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
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
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
April 21 2008
Cyber Crimes: Hacking
Hacking is when someone breaks into another person's computer or network to view and possibly change information that they shouldn't have access to. These people, called hackers or crackers, will look for software vulnerabilities to exploit or use their computer skills to gain unauthorized access to a computer system. Hackers can also write scripts that other people called "script kiddies" will use to break into computers.
Many hackers break into computers to commit identity theft or to steal money, but other hackers will knowingly break the law just because they want to make an artistic or political statement.
posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyber Crimes
March 24 2008
Cyber Crimes: Cyber Bullying
Cyber bullying is when someone uses the Internet to harass, intimidate, embarrass, or demean others. Cyber bullies may post embarrassing information on Web pages, trick people into giving out personal information, send threatening or cruel messages or emails, or pretend to be somebody else to send mean or embarrassing messages.
Kids who might not be mean in the real world sometimes bully others online because they can't see or be seen by the people they are hurting. Their bullying can make people feel bad about themselves, fall behind in school work, or become anxious, depressed, and even suicidal.
If you are being bullied by someone online, tell a trusted adult right away.
posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyber Crimes
February 18 2008
Cyber Crimes: Plagiarism
Plagiarism comes from the word "plagiarius," meaning "to plunder." It is when you copy someone else's written or creative work without their permission and pretend that it is your own. Plagiarism is committed most often by students. Schools usually have a policy regarding it. Even though it can be accidental or unintentional, plagiarism is a very serious offense and can result in severe punishments such as a failing grade, getting suspended from school, or even being expelled.
The Internet makes it easy to plagiarize by simply copying and pasting. However, it also makes it easy to identify plagiarized works. If you can find it on the Web, your teacher can find it too, so don't try to get away with it. When you use someone else's work as a reference or include images, graphs, or text from it in your work, you must always make sure that you ask for the author's permission to do so. Also, you need to list the author's name and the title of the source (cite) along with your work to avoid being accused of plagiarism. If you need to paraphrase someone else's work, be sure to change the wording, so that it is in your own voice and always acknowledge the original source.
For more information about how to use the Internet effectively for research, check out Maya's Research Tips.
posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyber Crimes
January 21 2008
Cyber Crimes: Identity Theft
Identity theft is when you use someone else's personal information and pretend to be them. It can happen offline as well as in Cyberspace. Cyber criminals will often commit identity theft in order to steal money from someone's bank account or buy things with their credit cards. Even simply pretending to be someone else when you're in a chat room or using someone else's credit card without their permission are forms of identity theft.
Identity theft is a major cyber crime and is punishable by several years in prison and fines up to $250,000. It can take a long time for a victim to recover from the attack, and sometimes they never get everything back that was stolen from them. To protect yourself from identity theft, you should be extremely careful with the information you share in Cyberspace, and never share any personal information.
If a Web site requires credit card or bank account information, always check with a trusted adult to help you verify if the site is trustworthy and secure. Never use someone else's credit card without their permission. Fortunately many banks and credit card companies provide protection against identity theft, but you can never be too careful!
Be sure to check Betty's tips on Personal Information and Safe Online Communications to learn more about what information is dangerous to share online.
posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyber Crimes
December 17 2007
Cyber Crimes: Spamming
Spamming is when you send the same message to a large numbers of users, usually to advertise something. The most common form of spamming is email spam, but other forms can include instant messaging and chat room spamming, blog spamming, and forum spamming. Spam is the junk mail of Cyberspace, and there are many spammers out there.
Spamming is illegal in the United States and in many countries, but it can be difficult to track down spammers so chances are, you'll have to deal with spam. To protect yourself and your computer from spammers, you should use a spam filter and delete any spam you receive without reading it. Spammers also often use software robots, called spambots, to collect email addresses from the Web, so you should avoid putting your email address anywhere on a Web page.
posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyber Crimes
November 19 2007
Cyber Crimes: Denial-of-Service attacks
In light of the recent attack, I'd like to provide everyone with some more information about denial-of-service attacks.
In a denial-of-service attack (DoS attack), attackers will try to make a computer or Internet service unavailable to its users. They do this by making a server do more work than it can possibly handle, usually by sending it too many requests or flooding a network with fake traffic. This prevents people from using the computer or Internet service. Or, it makes the server work so slowly that it becomes useless. DoS attacks can prevent a Web site or server from functioning well or at all, as you may have noticed when the Academy server was attacked yesterday!
Symptoms of a DoS attack can include unusually slow access to a network, the inability to open a Web site, or a large increase in the amount of spam emails received. A DoS attack can also include malware, so we are thoroughly checking the Academy's servers for any malicious code that may have been installed during the attack.
For more detailed information on DoS attacks, visit MySecureCyberspace or Wikipedia.