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

January 27, 2010

Cyber Criminals - George Kopiloff

Did you know that file sharing can put your information at risk? What's that? You already knew that? Oh. Sorry, I guess I forgot how smart you are.

Anyway, aside from downloading viruses and Trojan horses, certain cyber criminals are using file sharing services to hack into people's computers and steal financial information. One such cyber criminal was George Kopiloff, who used Limewire to steal over 80 peoples' information. He then used this information to open fake credit cards and bank accounts and buy expensive merchandise. He even had the merchandise sent to different mailboxes so police would have a harder time catching him. He would then go do these different mailboxes, pick up the goods, and sell them for a high price to someone else.

Of course George Kopiloff was caught. He was sentenced to 51months in prison and has to pay back the $70,000 he stole. Every time I see this happen, I wonder why these people don't just use their smarts to get an honest job. With skills like that, he probably could have made more money than he stole AND avoided getting thrown in prison!

posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyber Criminals

December 15, 2009

Cyber Criminals -Albert Gonzalez

When it comes to data theft, Albert Gonzalez is the worst. Between 2005 and 2007, he used malware like packet sniffers and other criminal methods to hack into several corporate databases, from which he stole and sold over 170 million - that's 170,000,000 - credit card and ATM numbers. And what do you do after stealing ridiculous amounts of money from good, hard-working people? Throw yourself a $75,000 birthday party, of course! That would buy a TON of piņatas!

Well, of course, the thief got caught and is now being prosecuted. Why do criminals bother? It's not like they get away with it. Just think, if Albert Gonzales had spent that time using his skills to do something productive with his life, he could've kept all the millions of dollars!

posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyber Criminals

November 9 2009

Cyber Criminals -Robert Morris

Here's a weird one for you. In 1988 (that's right, over 20 years ago), a student named Robert Morris created the world's first Internet worm. According to Morris, this worm wasn't meant to cause the $530,000 worth of damages it did, but rather it was meant to be a tool to measure the size of the internet. Unfortunately, the worm copied itself over and over again and, before it could be stopped, it infected thousands upon thousands of computers.

Morris wasn't given any jail time for what seemed like an honest mistake, but he was still forced to do community service and was put on probation. Today he works as a professor. Pfft. I don't know why he got off so easy.

Sorry, that's not fair. I'm actually glad Morris didn't receive harsh punishment for his mistake. I guess I'm just upset about my blunder with Captain Jack Plunder. Don't you worry though, we'll catch him. Just like Morris, I'm not about to let one little mistake get in my way.

posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyber Criminals

October 28 2009

Cyber Criminals -Vladimir Levin, Citibank Fraud

Back in 1994, when I was at the youthful age of...15 years younger than I am now...there was a famous case of fraud involving Citibank. Wow, I feel old now.

Back then Vladimir Levin used Citibank's dialup wire transferring service to steal $10.7 million dollars! Of course, Levin was caught in less than a year, the bank got almost all of its money back, and Levin went to prison. Talk about a waste of time!

The interesting thing about this case is that originally, the media said Levin was a mathematician and graduate of Saint Petersburg State Institute of Technology. After all, this would explain how he could hack into their system so easily, right? Well, as it turns out, Levin had no such skills. Instead of hacking into Citibank’s wire transfer service, Levin simply paid $100 to someone in the company to give him access to the systems.

Does this make Levin less of a cyber criminal? Not at all. Though he might not have had the smarts to break in himself, he did have $100 and a plan to steal millions via technology.  So watch out! It doesn’t take genius to be a notorious cyber criminal, just a regular person with evil in their heart and $100 in their pocket!

posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyber Criminals

September 14 2009

Cyber Criminals - Jonathan James, Hacker

Alright readers, I'll try to keep this short since Carlo and I are gearing up for the new semester. A few years ago, 16-year-old Jonathan James of Miami was sent to prison for hacking. His conviction earned him the . . . eh, distinction . . . of being the first juvenile to be sent to prison for this sort of cyber crime. It'll be a long time before he has any fun.

