I first interviewed Dr. Eva Vincze, an expert in criminal justice as well as computer fraud investigations. She is the director of the M.A. in Computer Forensics program, a degree replacing High Tech Crime Investigations in the fall of 2003. She is a forensics specialist, and had plenty to say in relation to her perspective on the subject matter -.
Because of the anonymous nature of the Internet, it is possible to engage into a variety of criminal activities with impunity and people with intelligence, have been grossly misusing this aspect of the Internet to perpetuate criminal activities in cyberspace. The field of Cybercrime is just emerging and new forms of criminal activities in cyberspace are coming to the forefront with the passing of each new day.
I fully agree with this statement. It's almost scary to think about what exactly can happen in the right hands of a person who has access to a phone line and computer. Hirschi's Social Control Theory explains that attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief are elements that drive or repel people from committing crimes. Quite often, it is the case that morals and ethics, family/social bonds, and roles are common fundamentals that aid in preventing people from committing crimes. But in this case of computer crime, the very same elements may encourage a person to engage in criminal activity. Computer crackers are those rebellious individuals that seek to corrupt and misuse with malicious intent. Their attachment stems from their efficiency in an unfamiliar science. They are committed to and often involved because of greed and, opportunities. Hackers, on the other hand, believe themselves to be innovative individuals with a great knowledge of computer operations that seek to educate through discovery and dissemination of knowledge. .
One may make the argument that hackers honestly try to better the information super highway, and they thoroughly believe that their misuse is for a greater good, while crackers create nothing, and destroy lots, with mens rea or malicious intent.
