Keylogger scam. Computer crimes - Book Report/Review Example

Keylogger scam, as discussed in this paper, refers to hidden logging systems installed by hackers which track all activities of users, maintains logs of keys and passwords and gives constant monitoring capabilities. This paper entails the types of computer crimes existing in our society, technological safeguards available and examples of frauds that have practically occurred in past. Computer crimes Computer crimes are against social morals and ethical norms since they are aimed at causing harm to an individual financially or otherwise.

Stealth of intellectual property, private content and valuable information can be used for illegal and unethical purposes. Extortion, vandalism, terrorism, theft, laundering, piracy, fraud and other social evils are common unethical practices. Cyber crimes are of various types, including theft of telecommunication services, piracy of copyrighted digital content, hacking of official organizational sites to gain benefits and intercepting communication lines. More severe cases involve electronic money laundering, concealment of income to evade taxes, misrepresented investment opportunity schemes, identity theft and fraudulent transfer of funds (Grabosky & Smith, 1998).

Most of cyber crimes involve hacking and accessing information through keylogger programs which are installed on host machines to track information entered and activities carried out at these workstations. Keylogger systems are very common for gaining access to passwords, codes and other sensitive information. In a recent case, the British Hi-Tech Crime Unit stopped an attempted electronic funds transfer of $420 million within banks of different territories. Investigation revealed that criminals had infiltrated computer systems of bank through information gained through installed keylogger applications.

This raises concerns about how these programs were installed in the systems without physical interception (Betteridge, 2005). Preventive measures These technological frauds can only be stopped with help of technology itself. Several measures must be taken in order to safeguard against any outsider breaches. Primarily, a network-based firewall must be created by establishing access control lists to identify what traffic is allowed to pass through communication lines. Secondly, antivirus software must be installed with latest updated virus definitions to enable systems to detect any infectious malwares and Trojans.

Physical safeguards are very essential as seen in given case study where keylogger applications were apparently installed on systems through physical intrusion. Biometric devices must be installed at entry points and various identification checks must be placed in sensitive areas. A common technique of cryptography is used by organizations to encode information through ciphering tools prior to sending it in transit. The intended user of information shall decrypt information with known pass keys to access it.

Additionally, periodic testing of networks must be scheduled where technicians use tools to check vulnerability of network and its workstations to being bypassed by unauthorized users. Constant monitoring of network traffic will enable management to detect interception and illegitimate access attempts. At national level, regulatory frameworks have been established including Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, Electronic Communications Privacy Act and Internet Spyware Prevention Act etc. Legislations must be amended with provisions that ensure strict compliance with latest technological changes.

Success stories There have been several similar cases in the past where cyber crimes were successfully executed and subsequently caught by