Apparently, the young man decided it would be a great idea to hack into the computer systems of both the US Defense Department and NASA. Seriously. On what planet does that seem like a good idea? Granted, all hacking is bad, but hacking into important government computers? For such a smart guy, that was a really bad idea. If James had been an adult, his sentence would have been at least 10 years and would have included several felony charges.

What a waste of a great mind! To think, if he had used his talents to help us here at the academy, he'd be a hero instead of a villain!

posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyber Criminals

August 6 2009

Cyber Criminals: Lowe's Computer Intrusion

Ever hear of something called "wardriving"? If you have, then you know it's when someone drives around searching for unprotected Wi-Fi spots to sneak access to the Internet. If you don't know what it is, well, you should re-read the last sentence.

Recently, a Michigan man pleaded guilty to illegally accessing computers at a Lowe's home improvement store. He didn't realize it was a protected computer until after he tried to visit a Web site but kept getting forced back to a Lowe's corporate site. As soon as he realized what he had done, he signed off immediately. The man's roommate, however, decided to use the unprotected Wi-Fi to steal credit card numbers from the store's customers. They were both caught and are now facing federal charges, which brings me to my next point: don't steal Internet access!

Just because someone left their Wi-Fi access point unprotected doesn't give anyone the right to use it without their permission. That's like saying if you forget to chain up your bike one day, it is ok if someone comes along and takes it! So remember, always keep your Wi-Fi protected, and never use someone else's Wi-Fi unless they give you permission.

posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyber Criminals

July 10 2009

Cyber Criminals: Kevin Mitnick, Computer Hacker

Real-life cyber criminal Kevin Mitnick was once considered the most wanted computer criminal in US history. Arrested in 1995, Mitnick eventually confessed to various charges, including wire fraud, computer fraud, and illegally intercepting wire communications. He was sentenced to 68 months in prison (that's almost six years, folks!), eight of which were served in solitary confinement.

After Mitnick was released from prison, the court ordered him banned from all forms of technological communication aside from a land-line phone. He disputed this, eventually winning himself access to the Internet. Like some of our very own cyber criminals, Mitnick has reformed and is now using his technological skills to help combat hackers with his company, Mitnick Security Consulting, LLC.

posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyber Criminals

June 23 2009

Cyber Criminals: Case Study: Romania-US Fraud Bust

In May of 2008, cyber crime investigators busted a large international network of cyber criminals and charged 38 suspects with Internet fraud. The suspects were accused of phishing, using emails designed to look like they came from a bank, eBay, or PayPal, to get people's banking information and steal their money.

The criminal network included people from all over the world: Romania, the United States, Vietnam, Cambodia, Pakistan, and Mexico. The phishing was done by Romanian hackers, who then sent the information to their accomplices in the United States, who used it to make fake bank cards and withdraw cash from ATM machines.

Cyber criminals networks frequently span the globe, enabling them to launch coordinated attacks and making it harder for Cyber Defenders to take them down. As Cyber Defenders, it's very important to share our knowledge and resources and work together internationally in order to keep up with the cyber criminals.

posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyber Criminals

May 11 2009

Cyber Criminals: Reporting Cyber Criminals

Just like any other crime, cyber criminals are going to keep getting away with committing cyber crimes if nobody ever reports them. By reporting cyber crimes you are not only helping Cyber Defenders reduce the amount of cyber crime, but you are also sending a message to all cyber criminals that their behavior will not be tolerated in Cyberspace.

Of course, I hope you're doing your part to protect yourself and your computer so you never need to report a cyber crime. But just in case you do, here's some tips for reporting cyber crimes.

For cyber bullying, it usually depends what the method of bullying is. Cyber bullying on a Web site can be reported to the site administrator or moderator, bullying over email or instant messenger can be reported to the ISP. If the bully is someone you go to school with, you can also report the bullying to your school. If the bullying involves threats of physical harm, you can report it to the police.

Other cyber crimes like hacking and identity theft can be reported to your local FBI office or to the Internet Crime Complaint Center Web site. For detailed information about whom to report specific types of cyber crimes to, visit the United States Department of Justice's cyber crime page.

posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyber Criminals

April 27 2009

Cyber Criminals: The Future of Cyber Crime Fighting

Fighting cyber crime is a challenging task. Sometimes it feels like the cyber criminals will always be just one step ahead of us. We have to be constantly developing new tools, new technologies, new procedures, and even new fields of study just to keep up.

