As the years progress so does technology. Just a decade ago, touch screen cell phones and navigational systems were unheard of. Now days these items are something that most people feel as though they couldn’t live without. Computers are slowly but surely making the lives of people easier and more luxurious. They have became so beneficial to our livelihood, but too much of anything is never good, thus including technology.
Now the power of computers is being used for many criminal activities such as cybercrimes. Cyber crime is any criminal act dealing with computers and networks. It also includes traditional crimes conducted through the Internet. For example, hate crimes, telemarketing and Internet fraud, identity theft, hacking and credit card account thefts are considered to be cyber crimes; when the illegal activities are committed through the use of a computer and the Internet. It is no longer a place of security, but a place of great vulnerability. Hacking is one of the most common cybercrimes. Hacking is when someone intentionally accesses a computer without authorization or exceeds authorized access for their personal benefit. Most of the time they get a thrill out of hacking, the more they hack the more fun they have. Hacking is just another way to receive a buildup of adrenaline in the body. Hackers will receive the thrill and chills of the rebellious act and then have all that adrenaline, making themselves feel really good. They also gain many possessions from hacking. One thing that they gain is knowledge. Not just knowledge of how to hack, but knowledge of the systems that they are hacking into and knowledge of different security precautions that people take to try to keep hackers out. There are a vast number of different systems that hackers have to know in order to hack into them. Hackers will read up on the different programs and also go to conferences to learn about new techniques, and new ways that they can break into a system without a lot of work. They can receive anything he/she wants from hacking into other computers. They can download, or copy applications, games, and even make credit card numbers. WOW!!!! The hacker has resources and tools, to perform different tasks. The most common tools used are, war dialers, all-color boxes, and many different password crackers. If a hacker hacks into the telephone companies computers, they can do some major damage in the system. Phone numbers can be changed, the type of phone that a phone number has can be changed. For example, a regular house phone can be changed into a pay phone. Many things can happen by hacking into a telephone company, and all of their information can be in the hands of any hacker at any given time, this is why cybercrimes are token very seriously In 1986, the United States government passed the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. This law states that it is unlawful to intentionally break into a computer system without authorization. If done, the criminal could face a maximum of 20 years and a $5,000 fine. Though these are consequences that criminals can face, they are usually pretty good at covering their trails. Even with all of the laws that the government has passed hackers have yet to be stopped and brought to justice. The more time that the government takes to find a way to stop hackers, gives the hackers more time to increase their knowledge and skill in the area of hacking. If the government doesn't hurry up, they are going to have a much bigger problem than just terrorism.