Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
technology and spends time learning and using computer systems. A
criminal hacker
, also
called a
cracker
, is a computer-savvy person who attempts to gain unauthorized or illegal
access to computer systems to steal passwords, corrupt files and programs, or even transfer
money. In many cases, criminal hackers are people who are looking for excitement—the
challenge of beating the system. Today, many people use the term hacker and cracker inter-
changeably.
Script bunnies
admire crackers but have little technical savvy. They are crackers
who download programs called
scripts
that automate the job of breaking into computers.
Insiders
are employees, disgruntled or otherwise, working solo or in concert with outsiders
to compromise corporate systems. The biggest threat for many companies is their own em-
ployees who hack into their computers, not external hackers. Insiders have extra knowledge
that makes them especially dangerous—they know logon IDs, passwords, and company pro-
cedures that help them evade detection.
Some criminals have started phony VoIP phone companies and sold subscriptions for
services to unsuspecting customers. Instead of establishing their own network, the criminals
hack into the computers that route calls over the networks of legitimate VoIP providers and
use this network to carry its customers' calls. One criminal obtained more than $1 million
for more than 10 million minutes of VoIP service stolen from a legitimate VoIP service
provider.
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Catching and convicting criminal hackers remains a difficult task. The method behind
these crimes is often hard to determine. Even if the method behind the crime is known,
tracking down the criminals can take a lot of time. It took years for the FBI to arrest one
criminal hacker for the alleged theft of almost 20,000 credit card numbers that had been sent
over the Internet.
Data and information are valuable corporate assets. The intentional use of illegal and
destructive programs to alter or destroy data is as much a crime as destroying tangible goods.
The most common of these programs are viruses and worms, which are software programs
that, when loaded into a computer system, will destroy, interrupt, or cause errors in pro-
cessing. Such programs are also called
malware
, and the growth rate for such programs is
epidemic. Internet security firm McAfee estimates that 150 to 200 malware programs emerge
each day.
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A
virus
is a computer program file capable of attaching to disks or other files and repli-
cating itself repeatedly, typically without the user's knowledge or permission. Some viruses
attach to files, so when the infected file executes, the virus also executes. Other viruses sit in
a computer's memory and infect files as the computer opens, modifies, or creates the files.
They are often disguised as games or images with clever or attention-grabbing titles such as
“Boss, nude.” Some viruses display symptoms, and some viruses damage files and computer
systems. Computer viruses are written for several operating systems, including Windows,
Macintosh, UNIX, and others.
Virus writers can become very aggressive in their attacks. For example, a variant of the
GPcode virus encrypts various file types including .doc, .txt, .pdf, .xls, and images, and then
is the purchase of computer equipment already infected with malware. Best Buy unknowingly
sold digital picture frames that were infected with a computer virus during the manufacturing
manufacturing plant infected with malware designed to steal online gaming passwords.
Worms
are parasitic computer programs that replicate but, unlike viruses, do not infect
other computer program files. Worms can create copies on the same computer or can send
the copies to other computers via a network. Worms often spread via Internet Relay Chat
(IRC).
A
Trojan horse
program is a malicious program that disguises itself as a useful application
or game and purposefully does something the user does not expect. Trojans are not viruses
because they do not replicate, but they can be just as destructive. Many people use the term
to refer only to nonreplicating malicious programs, thus making a distinction between Tro-
jans and viruses.
Although security is often cited as a strong point of the Mac computer, an increasing
number of malware threats against the Mac OS X operating system have been uncovered.
For example, an OS X Trojan horse is disguised either as an AppleScript known as ASthtv05
criminal hacker (cracker)
A computer-savvy person who
attempts to gain unauthorized or
illegal access to computer systems
to steal passwords, corrupt files and
programs, or even transfer money.
script bunny
A cracker with little technical savvy
who downloads programs called
scripts, which automate the job of
breaking into computers.
insider
An employee, disgruntled or
otherwise, working solo or in
concert with outsiders to
compromise corporate systems.
virus
A computer program file capable of
attaching to disks or other files and
replicating itself repeatedly,
typically without the user's
knowledge or permission.
worm
A parasitic computer program that
can create copies of itself on the
infected computer or send copies to
other computers via a network.
Trojan horse
A malicious program that disguises
itself as a useful application or game
and purposefully does something
the user does not expect.