Law enforcement agencies and governments are creating cyber crime units to combat the ever-increasing cyber crime-rate. However, since cyber crime is relatively new, there aren't a lot of experts available to train these units. Many colleges are now offering degrees in new fields like cyber crime and cyber forensics (process of extracting data from devices or systems, usually to examine as evidence of a cyber crime) just to create these experts.

Software developers are also becoming more actively involved in analyzing and preventing cyber crime by working with law enforcement. Their expertise can be in training new cyber crime units. They also develop and provide tools that help cyber crime units collect and process evidence. One example is the COFEE (Computer Online Forensic Evidence Extractor), a USB device developed by Microsoft that allows forensics teams to quickly and easily extract data from a suspect's computer without having to confiscate it first.

One thing's for sure. Cyber criminals will always be searching for loopholes and vulnerabilities so the future of fighting cyber crime is sure to be an exciting one.

posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyber Criminals

March 30 2009

Cyber Criminals: Hacking Conferences

Security conferences are a popular location for companies and government officials to try and recruit new employees. At these conferences, security experts teach network administrators and information-technology managers how to protect their systems from hackers. College students in computer security programs can even have their tuition covered by the government, if they promise to work there after they graduate.

But some security conferences are a little more secret and underground, such as the conferences that the hackers attend. Here, budding cyber criminals and seasoned hackers meet to trade secrets and learn new tricks from each other.

Believe it or not, companies and government officials also attend these conferences, to gain more insight into the current state of cyber crime. They also try to recruit employees at these conferences, encouraging them to turn from Black Hat Hackers to Grey Hat Hackers.

posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyber Criminals

February 23 2009

Cyber Criminals: Grey Hat Hackers

For a hacker who wants to come clean and turn away from crime, one option is to work for the people they used to harm by becoming a security consultant. These former hackers turned good guys are called Grey Hat Hackers.

In the past, they were Black Hat Hackers, who use their computer expertise to break into systems and steal information illegally, but now they are acting as White Hat Hackers, who specialize in testing the security of their clients' information systems. For a fee, they will attempt to hack into a company's network and then present the company with a report detailing the existing security holes and how those holes can be fixed.

The advantage of this is that they can use their skills for a good cause and help stop other cyber criminals. Keeping up with security and cyber criminals is a full-time job, and many companies can't afford to have someone completely dedicated to it. Grey Hat Hackers have real-world hacking experience and know more methods of infiltrating networks than most computer security professionals.

There's also a risk in employing Grey Hat Hackers. Since they used to be criminals there's always a question of trust, if they are truly trying to help or if it's just a trick. They might also lie about how vulnerable their client's security is and convince them to install a really complex system that only they know how to use. This way they make their clients completely dependant on them and then can charge them any amount of money they want.

posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyber Criminals

January 26 2009

Cyber Criminals: Punishing Cyber Criminals

Different countries have different laws that cover cyber crimes. So you don't underestimate the seriousness of committing cyber crimes, here's some examples of the punishments for cyber crime in the United States:

  • Hacking - Hacking is covered under a Federal law addressing fraud in connection with computers. Punishments range from paying a large fine to going to jail for up to 20 years, depending on the seriousness of the crime and how much damage the hacker has done.
  • Spamming - Spamming is covered under the CAN-SPAM Act and the minimum punishment is a fine of up to $11,000. Additional fines are added if the spammer violated policies or used automated bots to collect email addresses, and spammers can be sent to jail if they used false information or a computer they weren't allowed to use.
  • Identity Theft - The laws covering Identity Theft were enhanced in 2004, requiring tougher punishments to match the seriousness of the crime. Identity Thieves can go to jail for up to five years. There are also increased punishments for identity theft used to commit terrorist acts and for people who abuse their position for identity theft.

