Cyber Crime
Stacy Hendrix
Grantham University

Richard Sayles Introduction to Computer Crimes May 15, 2012

Cyber crime is the new breed of crime, which is either perpetrated using computers, or is otherwise related to the internet. Its origin can be traced to the growing dependence on computers in modern life in today’s society. Cyber crime has assumed criminal implications today as everything from microwave ovens and refrigerators to nuclear power plants is being run by or connected to computers. Today, the world is moving towards a point where everything from banking /stock exchanges, are traffic control, telephones to electric power, health care, welfare and education depends on software through the use of computers. This exponential growth; the increase in the capacity and accessibility of computers coupled with the decrease in cost, has brought about revolutionary changes in every aspect of human civilization, including criminal activity. The increased capacities of information systems today come at the cost of increased vu Inerrability. Information technology has become a production site for criminal opportunities of a variety that the brightest criminals of yore could not even begin to dream about.
A cyber crime may be theft of valuable information services, communications in furtherance of criminal conspiracies, telecommunications piracy, electronic money laundering, electronic vandalism and terrorism, sales and investment fraud, illegal interception of telecommunications, and electronic funds transfer fraud. The place for theft of information services was set by the 'phone breakers' more than three decades ago for what has become a major criminal industry. This method of crime, among perpetrators gain access to the PBX board of an organization, and make their own calls or sell call time to third