84 lines
2.3 KiB
Plaintext
84 lines
2.3 KiB
Plaintext
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MAY 1990
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COMPUTERWORLD
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COMPUTER CRIME BECOMING "LESS SOPHISTICATED"
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by Margie Wylie
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MENLO PARK, Calif. - Despite all
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the media attention surrounding his
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conviction, Robert Morris does not
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present the profile of a basic computer
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criminal, nor is his crime typical
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throughout the industry.
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On the contrary, less computer
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crime is being committed by those
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who can be characterised as "hackers",
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and the crimes committed are far
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less sophisticated, says a report
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issued by the National Centre for
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Computer Crime Data (NCCCD) in the
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United States.
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In fact, it is becoming increasingly
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difficult to identiy the typical perpertrator
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as the bright, young white male,
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said Buck Bloombecker, director of the
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NCCCD. The report states that in
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California, 32% of those arrested for
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computer crimes were women, and 43%
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were minorities.
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The study also revealed the changing
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nature of computer crimes. A nationwide
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survey of 2500 prosecutors concluded that 34%
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of computer crimes in 1988 involved the
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theft of services. That figure, up from
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10% in 1986, is indicative of the type
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of computer crime being committed today,
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Blombecker said.
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"More and more computer crime is of the
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garden variety," Bloombecker said.
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"What we are facing is the 'democratisation'
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of computer crime."
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Computer crime has taken a heavy toll on
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US business. In 1988, the cost of
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computer crimes tallied to an astonishing
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$US555 million, 930 personnel hours, and
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16.3 years of computer service. Further,
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in 12% of cases, the victims were individuals,
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not corporations or networks.
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Still, Morris' conviction may play a
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role in preventing computer crime because
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it demonstrates that existing computer
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crime laws are sufficient, Bloombecker
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said. Passing more laws like the
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antivirus bill introduced by Republican
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Wally Herger, is merely an academic
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exercise, he said. "What we need are
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more prosecutions under exisisting laws.
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That takes time and money."
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Marc Rotenburg, director of Computer
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Professionals for Social Responsibility,
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suggested that Congress boost funding for
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computer security research rather than
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pass more laws.
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Morris was recently convicted of violating
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the federal 1986 Computer Fraud and Abuse
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Act for sending a virus program into a
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national email system.
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