Due to the increase in cyber crimes in recent years, many governments have enhanced their cyber crime laws. However, they still need the help of cyber defenders in tracking down cyber criminals. It's important that you report cyber crimes like spam, so that the criminals behind them can be prosecuted and fined under the law. With everyone's help we can help reduce cyber crime.

posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyber Criminals

December 8 2008

Cyber Criminals: Cyber Crime Units

Because the Internet is a global community and cyber criminals can launch coordinated attacks from all over the globe, catching them often requires the collaboration of many people. Governments, law enforcement agencies, companies, and cyberspace experts from many different countries must work together to track them down. This becomes more difficult as cyber crime continues to grow and criminals develop new methods.

Governments and law enforcement agencies have created teams of people dedicated just to tracking down cyber criminals. In the United States, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has a special Cyber Investigations department, and they helped create the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). The IC3 provides the public with an easy-to-use reporting system that alerts the authorities of suspected criminal violations.

Many police departments also have, or are training, Internet or Computer Crime units that people can contact for information and assistance. These units support the law enforcement in investigating cyber crimes and tracking down cyber criminals. You can check with your local police department to see what kind of resources they have available.

posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyber Criminals

November 10 2008

Cyber Criminals: Attack Techniques

Before the Internet, criminals had to dig through people's trash or intercept their mail to steal their personal information. They would search for credit card receipts, bank statements, tax notices, and other bills that had this information printed on them. Now that all of this information is available online, criminals also use the Internet to steal people's identities by hacking into their account, tricking them into revealing the information, or installing malware.

Here are a few types of attacks cyber criminals use to commit crimes. You may recognize a few of them:

  • Botnet - a network of software robots, or bots, that automatically spread malicious software
  • Fast Flux - moving data quickly among the computers in a botnet to make it difficult to trace the source of malware or phishing Web sites
  • Zombie Computer - a computer that has been hacked into and is used to launch malicious attacks or to become part of a botnet
  • Social Engineering - using lies and manipulation to trick people into revealing their personal information. Phishing is a form of social engineering
  • Denial of Service attacks - flooding a network or server with traffic in order to make it unavailable to its users
  • Skimmers - Devices that steal credit card information when the card is swiped through them. This can happen in stores or restaurants when the card is out of the owner's view, and frequently the credit card information is then sold online through a criminal community.

Some identity thieves target government, education, or health care organizations because they usually store many people's personal information. But most cyber criminals will target home computers rather than trying to break into a big institution's network because it's much easier.

By taking measures to secure your own computer and protect your personal information, you are doing your part to keep cyber criminals in check. Not only will they be unable to steal your identity, but you will also protect others by preventing your computer from becoming part of a botnet.

posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyber Criminals

October 13 2008

Cyber Criminals: Who are they?

Just like offline crimes, most cyber crimes are committed by individuals or small groups. However, large organized crime groups who make money through criminal means are also taking advantage of the Internet. These "professional" criminals find new ways to commit old crimes and steal or trick people out of their money. They are particularly dangerous because they treat cyber crime like a business. They form criminal communities that span the globe.

Criminal communities can combine forces to launch coordinated attacks and share their criminal strategies and tools. They have also created an underground marketplace to make it easy for cyber criminals to buy and sell stolen information and identities. There are even sales and bulk discounts! Because the Internet makes it easier for people to do things anonymously and from any location on the globe, it's very difficult to crack down on these crimes.

In recent studies of where cyber attacks come from, the United States was at the top of the list. That doesn't necessarily mean that most cyber criminals are from the United States though. Many computers used in cyber attacks have actually been hacked and are controlled by someone far away. This makes it harder to trace attacks and because crime laws are different in every country. It's also harder to stop the criminals. That's why it's so important for you to take responsibility and keep your own computer secure, to keep it from being used for a cyber attack and to help stop cyber criminals.

posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyber Criminals

September 15 2008

Cyber Criminals: Gold Farmers

Many online games, especially the multiplayer ones, have some form of money built into them. You usually have to earn the money by performing tasks and completing games, and you can use it to buy cool items or upgrades for your avatar or room. Unfortunately there are some very lazy people out there who would rather just illegally buy their game money instead of earning it the way you are supposed to.

