Running Head: CYBERCRIME PREVENTION

Community Problem Report: Cybercrime Prevention

Miguel Diaz
The University of Texas at El Paso

Cybercrime Prevention

Running Head: CYBERCRIME PREVENTION

Introduction
Cybercrimes have lately been headlining major news. For example, with the movie The
Internship, Sony and movie theaters got threats from The Guardians of Peace hacker group and
allegedly stole emails containing information of thousands of Sony employees and released them
to the public (BBC News, 2014). This is just one of the many incidents that have been happening
this past year thatve made headlines, but things like identity theft, cyber bullying, etc. happen
daily. Magalla (2013) stated that cybercrime is broken down into two parts: cybercrime in a
narrow sense, and cybercrime in a broader sense (Security, prevention and detection of
cybercrimes, 1.1.1 Criticism of Gotternbarn Concept of Cyber Crime, pg. 8). Because the
internet is, as Thanh Dang, S (2011) said, virtually indispensable we need to learn how to
better protect ourselves from such tragedies.
Basic information & History

Running Head: CYBERCRIME PREVENTION

Cybercrime has been a huge issue these past few years. In fact, an estimated 1 billion personal
records were stolen of major
organizations between 2004
and 2013 (Nova Labs, 2013)
Some might ask why is
there cybercrimes? or why
hasnt computer companies
found a way to completely
make computer software
immune to cybercrimes? To
start off, the internet was not made for what its being used for today, and they also werent as
small and available as they are today. Nova Labs (2014) said Its like someone decided to
expand a shoebox into a skyscraper. To further dissect this statement, what its trying to say is
that since the internet wasnt primarily built for what its being used for today cybercrimes were
bound to happen.
Theres so many loopholes and flaws in the internet software that people with a device
connected to the internet can easily get their personal information stolen. An invention that was
originally built to transfer information across big businesses, universities, and governments is
now being used by everyday people to play games, exchange money, shopping, etc. I do believe
that its a huge advancement, but when society decided to make an advancement technologically
it came with a price security, as said by Nova Labs (2013). According to Schell and Martin
(2004) cybercrime has two terms: hacker and cracker. A hacker is someone who deliberately

Running Head: CYBERCRIME PREVENTION

hacks into a computer system and steals any information available to them, and a cracker is
someone who breaks down a computer security system like a firewall.
Any crime done through electronic devices such as a computer, phones, internet, etc.
would be the general definition of cybercrime. Piracy, for example, would be a form of
cybercrime because youre copying software protected by copyright without the authors
consent. The first cybercrime was committed by Robert Morris. He was a very intelligent
teenager, he was a Cornell University graduate, and he had an account on Bell Labs computer
network, later he would be convicted under the Comprehensive Crime Control Act because in
1988 he created the Internet worm that would crash 6,000 internet-linked UNIX-based
computers. He was fined $10,000 and was sentenced 400 hours of community service.
(Cybercrime: a reference handbook, A Black Hat Case in Point, pg. 3-4)
The White Hat hackers came to play around the 1970s. This group of people were the
original members of the Tech Model Railroad Club (TMRC) from the all-male Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT) What this group of men believed was basically that when it comes
to computers there should be no such thing as privacy, that they should remain unlocked and
available 24/7. In the early stages these hackers were not criminals, but very intelligent men who
found solutions to difficult problems. For example in Cybercrime: a reference handbook (2004)
it says that If the type of software or hardware they wanted was not available, these hackers
would develop it. (Page 5)
Prevention
Cybercrime prevention came to exist around the 1990s when it was technology was
developing and it came to a point where being on the internet was unsecure. The best ways to
prevent or reduce the possibilities of cybercrimes to me attempted are through education,

Running Head: CYBERCRIME PREVENTION

development of security services like antivirus softwares, and enforcing laws that protect the
public, businesses, etc. The latest security software thats been out for a while consist of firewall
technology, antivirus software, and encryption tools. Education is another one that Magalla
(2013) mentions and she says Raising awareness with the public may reduce the number of
crimes in the information age. Prevention has been lightly taken by many individuals, including
me. I used to take the seriousness of cybercrime prevention very lightly. I have still have all my
information in my computer and on my iCloud account. Im more cautious now. Im now taking
safety procedures that I wouldnt take back then. Im now scanning my computer frequently for
viruses and I get rid of them as soon as possible.
Another tip that everyone should now as well would be to never give out your
information online if youre not so sure about the website. If its too good to be true then it most
likely is! Two recent acts have been passed to improve cyber security at the national level. These
two acts are the Cyber Security Enhancement Act of 2009 (S.773) and this act was Intended to
improve cyber security within the federal government and throughout the public and private
sectors, and the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011 (CISPA). Is proposed
the United States federal law that would allow for the sharing of Web data between the
government and technology companies. (Security, prevention, and detection of cybercrimes,
3.4.1.1 USA, 2013) Norton (n.d) also gives prevention tips and they go as follows:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Keep your computer current with the latest patches and updates
Make sure your computer is configured securely
Choose strong passwords and keep them safe
Protect your computer with security software
Shield your personal information
Online offers that look to good to be true usually are
Review bank and credit card statements regularly

Running Head: CYBERCRIME PREVENTION

Now if we take these prevention procedures that were just discussed into practice we will be able
reduce the possibility of such tragedy happen to use, but since the internet is constantly evolving,
and like Thanh Dang, S (2011) said, the internet is virtually indispensable, no one will ever be
immune of a data breach but you sure can do whatever you can to prevent it.

Running Head: CYBERCRIME PREVENTION

References

Magalla, A. (2013). Security, prevention and detection of cybercrimes

Norton.com. (n.d.). Retrieved 30 March 2015, from http://us.norton.com/prevention-

tips/article
Schell, B & Martin, C. (Jan 1, 2004) Cybercrime: a reference handbook
Thanh Dang, S (2011). The prevention of cyber terrorism and cyber war
Sony cancels The Interview release amid threats. (2014, December 18). BBC US &

Canada.
NOVA Labs. (n.d) Retrieved 13 April 2015, from
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/labs/video_popup/5/31/