To secure and prevent

In older times if someone committed a crime it would have been done solely through physical means like pickpocketing, mugging, shoplifting and so on. As time has moved on and advancements in technology have occurred we have obtained more convenient ways to carry out everyday tasks, however this has also introduced new ways to commit crimes.

Just as there are now new ways to commit crime, people are also inventing new ways to prevent and detect criminal activities carried out using computers. Dealing with 'cyber crime' is complex as it requires a joint effort from both a technological and legal standpoint and introducing new laws is painfully slow compared to technological advancements.

There's also a fine line sometimes between breaking the law and ethical activities where people break the law but ultimately for the public good (Edward Snowdon is arguably a good example). There are even people who are paid by companies to hack their systems to find the holes before the bad guys do.

Here we explore lots of different kinds of computer crime, how they are being dealt with and look out for the good hackers too.

Download issue 24 of cs4fn magazine on cyber security and privacy