Web sites exist where you can pay real money to buy game money, but doing so is cheating. It also throws off the money system in the game. The people that run these Web sites have rooms of workers, called Gold Farmers, playing the game and doing the same repetitive tasks over and over again to earn game money to sell online. The workers are usually treated horribly and make very little money, sometimes working 12 hours a day for as little as a few pennies an hour.

Using real money to buy game money violates the official rules and Terms of Use for the game. It can get you banned if you are caught! But what's worse is that you are supporting these companies that are making money illegally and abusing the people that work for them.

posted by Officer Ward
topic: 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 her operation. She now works with the Phisherman to steal credit card numbers and bank account information through phishing attacks. She also employs the DisGuys to infiltrate chat rooms and other online communications, searching for personal information to steal. She 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 her victims hundreds of thousands of dollars and ruining their reputations, so be especially wary of her! 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 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 2 2008

Cyber Criminal Profile: Captain Jack Plunder, 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 Jack Plunder, the Cyber Pirate, the File-Filchin' Freebooter! The Dread Downloader! The Copyright Cursin' Corsair!
Real Name: Unknown
Location: Peer-to-peer software, download sites
Primary attack: Cyber piracy
Weakness:Reporting to authorities, avoiding downloads

Captain Jack Plunder 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 Plunder'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 Plunder 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.

posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyber Criminals

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:Ex-Commander 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

April 7 2008

Cyber Criminal Profile: Jax, Cyber Bully

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: Jax
Real Name: Jenny
Location: Detention Center
Primary attack: Sending mean and hurtful messages to other
Weakness: Reporting to Authorities, the cold shoulder

Jax is a cyber bully who attacked people through instant messaging, chat rooms, and emails because she thought it was funny. She started out bullying just her friends, sending them nasty emails and instant messages telling them how stupid they were and trying to make them angry. Her friends got tired of it and blocked her, so she started sending the messages to complete strangers.

She did not realize that there are ways to monitor the Internet and that sooner or later someone was going to get sick of her bullying and report her. She's in the Detention Center because of her mischievous behavior.

UPDATE: In January of 2008, Jax was released from the Detention Center by the Cyber Villains during Ex-Commander Nils' escape. Realizing she could never be free of her past mistakes by running away from them, Jax returned to complete her sentence after escaping from the Cyber Villains.

As a reward for her good behavior, Jax's sentence has been reduced and she is now allowed out of her cell during the day to complete her community service hours.

posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyber Criminals

March 3 2008

Cyber Criminal Profile: Sparky, Script Kiddie

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: Sparky
Real Name: Francis Quincy
Location: Detention Center
Primary attack: Using borrowed hacking programs to alter Web sites and disrupt data
Weakness: Reporting to Authorities

A script kiddie is an inexperienced hacker, frequently a kid like Sparky, who uses programs developed by other hackers to attack computers and alter Web sites. Most script kiddies are just trying to cause trouble, impress their friends, or gain credit in an underground hacker community.

Sparky used an easy-to-trace program to hack into his school's library database and rearrange it. He was trying to get attention and fame, but the harm he caused only made everyone resentful towards him. They traced the attack straight to his home computer and he confessed to using the program to wreck the database.

Even though he did not create the program, Sparky's crime is severe enough for him to spend some time in the Detention Center. He will be released when he has learned his lesson about treating a serious crime like hacking like it's a game.

UPDATE: In January of 2008, Sparky was released from the Detention Center by the Cyber Villains during Ex-Commander Nils' escape. Realizing he could never be free of his past mistakes by running away from them, Sparky returned to complete his sentence after escaping from the Cyber Villains.

As a reward for his good behavior, Sparky's sentence has been reduced and he is now allowed out of his cell during the day to complete his community service hours.

posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyber Criminals

February 4 2008

Cyber Criminal Profile: The Dis Guys

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 Dis Guys
Real Name: Unknown
Location: Chat rooms, Instant Messengers
Primary attack: Stealing Personal Information, Identity Theft
Weakness: Reporting to Authorities, the cold shoulder

The Dis Guys are twin brothers who seek out victims in Cyberspace to steal their personal information to cause trouble. They work under several aliases but most common are the screen names Spyke9 and Mr.Floppy. The Dis Guys lurk in chat rooms and send people instant messages trying to lure them into revealing personal information or their offline identity.

