Computer Crime and Hacking: A Serious Issue for the Police?
| Date | 01 January 2000 |
| Author | Mark Griffiths |
| DOI | 10.1177/0032258X0007300104 |
| Published date | 01 January 2000 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
MARK GRIFFITHS, PhD
Psychology Division, Nottingham Trent University
The two articles that follow are both authored by Mark Griffiths
COMPUTER CRIME AND
HACKING:
ASERIOUS ISSUE FOR THE
POLICE?
It is perhaps only very recently that the police have begun to consider
computer crime seriously. In May 1999, the Government announced the
formation of a 24-hour code breaking centre to help police, customs and
the security services tackle IT criminals (Hencke, 1999). The actual
extent of computer-related crime remains a somewhat elusive figure.
However, some of the most recent investigations have asserted that the
extent of computer crime is on the increase and that the majority of such
activities are committed by individuals against their employers (Audit
Commission, 1994; 1998). Charlesworth (1995) noted that the criminal
law and those who enforce it have taken time to come to terms with the
implications of change with regards to computer crime. The technical
complexity associated, rightly or wrongly, with computer crime
combined with the limited number of prosecutions has permitted
criminal justice practitioners the luxury of ignorance. However, if we
intend to take seriously the findings of these recent investigations then
this period of avoidance may well be over.
In the broadest possible sense, computer crime can be divided into
two categories: (i) display, downloading and/or the distribution of
illegal material, and (ii) hacking. Though "hacking" is a term with
which most people are now familiar, the actuality of the process
continues to be unclear for many. Generally, such an activity refers to
the unauthorized alteration or removal of material and/or the illegal
interception of communications. This article examines the case of
hacking only.
Is Hacking aSerious Problem?
Hackers caused an estimated $286 million worth of damage in the US
in 1998 (Lillington, 1999). Over the last few years, there have been
increasing numbers of headlines and articles about the threat of hackers
to national security (eg, "US at mercy of cyber terrorists", The Sunday
Times, May 17, 1998; "How Bevan cracked top secret X-files", News
of
the World, November 27, 1997). Hackers also appear to be switching
tactics. Instead of going for big companies (eg, Citibank; see section
18 The Police Journal January 2000
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