Computer Applications- Unethical Computing Practices | Computer Hacking | Cyber crime | 15

Summary

This video lecture by Rebecca van di Rona delves into unethical computing practices, focusing on spam, piracy, and cybercrime. It discusses the cost-effectiveness of spam for businesses, its negative impact on consumers, and methods to combat it, such as CAPTCHA. The lecture also covers software piracy's economic effects, the motives of cybercriminals, and strategies to mitigate online fraud. It touches on various types of malware, including viruses, worms, and Trojan horses, highlighting their malicious intents and the importance of ethical computing.

Takeaways

• 📧 Spam is the misuse of email systems to send unsolicited messages, often for low-cost advertising of questionable products or services.
• 🔎 Identifying spam can be done by analyzing the email content, sender's intent, receiver's consent, relationship between sender and receiver, sender's accountability, degree of deception, and the number of identical emails sent.
• 💰 Spamming is a cost-effective marketing strategy for companies, but it can lead to negative public reactions, full mailboxes, and increased costs for internet users and service providers.
• 🛡 To combat spam, email service providers like Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo use mechanisms such as CAPTCHA to ensure only humans can create accounts and send emails.
• 📚 Piracy involves unauthorized copying or distribution of proprietary software, causing significant economic impacts, especially when committed by organizations.
• 💼 Cybercrime is driven by monetary gain, with criminals hacking into computers to steal money or personal information, leading to complex trails for law enforcement.
• 🛡️ E-commerce websites use encryption and other security measures to protect against online credit card fraud, but this can sometimes result in the rejection of legitimate orders.
• 🤖 Hackers are individuals who test the limits of information systems out of intellectual curiosity, and while some view them as beneficial for identifying security flaws, most consider their actions unethical.
• 🦠 Computer viruses are malicious codes that cause unexpected and often undesirable behavior in computers, usually spread through infected files or websites.
• 🐛 Worms are self-replicating harmful programs that can propagate without human intervention, often causing significant disruption to organizations.
• 🏹 Trojan horses are programs that hide malicious code within seemingly harmless software, capable of causing damage or stealing information when executed.
• 🕵️‍♂️ There are various types of cyber attackers, including thrill-seekers, criminals, industrial spies, and terrorists, each with different objectives and levels of risk acceptance.

Q & A

What is spam and why is it considered an unethical computing practice?

Spam is the abuse of email systems to send unsolicited emails to a large number of people, often for low-cost commercial advertising or questionable products. It is unethical because it invades privacy, clogs inboxes, and can deliver harmful malware.

How can the content of an email help in identifying spam?

The content of an email can be analyzed to identify spam by looking for signs of commercial advertising, questionable products, or a lack of consent from the receiver, as well as the intent of the sender and the degree of deception.

What are some reasons why spamming is a widely used marketing practice despite its negative connotations?

Spamming is used because it is cost-effective compared to direct mail campaigns, takes less time to develop, and has a faster turnaround time for feedback.

How do email service providers like Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo protect against spam?

These providers offer mechanisms such as CAPTCHA tests to ensure that only humans can obtain free accounts, which helps prevent spammers from using their services to send spam emails.

What is the economic impact of software piracy and why is it significant?

Software piracy has a significant economic impact as it involves unauthorized copying or distribution of proprietary software, leading to lost revenue for software developers and companies.

How do cyber criminals typically profit from their activities?

Cyber criminals profit by stealing and reselling credit card numbers, personal identities, and other sensitive information, or by hacking into computers to transfer money illegally.

What is a computer virus and how does it affect a computer system?

A computer virus is a piece of malicious code that infects a computer, causing it to behave unexpectedly, often by attaching to files or executing from memory, leading to data loss, program corruption, or other undesirable effects.

What is the difference between a computer virus and a computer worm?

A computer virus requires user action to spread, such as opening an infected file, while a worm can propagate itself without human intervention, often by sending copies to other computers via email.

What is a Trojan horse and how can it be delivered to a user's computer?

A Trojan horse is a program that hides malicious code inside a seemingly harmless program. It can be delivered through email attachments, downloads from websites, or removable media devices.

What is a logic bomb and how does it trigger its malicious payload?

A logic bomb is a type of Trojan horse that executes when triggered by a specific event, such as a change in a file, a series of keystrokes, or a particular time or date.

Why are some people still considered hackers as performing a service by identifying security weaknesses?

Some believe that hackers perform a service by exposing security vulnerabilities, which can then be fixed by companies to improve their systems. However, most people view hackers as unethical due to the potential harm they can cause.