Introduction David S. Wall, author of Cybercrime: The Transformation of Crime in the Information Age, once said, “In a nutshell, we are shocked by cybercrime, but also expect to be shocked by it because we expect it to be there, but – confusingly – we appear to be shocked if we are not shocked (if we don’t find it)!” In today’s society, cybercrimes are considered a greater threat than ever. Computer crime can be defined as a crime that is committed where the computer or electronic data device is integral to the criminal act (Kranacher, Riley, and Wells 114). Although many do not believe that they can cause any vital damage, cybercrimes such as wiretapping, piggybacking, and computer viruses can have significant repercussions on various organizations. By identifying the type of cybercrime, discussing how organizations can protect themselves from it, and multiple real-life examples, an insightful analysis of the implications of cybercrime can be better understood.

Wiretapping Wiretapping has become a very common way of committing computer fraud. This occurs when perpetrators read information being transmitted between an organization’s computers. In order to decrease this, companies can implement various encryption techniques to help ensure that confidential information does not reach the hands of a person who can use it with malicious intent (Kranacher, Riley, and Wells 120-21). This information that is obtained could be pertaining to an organization’s consumers, employees, or to the daily activities that occur within the firm. Nonetheless, this scheme can definitely have a negative impact on a company. In recent news, Facebook has just been served with a class-action suit dealing with wiretapping. Nik Cubrilovic alleged the idea that Facebook can track web activity that is outside of Facebook. Although the site said that they had fixed the issue, many were left believing that their personal information was being compromised. If the allegations are true, this would be a violation of the Federal Wiretap Act, the Federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, and the Stored Electronic Communication Act (SECA). These accusations greatly have the potential to damage Facebook’s reputation. It can be said with certainty that there will be a lot more focus on this case in the near future (Chellel, and Hodges ).

Piggybacking/Impersonation A second type of cybercrime that is commonly committed is known as piggybacking. This takes place when one establishes some sort of access to a restricted area without consent to do so. Usually, this occurs when one gets internet access by using another’s wireless connection without their explicit knowledge. This is a very common practice that takes place in our everyday lives and, when used against business, can have many negative consequences. Companies can prevent this cybercrime from taking place through numerous different methods. Two of the most common are by setting up Wi-Fi Protected Access (protected by a password) and/or by launching MAC filtering (only certain MAC addresses can access that specific internet connection) (McCuhil). With enough protection, this type of cybercrime can be close to nonexistent. Recently, two Seattle men were charged and convicted of various felonies while committing cybercrimes over a 30-month period. Brad Eugene Lowe and John Earl Griffin, sentenced to 78 months and 95 months respectively, were involved in stealing equipment, credit card numbers, and payroll information to acquire money and purchase goods. After much investigation, these suspects were believed to have a car that contained mobile hacking tools to get into several businesses’ wireless networks and steal data that was used for identity theft and fraud. The businesses from whom these men piggybacked from are still trying to overcome from this and agree that only time will allow them to return to the status they were in prior to the crime being committed (Buhain). This example greatly shows that, even though piggybacking is not as big of a threat as other types of cybercrime, it can definitely have a long-term impact on those that decide to commit the offense.

Computer Viruses A third type of cybercrime is one that every person who owns a computer has dealt with at one point or another – computer viruses. These are best known as hidden computer programs that use computer resources/activities in a way to shut or slow down the system (Kranacher, Riley, and Wells 121). Some of the most common types of viruses include macro viruses, boot sector viruses, parasitic viruses, and application software viruses. They affect software on the computer and can even replicate to impact other computers in a network. Although most of these viruses are caught with preventive measures, they continue to be a threat to computer users all around the world. My father has worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs for my whole entire life. He is based in their information technology services, overseeing fifteen of the VA hospitals in the northeast. Growing up, I would constantly remember him dealing with the virus that affected the computers. Although sometimes these viruses would be practically harmless, most of the time these viruses were strong enough to shut down their whole entire network. These viruses were so dangerous that he would often leave in the middle of the night to deal with the problem. Nowadays, it is nearly impossible for any organization to function without information technology as they rely on it for almost all of their daily activities. The fact that these viruses can take out a whole network very much prove what a threat they are to organizations.

Conclusion
After analyzing wiretapping, piggybacking, and computer viruses related to organizations, it can be seen how cybercrimes are a giant threat to the business world. It is absolutely imperative that this type of wrongdoing should be controlled as much as possible. Technology is changing at such a rapid rate. Committing cybercrime and computer fraud is occurring more than ever. In order to keep up, defenses need to be implemented to respond and fight back. Although it may tend to be costly, it is beyond necessary as the implications of cybercrime have the potential to damage an organization for years and years to come.

Works Cited
1) Kranacher, Mary-Jo, Richard Riley, and Joseph Wells. Forensic Accounting and
Fraud Examination. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2011. eBook.
2) Chellel, Kit, and Jeremy Hodges. "Facebook Suit Over Subscriber Tracking Seeks
$15 Billion." Bloomberg. 19 MAY 2012: Web. 27 May. 2012.
3) Buhain, Venice. "Prison Sentences Set for Two in Hacking, Burglary and Fraud
Spree." Redmond Patch. 11 MAY 2012: Web. 27 May. 2012. .
4) McCuhil, Finn. "How to Stop DSL Piggybacking." chron.com. n. Web. 27 May.
2012.