The Hacker Hunters - Essay Example

CASE STUDY---HACKER HUNTERS Answer The contemporary era is the era of information technology, where fast and speedy flow of information is the keyto success for the great brands and multinational organizations carrying vast business volume and sound corporate reputation at global level. The most meaningful way, Gates observes, to differentiate your company from your competitor, the best way to put distance between you and the crowd is to do an outstanding job with information and management. How you gather, manage, and use information will determine whether you win or loose. (1999: 2) Fast information technology provides the retailers a comprehensive, an accurate and detailed picture of the entire socioeconomic, cultural and corporate scenario. Since the well-reputed organizations undergo data stealing and accounts hacking dilemma at the hands of cyber criminals, they devise and review strategies and implement them in an affective way in order to protect their products and services from going into the hands of hackers and criminals. The big retailers seek support from the information technology in order to escape cyber crimes conducted by the hackers. In addition, executive information system and decision support systems are also applied by the big retailers to protect their data from hacking by cyber crimes including elevation of privileges, hoexes attacks, malicious coding and others. Answer 2: Before articulating the plans to avoid hacking of data, the organizations should look into the nature of theft committed by the cyber criminals. The big organizations apply different strategies and techniques to avoid identity theft. They often make alterations in the data safety programs, so that the access to the data related to their sales and clients’ personal information could be made secure. Sales automation force (SAF) is also applied by the retailers where all the date related to the sales of their products is preserved and monitored regularly in an organized way, which indicates the level of sales as well as all the necessary information related to the product volume a client maintains at their institution on daily basis. When an organization offers its customers the ability to purchase products over the internet, it certainly looks for implementing the appropriate security. Transactional information technology and phishing methodology is exercised by the organizations and big retailers for the protection of their data and products. Examples of transactional include purchasing stocks, making an airline reservation and withdrawal of cash from the ATM. (Chapter II: 36) Answer 3: Ethical values have been given special significance in a social set up as well as in the corporate sector. But sometimes it so happens that the authorities have to take some immediate steps for the benefit of the masses that are strictly against the moral values and ethics prevailing in the society. Tapping of online service is also one of these steps taken by the authorities to disclose the nefarious designs of the criminals and offenders. Hence, taking right decision at the right time is very important for the eradication of crimes and for the benefit of society. The same is applied in tapping online service by authorities, where they enter the mail-boxes as well as the personal messages and information of the people, which surely puts the privacy in grave jeopardy. Nevertheless, it is strictly against the privacy policy announced by the companies. There exist an overwhelming majority of people, which conceals its marital status, sexual orientation, racial and ethnic identity and domestic and health problems of very personal nature, disclosure of which may certainly harm and hurt them causing their physical and mental disturbances. In addition, sometimes, people hide their accounts from wives in order to support their parents, which must be kept hidden from the eyes of the outer world. The access to personal messages may create lots of problems in society, and the trust of the clients on the companies may diminish, leading towards the cancellation of corporate relationships. Even then, it is the benefit of the society that tapping should be allowed so that the nefarious misdeeds and criminal activities of the cyber crime offenders could be brought to the limelight. Answer 4: Government officials and the security personnel of high ranking are considered to be the most esteemed, honest and committed people, and any type of deceit, at the hands of such officials, is thought to be almost impossible. Consequently, whenever an official of high esteem consult the organizations and companies for support, everyone looks ready to lend and hand in his operational management services. It is therefore, the high ranked officials are also used to detect the malpractices and follies made by the criminals. Such an experienced and intelligent official is able to break the network designed by the criminals. He can successfully complete his operation by entering in the criminal organization as its member, so that the activities of the criminals could be monitored properly. But it may put the life of the high official at stake, and the society can be deprived of the services of such an intelligent person, who serves as the brain of the society. It is therefore all precautionary measures must be taken adequately so that losses could be avoided and escaped. Answer 5: Identity theft refers to the hacking of private data and personal information of the clients and customers of organizations, retailers, banks, companies and financial institutions, where the customers have their accounts and get involved into business transactions. Researches have been conducted and theories have been articulated in order to save the people from being victim to the cyber crimes and identity theft. Researches elaborate the techniques and ways to escape such crimes, which are as following: One should confide one’s personal data to the relevant department of the organization only with which he has maintained an account. In addition, one must keep his security card, identity card and other documents including driving license and other documents in strict custody, and should not reveal these details to anyone at all. Moreover, the documents related to financial matters, including ATM card, credit card, e-card and others must also be kept in lock and key, so that no other person could misuse these documents. Further, one must lock his computer and e-cards with a password, so that no one could have access to such documents. The password should be changed time and again to maintain privacy and to avoid any probability of hacking. Shred all documents containing personal information -- especially pre-approved credit card offers -- with a cross-cut shredder. (Retrieved from asparker.com) In addition, the customer must ask his bank, retailer or financial institution to issue the details of his trasactions on regular basis, so that hacking and hackers could be traced out immediately and further losses could be avoided. REFERENCES: Gates, Bill. (1999). Business at the Speed of Thought. The Warner Book Company New York http://www.asparker.com/ppts0804.html Strategic Decision Making. http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=863097 http://banking.senate.gov/03_06hrg/062603/prill.pdf Topic:  Case Study Instructions: Select one of the three cases from chapter 4 of your textbook ("Closing Cases," pp. 128–134). Read the case study and respond to each of the questions at the end of the case. Use the information you have read in the first four chapters of the text, classroom discussions, and additional research to fully address these questions. Prepare a two- to three-page, double-spaced written response to the questions and submit it to your Assignments Folder as an attached Microsoft Word file. Indicate appropriate APA reference citations for any sources you use and include in text citations. Your paper should reflect appropriate grammar and spelling, good organization, and proper business-writing style. I will upload the case studies to choose from and chapter 1-4 for reading, please use the chapters as one source, the other sources are of your choice, however they must be reputable sources. Thank you Read More