Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Journal - Essay Example The crime involved an internet fraud ring used to infect millions of computers internationally. Six Estonian nationals who used a virus called DNSChanger to infect millions of computers and manipulate computers without the awareness of the computer owners committed the crime. The criminals manipulated websites dealing with advertisements and managed to obtain more than $14 million. Additionally, the infected computers were prone to infection by other types of malicious malware (FBI, 2011). I found the story interesting due to the manner in which the criminals used the malware to manipulate advertisement websites. Additionally, the crime was widespread since it affected over 4 million computers. The cyber thieves used the malware to redirect users requesting to purchase objects online to a website they had developed. This depicts the sophisticated nature of cybercrimes. The website purported to sell similar goods. Additionally, the malicious DNS altered searches by users and endorsed fake products. People would thus purchase goods unknowingly but would never get the deliveries. The case depicted how the levels of cybercrimes have increased. Additionally, the case validates the need for protection of advertisement websites. To resolve the issue the FBI investigators had to replace the DNS servers with legitimate servers. The crime also demonstrated the increased usage of computer forensics in dealing with crimes. The fraud led to development of DNSChanger virus scan and removal software that can be used to disinfect computers that had been shut from internet connection (FBI, 2011). Operation Phish Phry Operation Phish Phry is another example of a cyber-fraud committed in 2009 by group of about 100 cyber criminals. The fraud targeted banks in U.S. and was investigated by United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in conjunction with Egyptian authorities and Los Angeles Electronic Crimes Task Force. The cyber thieves used email fraud to obtain sensitive in formation such as usernames, passwords, and other financial information from users. They would send emails that appeared official to the victims asking them to submit their bank account details. On entering the details, the user’s information would be directed to an untrusted websites without their knowledge where they give their information that would accessible to the tricksters. The frauds would then use the information to transfer funds from the user’s bank accounts to bogus accounts. About $1.5 million was stolen (Federal Bureau of Investigations , 2009). The crime interested me since it demonstrated how competition in development of software has led to increase in cybercrimes. Additionally, the crime was recognized as the cyber-crime with the highest number of defendants in the computer crime history. The crime involved competition between law enforcers and the criminals. Additionally, the crime demonstrated the increasing misuse of technological advances in crim e enhancement. The cybercrime was conducted by criminal operation within United States and their counterparts were in Egypt. This depicts the extent to which cybercrimes have become complicated. Unlike other crimes that are often conducted by people operating within same locality, cybercrimes can involve people located anywhere across the globe. This case depicts the need for law enforcers to advance their computer forensic technologies to be able to