The History and importance of cyber security
Introduction
The ubiquity of the internet has enhanced modern life. It has enabled rapid and easy access to information at a scale never witnessed before in human history. Communications and business transactions can also get done over the internet by parties separated by huge geographical distances. This convenience eliminates the need for travelling long distances to so that one can undertake such tasks.
Cybercrime can get defined as any illegal act involving usage of digital information systems. The process frequently involves a criminal motive to damage the reputation or cause harm, both physical and mental to the victim. This procedure can get undertaken either indirectly or directly as well as with an intentional purpose. One common activity in cyber crime is that of identity theft. Hackers use fake identities to swindle unsuspecting victims to present their personal information. Such information involves mostly online account details as well as passwords. Phishing is also a form of identity theft whereby an attacker attempts to retrieve a victim's private information illegally from a credible public institution. In this case, the attacker is known as a phisher. Another prevalent form of the crime is piracy. This act is whereby an internet user copies and distributes music, movies or any other type of digital intellectual property without the owner's consent.
This paper, therefore, aims to give an overview of the history of cybercrime. It also discusses how legislation efforts came about in the wake of growing cyber-attacks. Another concern in this discussion is the importance of cyber security in the modern era of the internet and interconnected society. We will also get a sneak peek into what the future portends for the cyber world regarding legislation and safety. The ultimate goal is to enlighten the readers on why cyber security needs to get enhanced in all our information and communication systems.
Literature Review
History of cyber crime
Hacking is a term that got coined in the 1960s. This word often gets used to refer to the act of modifying a product. It is a procedure that alters the usual function of a product, or to fix it. This process usually gets done on an electronic device. During this period, hacking never had a negative connotation. Most of the time it got undertaken by computer technicians and software engineers and designers to fix issues and improve the optimization of systems. With time, the tech - enthusiast also started participation in the act. They typically modified their personal devices and tweaked them to perform unique functions.
However, in the 1970s, this terminology started gaining notoriety. Professionals and hacking enthusiasts began to target computerized phone systems. They had discovered some vulnerabilities within such systems that they could exploit to their advantage. Most of the time, the malicious individuals intruded into the systems to secretly listen on conversations. Sometimes they hacked these systems to access various services without paying. This phenomenon became very rampant.
The reason for widespread occurrences was the fact that there was still no legislation on matters about cybercrime. This phenomenon was relatively new. The world was just entering the age of computing, and most systems were still in their infancy. Cybercrime was also difficult to detect due in part to the shortage of skilled investigators. Therefore, the lack of legislation and shortage of trained detectives, made this phenomenon almost undetectable and nearly impossible to track.
History of cybercrime detection
In 1986, an event occurred in the Lawrence Berkeley laboratory that became a game changer in cybercrime. A system administrator known as Clifford Stoll discovered some irregularities in accounting data. He spend days analyzing these irregularities but could not find their source. After much research, he came up with a technique to capture attackers. This process signified the birth of cybercrime detection. Stoll’s invention became the first digital forensic technique. In this method, he used a so-called "Honey Pot Technique." This tactic lures a hacker into a network. Its primary purpose in attracting potential intruders is to gather enough data to track the intrusion back to the source. It is through this process that the culprit could easily get detected and tracked for apprehension.
Shortly after this period, the worm virus got discovered. The person responsible for its creation and distribution was none other than Morris Worm. In fact, the virus got named after him. He was a student at Berkely Collage. This worm attacked and damaged over 600 computers and cost the government over 98 million dollars in losses. The rising number of incidents prompted Congress to pass the first hacking legislation.
This law became known as the Federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. It got enacted in 1986. It declared that computer tampering was a felony crime. The punishment for this action would involve significant incarceration or monetary fines. One major incident where law enforcers took steps against cyber criminals was during Operation Sundevil that occurred in the year 1990. FBI agents raided a premise and ceased 42 computers and over 2000 floppy disk drives used by criminals for illegal telephone services and credit card use.
Importance of cybercrime legislation
Cyberspace refers to the domain created from the interconnection between computers and telecommunication networks to store, modify and exchange data via networked systems. It also includes the associated physical infrastructure without the regard for geographic location. Cyber security, therefore, refers to all activities aiming at the reduction and prevention of threats and vulnerabilities. It entails having in place laws for the protection and responding to incidences of cyber crime. It is the process whereby legislation gets enforced, and data gets recovered. Its principal aim is to ensure the assurance of data security and integrity. Furthermore, cyber security plays a significant role in protecting military and intelligence operations (Goutam, 2015).
It is imperative for every state to protect ad secure all activities in cyberspace from hackers. Cyberspace depends heavily on informatics and telecommunications for nearly every service and activity. For this reason, it is very dangerous to ignore because once the mechanisms governing access to these facilities fall into the wrong hands, a lot of things will be at stake. Identities can get stolen; data can get distorted and money taken. The lives of many citizens depend on the vital services that function entirely on the internet. Social media involves a lot of personal information, and government systems hugely rely on interconnected computer networks.
A growing number of activities are migrating to cyberspace. These activities involve monetary transactions of vast sums. Moreover, information now flows through boundaries of different legal systems connected through various networks across the entire globe. Therefore, a potential hacker can commit a crime without having to be physically present in a given jurisdiction. Personal records such as medical information and tax evaluations are increasingly getting kept in online databases. Energy systems, educational facilities, businesses and other social affairs all utilize cyberspace. This situation calls for the need for more intense and efficient cyber security.
The security of information systems builds the confidence of the public in the systems. With the advent of cloud computing, People now keep sensitive personal information in the cloud. Cloud computing refers to the storage of information on remote servers that can get access through the Internet any time at any geographic location. A user only needs to have an internet connection. This technology provides a lot of conveniences but poses a significant security risk. Therefore, for people to fully trust such systems, they need to be full proof without any loopholes for hackers to exploit. A lack of security will undermine confidence in cyberspace technologies, and many will avoid them.
Some people seek child pornography on the internet. Cyberspace provides a sense of anonymity to an offender. Pedophiles use the Internet to circulate inappropriate content that is also illegal. They are a risk to children and society. Proper legislation will ensure that such offenders get tracked and arrested. The same applies to distributors of copyright content. Piracy has and is still a major concern for copyright agencies (Goldstone & Shave, 1998).
The current situation and future trends
Currently, the NSA has been in the process of gathering personal information from users. They have mainly been collecting metadata and storing it in a database so as to track the digital footprint of a suspect. The process helps in the investigation of crimes. It has the potential of stopping attacks before they occur. However, there has been a huge outcry from the public on privacy concerns from both individuals and human rights groups.
Developing trends in the cyber world include the offering of software as a service. This methodology eliminates piracy since the software runs remotely in the cloud. Most websites are now migrating their servers to the more secure http protocols. Countries have also established individual branches within law enforcement to investigate cyber crime and arrest the culprits.
Conclusion
The global community is moving towards a more integrated communication system. It is, therefore, imperative for every government to protect and secure all activities in cyberspace from hackers. Cyberspace depends heavily on informatics and telecommunications for nearly every service and activity. The security of information systems builds the confidence of the public in the systems. Following the advent of cloud computing People now keep sensitive personal information in the cloud. This phenomenon calls for more security than ever before. Even though cybercrime will always be in existence, measures such as training more security personnel to detect crime and using more secure protocols will go a long way in enhancing internet security.
References
Goutam, R. K. (2015). Importance of Cyber Security. International Journal of Computer Applications, 111(7).
Goldstone, D., & Shave, B. E. (1998). International dimensions of crimes in cyberspace. Fordham Int'l LJ, 22, 1924.
