Cyber Crime as 21st Century Problem Essay

Abstract Subsequent research has focused in establishing Cybercrime as an activity only for computer programmers. However, Cybercrime has recently expanded to appear as a full capital offense since it integrates multiple forms of criminal activities. Per se, Cybercrime has proved to be a social, economic, and political form of disturbance, or in other words, a mother of 21st century crimes. The commencing research will endeavor to prove that Cybercrime should be managed in a more responsive method since it encourages the development of other crimes. The research is defragmented into three main sections, firstly, a background establishing the crude nature of Cybercrime. Secondly, the research will provide a critical review of forms and the extent of crime. Thirdly, the research will provide the authors opinion on what should be done in relation to Cybercrime. Background Half a decade ago, when computers were evolving to their current state, little was known of any criminal activity, which could have been associated with the process. However, with time, Cybercrime grew leading to the introduction of malicious activities that attempts to swindle the information wealth of the user. In recent times, most countries, even in the developing world are processing laws, which should mitigate or even extinguish Cybercrime. Cybercrime is one of the most sophisticated crimes since the attacker is remotely located and can lead to losses of information, or even financial wealth. Forms and Crime Extent There have been different forms of Cybercrime activities. This includes, but not limited, Denial of Service (DOS) attacks, Malware, and computer viruses. The second class of Cybercrime activities includes, information warfare, phishing, swindles, fraud (Cybercrime, 2012) as well as, cyber-stalking. Computer fraud involves insincere misrepresentations of facts. This could be, altering, destroying and suppressing unauthorized transactions of information. In addition, altering, or deleting stored data (Lusthaus, 2013). Besides, this could include, altering or misusing existing system tools or software packages by altering writen code for fraudulent purposes. Cybercrime (2012) has also argued the possibility of altering or manipulating electronic images, for instance, pictures, which can be applied as evidence in a court of law. Jewekes (2006, p. 349) assess that, there has been a subsequent debate attempting to justify the validity of offensive content as part of Cybercrime. For the last one decade, the world has been evolving to embrace a rapid social media, with websites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn registering billions of users. However, attackers and scammers have utilized this opportunity to harm innocent users against proper web usage. A common form of offensive content is pornography, alongside, hate speech, racism and blasphemy (Greece, 2014, pp. 45-48). The research cannot overlook the presence of other Cybercrime related offenses such as, cyber terrorism, harassment, drug trafficking, human trafficking, prostitution and threats. The presence of these vices means Cybercrime should be recognized as form of normal crime but only happening on the internet. Conclusion Following the increased levels of Cybercrime related incidences, it is necessary to enroll combative systems, which will counter Cybercrime. The research has identified various damages related with Cybercrime. Woollacott (2007) seconds the research in arguing that, while it is evident that previous criminal instances in relation to Cybercrime focused entirely on information related malpractices, recently, the presence of the radical activities, for example racism, pornography etc, has proved the necessity to encourage Cybercrime responsive mechanisms. For that reason, this research proposes the inclusion of more robust mechanisms whereby, software developers, researchers, and legal advisers act proactively in mitigating Cybercrime related incidences. As such, the society will be encouraged to  thrive in a free and fair environment where Cybercrime is extinct. References Cybercrime. (September, 2012). Understanding Cybercrime: Phenomena, challenges and legal response. Cybercrime. Retrieved August 26, 2014, from http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/cyb/cybersecurity/docs/Cybercrime%20legislation%20EV6.pdf Greene, S. S. (2014). Security program and policies principles and practices (2nd ed.). Indianapolis, Ind.: Pearson. Jewkes, Y. (2006). Book Review: Cybercrime and Society. Crime, Media, Culture, 2(3), 348- 349. Lusthaus, J. (2013). How organised is organised Cybercrime?. Global Crime, 14(1), 52-60. Woollacott, P. (2007). Cybercrime comes of age. ITNOW, 49(2), 6-7.