Computer Crime In The 1990s :: essays research papers

Computer Crime In The 1990sWere being ushered into the digital frontier. Its a cyberland withincredible promise and untold dangers. Are we prep ard ? Its a battle betweenmodern day computer cops and digital hackers. Essentially just destine what iscontrolled by computer governing bodys, virtually everything.By programming a telephone interpretive program mail service to repeat the word yes over and overagain a hacker has beaten the system. The hacker of the 1990s is increasinglybecoming more organized very clear in what theyre looking for and very, verysophisticated in their methods of attack.. As hackers have become moresophisticated and more destructive, governments, phone companies and businessesare struggling to defend themselves.Phone FraudIn North America the telecommunications manufacture estimates long distancefraud costs five hundred million perhaps up to a billion every year, the exactthe exact figures are hard to be sure of but in North America alone phone fraudcommi tted by computer hackers costs three, four-spot maybe even up to five billiondollars every year. Making an unwitting company pay for long distance scrubs isthe most popular take form of phone fraud today. The first step is to gain chafe toa private automated branch exchange known as a "PABX" or "PBX". One of these canbe found in any company with twenty or more employees. A "PABX" is a computerthat manages the phone system including its voice mail. Once inside a "PABX" ahacker looks for a phone whose voice mail has not yet been programmed, then thehacker cracks its access code and programs its voice mail account to acceptcharges for long distance discovers, until the authorities catch on, not for a fewdays, hackers can use voice mail accounts to make free and untraceablecalls toall over the world. The hackers that commit this type of crime are becomingincreasingly organized. Known as "call booth operators" they setup flyby nightstorefront s were people off the street can come in and make long distance callsat a large discount, for the call cell operators of course the calls costnothing, by hacking into a PABX system they can put all the charges on thevictimized companies tab. With a set of stolen voice mail access codes known as"good numbers" hackers can crack into any phone whenever a company disables thephone theyre using. In both(prenominal) cases call cell operators have run up hundreds ofthousands of dollars in long distance charges, driving businesses and companiesstraight into bankruptcy. Hacking into a PABX is not as complicated as somepeople seem to think.