It is believed that Spyke9 plans most of their dastardly deeds and Mr.Floppy helps carry them out. They are the most dangerous Cyber Villains because they can harm more than just your computer. They can steal your identity or your money, or even find you offline.

To defend yourself, never give out your personal information in Cyberspace because you never know if The Dis Guys are watching! Check out Hint Sheet #02 and Betty's section on Personal Information for some examples of personal information.

posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyber Criminals

January 7 2008

Cyber Criminal Profile: Elvirus

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: Elvirus
Real Name: Unknown
Location: Email attachments, downloaded files
Primary attack: Virus
Weakness: Anti-virus software and other security programs, the cold shoulder

Elvirus infects files all over Cyberspace with her sneaky viruses by tempting people into opening them and unleashing the malware. She flirts with you by sending email attachments promising cool games or funny pictures that secretly contain harmful malware. She can even hide viruses in music files, free software, or other downloadable files.

Elvirus' contaminated files look harmless, but her viruses can cause severe damage to your computer. She can be even more dangerous if she gains access to your computer. She can even use your computer to attack others!

To defend yourself, be very careful with files from Cyberspace and email attachments. Ask a trusted adult before downloading any files, download only from reliable sources, and scan everything with anti-virus software before you open it. Also, scan all email attachments before opening and don't open email attachments from people you don't know.

Elvirus is a dangerous Cyber Villain, but she can be defeated!

UPDATE: In March of 2009, Elvirus was captured by the Cyber Defenders while collaborating on a malicious Web site hoax with Ms. Information. The undercover operation, led by Officer Marshall and Officer Ward and assisted by Sparky, was able to put an end to the scheme before it could cause any damage to Cyberspace.

Elvirus is now safely contained in her own cell at the Detention Center.

posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyber Criminals

December 3 2007

Cyber Criminal Profile: Ms. Information

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: Ms. Information
Real Name: Unknown
Location: Web sites
Primary attack: Incorrect Information, Lies
Weakness: Reliable Web sites, the cold shoulder

Ms. Information is a bit of a know-it-all and will claim that she is always correct. She frequently creates Web sites that look real and useful but are really full of incorrect information, or misinformation. She frequently makes mistakes, and worse, she will even flat-out lie to you.

Ms. Information can trick you with her lies, and her fake Web sites can trip you up when doing Web research. To defend yourself, be suspicious of what you read online and make sure to use reliable sources for your Web research.

Check out Maya's Study Hall for tips on doing Web research and finding reliable sites.

UPDATE: In March of 2009, Ms. Information was captured by the Cyber Defenders while collaborating on a malicious Web site hoax with Elvirus. The undercover operation, led by Officer Marshall and Officer Ward and assisted by Sparky, was able to put an end to the scheme before it could cause any damage to Cyberspace.

Ms. Information is now safely contained in her own cell at the Detention Center.

posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyber Criminals

November 5 2007

Cyber Criminal Profile: M.C. Spammer

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: M.C. Spammer
Real Name: Unknown
Location: Email
Primary attack: Spam
Weakness: Spam filters, the cold shoulder

M.C. Spammer's cyber weapon of choice is spam, and he will try to send out as much of it as often as he can. His spam emails try to fool innocent people into opening them with free travel offers and fun I.Q. tests. He'll email you anything to get a quick buck, steal your personal information, or infest your computer with malware.

M.C. Spammer is very annoying but relatively harmless. To defend yourself, use a spam filter to prevent most of his attacks and learn how to recognize the ones that get through so you can delete them right away. Also, be careful to whom and what sites you give your real email address, as this can leave you open for his attacks.

Keep it up, Cyber Defenders! We'll catch him!

posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyber Criminals

June 12 2007

New Detainee

Commander Omni brought me a new 'guest' for the Detention Center today. His name is Sparky and he's what we would call a "script kiddie," one of those kids who knows just enough about programming to get himself into a lot of trouble. He was caught using malicious programs to attack Internet websites.

He doesn't seem like a bad kid. Just made a few mistakes is all. He didn't even write the programs he was using. He found them on some hacker website.

posted by Officer Ward
topic: Cyber Criminals