Page 136 - DCAP306_DCAP511_E-COMMERCE_AND_E-BUSINESS

Unit 11: Cyber Security and Crime

another 50 computers. The virus spread rapidly and exponentially resulting in substantial
interruption and impairment of public communications and services. Many system administrators
had to disconnect their computer system from the Internet. Many companies were forced to shut
down their e-mail gateways due to the vast amount of infected e-mail the virus was generating.
An investigation was conducted and the programmer was prosecuted for writing the virus. He was
sentenced to 20 months in federal prison and a fine of $5,000 was imposed.

Source: http://articles.cnn.com/1999-04-02/tech/9904_02_melissa.arrest.03_1_computer-virus-attorney-general-
peter-verniero-monmouth-county-jail?_s=PM:TECH
3. Worm: Worm is a computer program that runs independently and can propagate a complete
working version of itself onto other hosts on a network. Virus is part of a program. Whereas, a
worm is a complete program in itself. Both viruses and worms try to spread themselves and can
cause enormous damage. An attacker uses bugs in the operating system or in an application to
gain unauthorized access to machines on the Internet. Then a self-replicating program is written
which exploits the errors and replicates itself within seconds on every machine it could gain access
to.

ExploreZip worm deletes files on a host system.
4. Spam: Spam is a major source of cyber attack. It is used to propagate viruses and worms. It
appears to be promotional material and is similar to advertisements and catalogs. Unsuspecting
users become victims when they click on attachments the spyware and Trojans get installed on
their systems. Information and data on all activities of interest thus gets reported from users’
computers to sites whose forwarding addresses have been installed as part of spyware. This
information may be used by competitors.
In order to protect the information present on computers and servers a proper antivirus must be
installed and updated regularly.
11.1.2 Cyber Security Threats in India
Terror attacks in major cities and towns across the world show the inadequacy of the mechanisms to
address the challenge of cyber threat. Many nations have designed counter-terrorism strategies and
anti-terror mechanisms to address this challenge. Most of these mechanisms are designed in a
conventional pattern and might be effective in a conventional terror attack. However, these mechanisms
have limitations for terror attacks that are unconventional in nature.
The growth in the Information Technology (IT) sector has exposed the user to a huge bank of
information. However, it has also added a new dimension to terrorism. Recent reports suggest that the
terrorists are also getting equipped to utilize cyber space to carry out terrorist attacks.
In the last couple of decades, India has grown enormously in the IT sector. Most of the Indian banking
industry and financial institutions have embraced IT to its full optimization. Cyber attacks are
commonly directed towards economic and financial institutions. Due to the increased dependency of
the Indian economic and financial institutions on IT, a cyber attack might cause irreparable damage to
the economic structure of the country.
Cyber terrorism is basically the union of terrorism and cyber space. It generally means unlawful attacks
and threats of attacks against computers, networks, and information stored in them. Terrorists use cyber
space to disrupt key services and create panic by attacking critical systems or infrastructure which can
be very dangerous to the country.
Terrorists use tools like e-mails, cell phones, and satellite phones to stay connected and have mastered
the use of laptops and PCs. As terrorist organizations realize the capability and potential of these tools
to cause disruption at lower costs, they use technology to implement their strategies and tactics.

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