has an important conclusion by the editor that shows how
location has become irrelevant, and that crime on the internet can have no real limits or
borders. It is no longer a question whether cyber criminology will emerge as a separate
discipline, but rather when this will be established in colleges, universities and the courses
run by crime fighters in this all-important field (Jaishankar 411).
One of the most important findings that appear in these books is that computer crime is
committed by those to whom online anonymity seems to mean identity flexibility, and is
related to dissociative behavior (Jaishankar xxix). If one commits a crime online, the
likelihood of criminal behavior offline is increased. This does not bode well for the future,
and seems to indicate that everyone must be more security-conscious and mindful of
cybercrime and its implications.

4. v See more essay samples onESSAYSHARK.COM
References
Easttom, C., and Taylor, J.,Computer Crime, Investigation, and the Law Course
TechnologyPTR, 2010.
Florencio, D., and Herley, C., The Cybercrime Wave that Wasn’t New York Times Sunday
Review, April 14, 2012 Retrieved August 20, 2012
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/15/opinion/sunday/the-cybercrime-wave-that-
wasnt.html
Jaishankar, K (Editor) Cyber Criminology: Exploring Internet Crimes and Criminal Behavior
CRC Press, 2011.
Moore, R. Cybercrime, Second Edition: Investigating High-Technology Computer Crime
Anderson Publishing, 2010.