Welcome to the Crime Lab! Here you will find information about cyber crimes and what happens to people who commit them.
Officer Ward
Cyber Defender & Detention Center Security Officer
Officer Ward believes that most people who disrespect the privelages of Cyberspace are more ignorant than criminal, and that most cyber criminals can be rehabilitated into faithful cyber citizens through education about the dangers of delinquency in Cyberspace.
Working closely with Commander Omni and the Cyber Defense Academy, Officer Ward hopes to secure Cyberspace for everyone.
It is not only for what we do that we are held responsible, but also for what we do not do
- John Baptiste Moliere
Cupcakes
Interests:Coaching softball, fishing, catching cyber criminals
August 11 2008
Cyber Criminal Profile: The ID Bandit
Knowledge is the best weapon against cyber crime. It's important to know as much as you can about cyber criminals so you can learn how to defeat them.
Alias: The ID Bandit
Real Name: Unknown
Location: Email, Web sites, online communications
Primary attack: Identity Theft
Weakness: Protecting your personal information
The ID Bandit is the Cyber Villain responsible for creating the Master Hacker. Ex-Commander Nils was on an undercover operation to infiltrate the ID bandit’s secret lair when he mysteriously disappeared. Preying on Nils’ idealistic tendencies, the ID Bandit convinced him to use his computer skills to control the Internet rather than defend it. Together, they would hack directly into unprotected computers to use them for their own plans, stealing identities and wreaking havoc throughout Cyberspace.
With the capture of the Master Hacker, the ID Bandit was forced to scale down his operation. He now works with the Phisherman to steal credit card numbers and bank account information through phishing attacks. He also employs the DisGuys to infiltrate chat rooms and other online communications, searching for personal information to steal. He even attacks offline, stealing computers for the information stored on them, and sometimes even stealing people’s mail.
The ID Bandit’s identity theft attacks can end up costing his victims hundreds of thousands of dollars and ruining their reputations, so be especially wary of him! To learn more about how to protect yourself and your computer from identity theft, refer to Cyber Crimes: Identity Theft and never share your personal information with anyone online.
posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyber Criminals
July 21 2008
Cyber Crimes: Cyberwoozling
Similar to Spyware, Cyberwoozling is gathering data from someone’s computer without their knowledge or permission when they visit a Web site. This is usually done through Web browser cookies, user-installed plug-ins, and add-in code sent to the person’s computer from the site. Cyberwoozling can steal information such as email addresses, Web sites you have visited, and how long you spent at them, and add-in code can be used to control what pop-ups are displayed in your browser.
Cyberwoozling is a tactic used by spyware, but spyware also performs other malicious behaviors that can damage or alter your computer, like changing your Web browser's home page and opening random Web pages. Cyberwoozling is usually used to get reports of people’s browsing trends and does not involve any other activities. To protect your computer from cyberwoozling, be very careful about installing any cookies or Web browser plug-ins on your computer. Only allow cookies from trusted sites, and check with a trusted adult before installing any plug-ins.
Refer to Scout’s Cyber Defense Threat: Cookies post for more information about how manage your Web browser’s cookies.
posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyber Crimes
July 7 2008
Cyber Criminal Profile: The Phisherman
Knowledge is the best weapon against cyber crime. It's important to know as much as you can about cyber criminals so you can learn how to defeat them.
Alias: The Phisherman
Real Name: Unknown
Location: Email, Web sites
Primary attack: Phishing
Weakness:Phishing filters, reporting to authorities, the cold shoulder
The Phisherman trained under M.C. Spammer but quickly grew tired of his ineffective spam attacks that most people just learned to ignore or blocked with a spam filter. Wanting to steal more money faster, he turned to Phishing attacks, using social engineering tactics to trick people into giving away their personal information.
His most common phishing scam is to send a victim an email claiming there is something wrong with their bank account. This email may include some of the victim’s personal information, like their name or social security number, to trick them into believing the email is truly from their bank. The email directs the victim to a Web site to enter their bank account information to “fix” the problem, but this fake Web site allows the Phisherman to steal their bank account information and their money.
