Computer Crimes

Computer Crimes

It's the weekend; you have nothing to do so you decide to play around on your computer.

You turn it on and then start up; you start calling people with your modem, connecting to

another world, with people just like you at a button press away. This is all fine but what

happens when you start getting into other peoples computer files. Then it becomes a crime,

but what is a computer crime really? Obviously it involves the use of a computer but what

are these crimes. Well they are: Hacking, Phreaking, & Software Piracy.

    To begin I will start with Hacking, what is hacking. Hacking is basically using your

computer to "Hack" your way into another. They use programs called scanners which

randomly dials numbers any generating tones or carriers are recorded. These numbers are

looked at by hackers and then used again, when the hacker calls up the number and gets on

he's presented with a logon prompt, this is where the hacking really begins, and the hacker

bypass’ this anyway he knows how to and tries to gain access to the system. Why do they do

it? Well let’s go to a book and see. Avid young computer hackers in their preteens and teens

are frequently involved in computer crimes that take the form of trespassing, invasion of

privacy, or vandalism.

    Quite often they are mearly out for a fun and games evening, and they get entangled in the

illegal use of their machines without realizing the full import of what they are doing. I have

a hard time believing that so lets see what a "hacker" has to say about what he does. "Just

as they were enthraled with their pursuit of information, so are we. The thrill of the hack is

not in breaking the law, it's in the pursuit and capture of knowledge."   As you can see the

"hacker" doesn't go out to do destroy things, although some do. It's in the pursuit of

knowledge. Of course this is still against the law. But where did all of this start?

MIT is...