Computer Hackers

“Computer crimes are no different from other crimes, and computer criminals should be held responsible for the damage they cause.”


This statement is completely true, and to have anyone disagree with this is absurd. A crime is a crime whether it is in the computer world or the real world. Damage is caused, people are affected negatively, and to have someone honestly feel what they are doing is harmless is wrong. People who think a hacking crime is justifiable is basically stating any crime is justifiable, such as rape or murder.


What people do not realize is the damage computer hackers can cause. It can cause businesses to lose money, or their reputation. For example, in 2001 there was a hacker that broke into the Burger King UK site implying that everyone should eat McDonald's instead. No deaths were caused, and no one was physically hurt. However, this hurt the company's reputation and made them look unprofessional. This was wrong and illegal to break into the site, and proper punishment should have been given.


The SirCam worm was a virus that infected thousands of online companies, and embarrassed many. The FBI had to embarrassingly admit that their machines were infected as well, which allowed the bug to show confidential files to outsiders. The SirCam virus did around $1.035 billion worth of damage and infected around 2,300,000 computers. This example shows the damage that could be done with viruses.


Another issue that I feel needs to be looked at more is white-hat hackers. These are hackers that do not have a bad intent such as placing porn on sites or stealing information. White-hat hackers look for the holes and show their discoveries so viruses and such can be prevented. Hacking is hacking, therefore it is not right. However, I feel this issue should be looked into in the sense that some people get special permission from companies to access certain sites in order to help them out. This will not be illegal because permission would be granted to these individuals.


However, I feel that the proper punishment should be given to the hackers, and this includes it not being too harsh. For example, a Chinese court sentenced two brothers to death for hacking into a bank's system and electronically stealing $86,900. The brothers connected a home-made modem to the bank's computer and transferred the funds into 16 accounts with false names. The judge believed that the sentence was necessary to deal with the emerging high-tech crime. I believe the death punishment is extreme, and should not have occurred. I do feel the brothers should have definitely gotten years in jail to serve their time.


Hackers commit a crime when they access information and websites that is not theirs. It is undeniable that they should be punished. They are trespassing on what is not theirs. The punishment of hacking should be based on the severity of damage caused, age, and intent.




Sources:


http://www.cs.usask.ca/undergrads/maw106/490/Summary9.htm

http://www.akamarketing.com/effects-of-hacking-on-business.html

http://content.techweb.com/tech/security/20020515_security?ls=TW_081402_fea