Chelsea Clock: Computer Crimes

Tuesday, 11 December 2012

Computer Crimes

Computer crime refers to any crime that involves a computer and a network.[1] The computer may have been used in the commission of a crime, or it may be the target.[2] Netcrime refers to criminal exploitation of the Internet.[3] Cybercrimes are defined as: "Offences that are committed against individuals or groups of individuals with a criminal motive to intentionally harm the reputation of the victim or cause physical or mental harm to the victim directly or indirectly, using modern telecommunication networks such as Internet (Chat rooms, emails, notice boards and groups) and mobile phones (SMS/MMS)".[4] Such crimes may threaten a nation’s security and financial health.[5] Issues surrounding this type of crime have become high-profile, particularly those surrounding cracking, copyright infringement, child pornography, and child grooming. There are also problems of privacy when confidential information is lost or intercepted, lawfully or otherwise.