Information Security Newsletter Series: Introduction to Information Security

Information Security Newsletter Series: Cyber Crimes

Cyber Crimes and Your Children The Internet is a useful tool for finding information in a quick and convenient way. ISPs, parents, software companies, and Even though much of this information is schools have been doing their best to protect available for everyone to use for whatever they children from risks online, but there is still a needed, many products and services found need to protect the Internet from children who online are not permissible to be reproduced or may wish to find ways to abuse and exploit it. downloaded, especially music and purchasable To prevent children from participating in these programs. It can be just as wrong, however, to cyber crimes, it is important to define cyber take music or software from the Internet crime and examine the losses from cyber without the permission of the owner. crime, as well as the ways to keep your children from becoming perpetrators in these It is easy for children understand why the theft crimes. of objects in the real world is wrong, but it is difficult for them to understand theft of Three Faces of Cyber Crimes intellectual property. Teach your children not to download pirated or counterfeit material. The US Department of Justice categorizes Many programs share copyrighted material cyber crime in three ways: and encourage downloading, and parents need to try to make sure their children are behaving 1) The computer ethically online. as a target (using a computer to attack other computers) Just as with music and programs, it is also 2) The computer important to teach kids that images or content as a weapon (using a computer to commit from Internet sites are ideas that belong to real world crimes) someone else as well. Copying information 3) The computer from sites for use in projects or papers without as an accessory (using a computer to reference is plagiarism, so inform children store illegal files or information) how to cite websites appropriately.

Kids believe email is harmless because they Summary don’t see the impact on the person who receives it. Parents need to teach their children Cyber crime is not without its victims, which about appropriate communication through manifest themselves in various ways. Whether email and scams that might cause them to it’s loss of money, time, pride, or life, participate in illegal activities like hacking, or someone or something is always a victim. The the damaging of another information system. best way to prevent future cyber crimes from Hacking can take a variety of forms, ranging occurring is to educate children in the types of from stealing passwords and classified cyber crimes, the results of committing such information to vandalizing Web sites. crimes, and inform that no matter what steps Unauthorized entry into an information system they take in order to prevent detection, they through hacking, viruses, or Trojan horse will always be caught and punished to the programs has serious consequences. fullest extent of the law.