Officer Ward

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.

Favorite Quote:

It is not only for what we do that we are held responsible, but also for what we do not do
- John Baptiste Moliere

Favorite Food:

Cupcakes

Interests:

Coaching softball, fishing, catching cyber criminals

May 27 2008

Conquest

We had our miracle. Somehow, the cadets managed to cut the Master Hacker off from his power supply. By spreading their knowledge about how to be safe in cyberspace, more and more users protected themselves from the Master Hacker's unauthorized use of their computers.

Without their machines, Nils didn't have the power to keep up his attacks against our defenses. Omni was able to bring him down. So, congratulations to everyone, both here at the school and out there in the Web who helped us make the Internet a safer place.

posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyberspace Updates

May 23 2008

Breaking Free

Ex-Commander Nils is on the verge of breaking free! Commander Omni is almost out of ways to keep the Master Hacker trapped in the area around the Clubhouse. Unless a miracle happens, there is no way we'll be able to recapture him.

posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyberspace Updates

May 19 2008

Cyber Crimes: Cyber Piracy

Cyber piracy is when you use a computer to copy or share materials that are protected by copyright without the creator's permission. The most common form of cyber piracy is copying and distributing music, movies, or software programs. Sometimes, cyber piracy can be as simple as installing certain software on more than one computer. People frequently share the pirated files and software using illegal peer-to-peer (P2P) sharing programs or Web sites. While it may seem like a good idea because you are getting something for free, you are in fact stealing. It is just like going to the store and taking it off the shelf without paying.

Cyber piracy is a very serious crime and many people, including kids, have gotten into serious trouble for it. They have to pay fines for hundreds of thousands of dollars or even going to jail. Even worse, Cyber Piracy can cause music and software companies to raise the prices of their products to compensate for the money they lose from people stealing. We all suffer from it. It is also very easy for Cyber Villains like Elvirus to put nasty malware into pirated files. When you install or run them, they wreak havoc on your computer and data.

You should never install or use pirated files or software. A good rule is that if it would cost you money in the store, it should cost you money in Cyberspace. Also, be sure to read through the product's copyright policy (ask an adult to help explain it to you) so that you know what all the restrictions are, like if you can only install it on one machine.

posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyber Crimes

May 9 2008

Perfect Execution

Congratulations go to Alexi and Carlo. Both executed their plans perfectly. The villain they were assigned to fell into their respective traps, and we are already working to secure them. While we can hope that the next wave is so easily handled, we can't count on it. Have courage, everyone. By the time the month ends, this will all be over.

posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyberspace Updates

May 5 2008

Cyber Criminal Profile: The Master Hacker

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 Master Hacker
Real Name: Nils
Location: Cyberspace Detention Center
Primary attack: Hacking
Weakness: Protecting your Personal Information, Firewalls

Before he was The Master Hacker, Nils was Commander Nils of the Cyber Defense Force and Commander Omni's partner. A few years after graduating from the Carnegie Cyber Academy, Nils was on an undercover mission to infiltrate a league of hackers when he suddenly disappeared. When he finally resurfaced, he had joined with the criminals and become a Cyber Villain, The Master Hacker.

He began using his knowledge of Cyberspace to seek out riches and revenge rather than to protect the Internet, stealing money, identities, secrets, and personal information from people and causing terrible damage. He also masterminded the single largest attack on Cyberspace in the history of the Academy, trying to take it over completely and force everyone to reveal their personal information and allow him access to their computers. Nils committed many crimes and deceived many authorities before he was finally captured by a large team of Cyber Defenders, led by his former partner Commander Omni.

UPDATE: In January of 2008, Nils managed to escape from the Cyberspace Detention Center with the assistance of the Cyber Villains Elvirus, M. C. Spammer, Ms. Information, and the Dis Guys. The Cyber Defense Force was able to track him down again thanks to the reckless but heroic efforts of Carnegie Cadet Alan, who allowed himself to be kidnapped by the Cyber Villains in order to gain knowledge about their activities.

posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyber Criminals

May 1 2008

Splitting the Villains

If the Cyber Villains would work together they could easily best us. Thankfully they hate working as a team, so it should be easy to split them apart and take them out individually. At least that is what we hope.

All the intel we have indicates that the Cyber Villains will come after us in waves. I've assigned a villain to each of the older cadets and went over strategies with them. With any luck, the villains will play right into our hands.

posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyberspace Updates