Computer Crimes

Computer crimes are any crimes that are committed by means of the special knowledge or expert use of computer technology. Computer crimes became a serious problem with the proliferation of such technology in the late 20th century.

Since the first reported case of computer abuse in 1958, computers have been involved in most types of crimes, including theft, burglary, larceny, fraud, extortion, embezzlement, sabotage, espionage, kidnapping, and murder.

Computer systems themselves can also be the targets of attack, as when a computer virus is surreptitiously introduced into a system to alter or destroy data.

Breaking into private computer systems to destroy, steal, or alter information became easier once modems (devices that allow computers to communicate over telephone lines) were introduced in the 1960s. Technically expert computer hobbyists who use personal computers and modems to break into and tamper with computer systems are known as “hackers”. Most serious computer crimes, however, are committed in the banking and financial-service industries, where money, credit, and other financial assets are recorded in electronic databases and are transmitted as signals over telephone lines. Persons with access to such systems may falsify or manipulate these records for their own purposes by, for example, illegally transferring money balances to their own accounts.

Computer security is very important in the protection of computer systems and information from harm, theft, and unauthorized use.

Computer hardware is typically protected by the same means used to protect other valuable or sensitive equipment, namely, serial numbers, doors and locks, and alarms. The protection of information and system access, on the other hand, is achieved through other tactics and address four major threats: (1) theft of data, such as that of military secrets from government computers; (2) vandalism, including the destruction of data by a computer virus; (3) fraud, such as employees at a bank channeling funds into their own accounts; and (4) invasion of privacy, such as the illegal accessing of protected personal financial or medical data from a large database.

The most basic means of protecting a computer system against theft, vandalism, invasion of privacy, and the like, is to electronically track and record the access to, and activities of, the various users of a computer system. This is commonly done by assigning an individual password to each person who has access to a system. The computer system itself can then automatically track the use of these passwords, recording such data as which files were accessed under particular passwords and so on. Another security measure is to store a system's data on a separate device, or medium, such as magnetic tape or disks, that is normally inaccessible through the computer system. Finally, data is often encrypted so that it can be deciphered only by holders of a singular encryption key.

5. Match the following English and Russian equivalents:

1) computer abuse	a) электронная база данных
2) target of attack	b) несанкционированное использование
3) to alter data	c) компьютерная безопасность
4) electronic database	d) изменить данные
5) to falsify records	e) вторжение в личную жизнь
6) to transfer money	f) цель нападения (воздействия)
7) computer security	g) личный пароль
8) unauthorized use	h) фальсифицировать записи
9) invasion of privacy	i) меры безопасности
10) individual password	j) компьютерное злоупотребление
11) encryption key	k) шифровальный ключ
12) security measures	l) перевести деньги

6. Supply the missing English words:

1. There can be no doubt that (компьютерная преступность) is on the rise.

2. There was a report on the results of a security survey which found that 1 in 5 companies suffered a (взлом компьютерной сети) during 1994.

3. This Section makes it a crime to intentionally access a computer (без разрешения), (изменять, повреждать, или уничтожать) information, or to prevent "authorized use" of the computer.

4. The subject of (обыска и конфискации) involving computers is complex enough for the Department of Justice.

5. Computer crimes can also have other special problems when it comes to enforcement. One of these is (место судебного разбирательства).

6. (Умышленный) access or use of a computer system without authorization, and intentional denial of service of a computer system to the owner of the computer system (определяются) as computer crimes, as well as altering, (стирание), tampering with, damaging, destroying, taking, intercepting, or (добавление) data, (также как и) receiving, retaining, using or disclosing data that (были получены) illegally.

7. Translate the sentences paying attention to the underlined words and phrases:

1. As our world becomes more computerized and ever more intercon­nected, different kinds of computer crimes will continue to grow.

2. A non-exhaustive list of computer crimes includes traditional "hacking" or unauthorized remote access of a computer system, harassment through e-mail.

3. Recent destruction of data from viruses include an Italian university's loss of a years worth of AIDS research and a U.S. hospital's loss of more than 40 percent of it's patient's records, and one blackmailer planted a virus in a hospital computer system then demanded payment to remove it.

4. Since there was only one prosecution under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act prior to the 1986 amendment, it is apparent that the laws are basically new and remain untested to a large extent.

5. United States Code section 1030 is entitled " Fraud and related activity in connection with computers" and it contains some of the crimes typically thought of as computer crimes.

6. An attack on the systems can either access, or destroy this information, which will involve laws dealing with trade secrets.

7. As the technology evolves and expands there is certain to be more and more case law and commentary written as enforcement activities become more common.

8. Translate the following words and phrases. Say what grammatical phenomena they represent if any:

breaking into private computer systems, computers have been involved, systems themselves, to have been never introduced, easier, are being transmitted, may falsify, transferring money, means used to protect, had been achieved through.

SPEAKING

Discussion:

18 Do you think it is necessary to draft a separate Computer Law in our legislature?

Дата добавления: 2015-11-14