Cybercrime and Computer Crime
Jessica Bregant, Robert Bregant · The Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice · 2013
The rapid rise of computers and computer networks in modern life has created new opportunities for criminal activity, and law enforcement has struggled to keep up. Computer and cyber crimes include not only unauthorized access, colloquially referred to as “hacking,” but also fraud and identity theft, industrial espionage, and general abuse of resources among others. Several common methods of committing computer and cyber crimes include the use of viruses, worms, keyloggers, phishing, skimming, and social engineering. Law enforcement challenges presented by computer and cyber crimes include technical limitations, underreporting, and national and international legal issues.