His many other scams include pretending to be a network administrator, a PayPal or eBay employee, and even the IRS. He will use any Internet communication tool, including email, chat rooms, social networking sites, and instant messenger, to try and trick people into giving him their personal information or passwords.
Refer to Scout's Cyber Defense Threat: Phishing post for more information about how to protect yourself from Phishing attacks.
posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyber Criminals
June 25 2008
School Security
I know Omni asked Dr. Keen to completely re-do the entire school's security system. It's a lot of work for one person. I’ve been prepping a set of computers to take the place of our outside firewall. The least I can do is make sure we are secure while Keen deals with the internal systems.
posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyberspace Updates
June 18 2008
Back to Normal
After many months the Detention Center is finally back to normal. Everyone is back in their place. Jax and Sparky no longer talk to Nils like they used to. It seems they've become cautious of him after the break out.
Nils has taken up sulking. It doesn't fool me. I know he's planning his next escape. Of all the detainees that have passed through these walls, Nils is the least likely to change. He just can't see why his ideals are wrong.
posted by Officer Ward
topic: Miscellaneous
June 16 2008
Cyber Crimes: Social Engineering
Social engineering is a tactic used by Cyber Criminals that uses lies and manipulation to trick people into revealing their personal information. Social engineering attacks frequently involve very convincing fake stories to lure victims into their trap.
Common social engineering attacks include:
- Sending victims an email claiming there's a problem with their bank account and directing them to a fake Web site to enter their account information to steal it (this is called Phishing)
- Trying to convince victims to open email attachments that contain malware by claiming it is something they might enjoy (like a game) or need (like anti-virus software)
- Pretending to be a network or account administrator and asking for the victim's password to perform maintenance
- Claiming that the victim has won a prize but must give their credit card information in order to receive it
- Asking for a victim's password for an Internet service and then using the same password to access other accounts and services since many people re-use the same password
- Promising the victim they will receive millions of dollars if they will help out the sender by giving them money or their bank account information
Like other hacking techniques, social engineering is illegal in the United States and other countries. To protect yourself from social engineering, don't trust any emails or messages you receive that request any sort of personal information. Most companies will never ask you for personal information through email.
You should always let a trusted adult know when you receive an email or message that might be a social engineering attack, and don't believe everything you read. Also, use different passwords for each account and change them frequently - check out Dr. Keen's Cyber Defense Tip: Choosing a Strong and Secure Password for help with creating good passwords.
posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyber Crimes
June 2 2008
Cyber Criminal Profile: Captain Bluetooth, the Cyber Pirate
Knowledge is the best weapon against cyber crime. It's important to know as much as you can about cyber criminals so you can learn how to defeat them.
Alias: Captain Bluetooth, the Cyber Pirate
Real Name: Unknown
Location: Peer-to-peer software, download sites
Primary attack: Cyber piracy
Weakness:Reporting to authorities, avoiding downloads
Captain Bluetooth terrorizes Cyberspace with his cyber piracy, pillaging files and content and leaving masses of damage in his wake. Ignoring copyright law completely, he maliciously copies and distributes software, music, and movies throughout the Web. His ruthless theft hurts not only the creators of the software and music, but also everyone else because the more he steals, the more companies have to raise their prices to compensate for lost profits.
Captain Bluetooth's reckless cyber attacks are just as illegal as walking into the store and grabbing something off the shelf without paying, and he will try to tempt you into cyber piracy yourself by offering you free software, music, and movies to download. He has also been known to work with Elvirus to install malware into his pirated files. Lacking any sense of right and wrong, Captain Bluetooth will offer you his free software and music and then stab you in the back by infecting your computer.
To protect yourself, avoid downloading anything that you would normally have to pay for in a store. You could get into serious trouble by committing cyber piracy, so check with a trusted adult before downloading.