C-O-M-P-U-T-E-R C-R-I-M-E

What is Computer Crime?

     Computer Crime or Cyber crime, is any unlawful activity that is done using a computer and a network. This definition can extend to traditional crimes that use a computer such as counterfeiting money. It also includes more tech-savvy crimes, such as phishing or logic bombs. Using a computer in this way, a criminal may be able to conduct unlawful activity with more anonymity and may be able to get away with more before he is caught.

     Cyber-crimes are frequently grouped into three categories. The first are those in which the computer comprises the "object" of a crime and in which the perpetrator targets the computer itself. This includes theft of computer processor time and computerized services. The second category involves those in which the computer forms the "subject" of a crime, either as the physical site of the offense or as the source of some form of loss or damage. This category includes viruses and related attacks. Finally, the third category includes those in which the computer serves as the "instrument" used to commit traditional crimes in cyberspace. This encompasses offenses like cyber-fraud, online harassment, and child pornography.

Salamis (an example of Computer Crime)

The Trojan horse is also a technique for creating an automated form of computer abuse called the salami attack, which works on financial data. This technique causes small amounts of assets to be removed from a larger pool. The stolen assets are removed one slice at a time (hence the name salami). Usually, the amount stolen each time is so small that the victim of the salami fraud never even notices.

One theoretical financial salami attack (it's assumed the status of an urban accounting legend and has never actually been known to have been attempted) involves rounding off balances, crediting the rounded off amount to a specific account. Suppose that savings accounts in a bank earn 2.3%. Obviously, not all of the computations result in two-place decimals. In most cases, the new balance, after the interest is added, extends out to three, four, or five decimals. What happens to the remainders? Consider a bank account containing $22,500 at the beginning of the year. A year's worth of interest at 2.3% is $517.50, but after the first month the accumulated interest is $43.125. Is the customer credited with $43.12 or $43.13? Would most customers notice the difference? What if someone were funneling off this extra tenth of a penny from thousands of accounts every month? Although this particular salami hasn't to our knowledge been attempted, salamis that shave a quarter on up have been tried.

A clever thief can use a Trojan horse to hide a salami program that puts all of the rounded off values into his account. A tiny percentage of pennies may not sound like much until you add up thousands of accounts, month after month. Criminals using this scheme have been able to steal many thousands of dollars. They are sometimes discovered by a bank audit. More often, they are detected only when they use their new-found gains to entertain a life style that is not supported by their legitimate income.

Section 33a of Republic Act 8792

Hacking or crackling with refers to unauthorized access into or interference in a computer system/server or information and communication system; or any access in order to corrupt, alter, steal, or destroy using a computer or other similar information and communication devices, without the knowledge and consent of the owner of the computer or information and communications system, including the introduction of computer viruses and the like, resulting in the corruption, destruction, alteration, theft or loss of electronic data messages or electronic documents shall be punished by a minimum fine of One Hundred Thousand pesos (P 100,000.00) and a maximum commensurate to the damage incurred and a mandatory imprisonment of six (6) months to three (3) years.


Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)


ODREx is the office that caters with IPR concerns in VSU. The head of the office is Dr. Othello B. Capuno.