RESEARCH BY: SERGIO CHAPA and RYAN CRAIG
Over the last few years there has been an almost exponential increase in the volume of information on electronic highways. The increased traffic and subsequent dependence on these electronic highways has resulted in several new risks. These risks include bugs and breakdowns , viruses , software piracy , and cracking.
Everyone is familiar with hacking thanks to movies like "WarGames", "Sneakers", and "Hackers". The original term hacker used to mean computer programmer, like the early MIT computer and program designers of the 1970's. After the movie "WarGames" hackers came to be known as mischeivious "computer nerds", who gained unauthorized access to computer sytems and their data. The more accurate term "cracking" is used by hackers to describe criminal hacking: it's also been recently popularized by author Stephen Levy. Crackers, as they are called, operate by using computers to commit crime . Cracking raises several legal issues and jeopardizes privacy and security. Several crackers have been arrested and convicted. Government and industry alike have formulated many regulatory and ethical reponses to cracking.
Cracking raises questions on just how secure government, business, and private computers really are. Karen Paulsell argues that government and business are already too dependent on computers. They could be setting themselves up for a fall at the hands malicious crackers. Institiutions like research centers, defense systems, utilities, financial networks, and education networks are the most ideal targets for crackers. Individuals (like yourself) can suffer the consequences of malicious crackers when they trespass and damage computer systems that regulate our lives or access personal and confidential information.