84 IJCSNS International Journal of Computer Science and Network Security, VOL.12 No.
2, February 2012
Cybercrime: A threat to Network Security
Ammar Yassir and Smitha Nayak,
Department of Computing, Muscat College, Sultanate of Oman
Abstract (Internet Tax Freedom Act of 1998: 112 Stat. 2681–719). In
This research paper discusses the issue of cyber crime in detail, other phrases, the Internet is a large computer mesh, or a
including the types, methods and effects of cyber crimes on a string of connections of computers that are attached together.
network. In addition to this, the study explores network security in This connectivity permits persons to attach to countless other
a holistic context, critically reviewing the effect and role of computers to accumulate and convey data, notes, and data.
network security in reducing attacks in information systems that are
connected to the internet. As, all this adversely affects the
Unfortunately, this connectivity furthermore permits lawless
efficiency of information security of any kind of security that exists individuals to broadcast with other lawless individuals and
and is used in information systems. Since hackers and other with their victims. Although no unanimously acknowledged
offenders in the virtual world are trying to get the most reliable delineation of cybercrime lives, a distinction is often made
secret information at minimal cost through viruses and other forms between a customary misdeed that is perpetrated through the
of malicious soft-wares, then the problem of information security - use of a computer or the Internet and a misdeed that engages
the desire to confuse the attacker: Service information security expressly aiming at computer technology (Richards, Pp.
provides him with incorrect information; the protection of 21-54).
computer information is trying to maximally isolate the database This paper provides an understanding of how network
from outside tampering. In other words, the Internet is a large
security protection can help a firm to keep its information
computer network, or a chain of computers that are connected
together. This connectivity allows individuals to connect to safe from potential losses. The research builds upon
countless other computers to gather and transmit information, extensive research and literature related to network security
messages, and data. Unfortunately, this connectivity also allows and protection. The paper gives a comprehensive account of
criminals to communicate with other criminals and with their some most important security tools (like firewalls) which
victims. can help companies to secure their information networks
Keywords from unauthorized use. A brief account of challenges faced
Security, Network Security, Computer, Privacy, Cyber Crimes. in Network Security Management is also provided to
identify the potential areas for research.
Thesis Statement:
1. INTRODUCTION There are a number of adverse impacts of cyber-crime on
networks, and the network security reduces them to a
The advent of computers and the expansion of the Internet significant extent.
made likely the accomplishment of large improvement in Purpose:
research, surgery, expertise, and communication. The purpose of the study is to determine the impact of
Unfortunately, computers and the Internet have furthermore cybercrimes on network security and to determine at what
supplied a new natural environment for crime. As Janet level network security is able to reduce cyber-crimes.
Reno, U.S. advocate general throughout the Clinton
management, put it, “While the Internet and other data
technologies are conveying tremendous advantages to 2. Aims and Objectives
humanity, they furthermore supply new possibilities for
lawless individual behavior” (Dasey, Pp. 5-19). To determine the impact of cybercrime on networks.
Cybercrime is roughly characterized as committing a To determine the advent of cyber-crime.
misdeed through the use of a computer or the Internet. The To determine the pros and corn of network security.
Internet has been characterized as “collectively the To determine how network security reduces the treat of
myriad of computer and telecommunications amenities, cyber-crimes.
encompassing gear and functioning programs, which
comprise the interconnected worldwide mesh of systems that
provide work the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet
Protocol, or any predecessor or successor protocols to such
protocol, to broadcast data of all types by cable or radio”
Manuscript received February 5, 2012
Manuscript revised February 20, 2012
IJCSNS International Journal of Computer Science and Network Security, VOL.12 No.2, February 2012 85
3. Research Design 6. Data Analysis
The search will base on secondary data accumulation. The Understanding the nature and function of cyber-crimes and
data will be pressed out from various journals, articles and network security; the qualitative descriptive mechanism is
books. Secondary research depicts information assembled the most ideal means of collecting and analyzing data due to
by literature, broadcast media, publications, and other the flexibility, adaptiveness, and immediacy of the topic.
nonhuman origins. This type of research does not necessitate This brings inherent biases, but another characteristic of
human fields. The research accession used is qualitative and such research is to identify and monitor these biases, thus
used the case study methodology. Qualitative research is including their influence on data collection and analysis
practically more immanent than quantitative one. rather than trying to eliminate them. Finally, data analysis in
Methods of research in order to achieve intended tasks an interpretive qualitative research design is an inductive
various theoretical and empirical methods are invoked in the process. Data are richly descriptive and contribute
master thesis. Theoretical methods of research: Historical significantly to this research.
method is applied to provide knowledge about cyber-crimes
and network security. Logical methods (generalization,
induction, deduction) are invoked to generalize the used 7. Definition of Qualitative Research
literature and to draw inferences.
Qualitative research is much more subjective as compared to
quantitative research and employs very unlike methods for
4. Materials and Methods data accumulation. These methods are primarily
interpersonal, in-depth consultations and focus groups. The
The measurements of choice for literature were relevancy to nature of this type of research is explorative and open-ended.
research topic and year of publishing. Both public and Small counts of people are questioned in-depth, and a
individual libraries, as well as online libraries, were comparatively small number of focus groups are conducted.
chaffered to approach the data. Some of online databases Participants are called for to reply to general questions.
that were accessed are SAGE, Questa, emerald, proudest and
so on. Data collection establishments, for example, Gallup
and AC Nielsen carry on researches on a repeated basis 8. Consideration of Qualitative Research
homing in on a wide lay of subjects. A library is an
assemblage of services, resources and sources. Qualitative research measures consider a universal law in the
It is organized for the functioning of and is maintained by a hope of developing a static reality; on the other hand,
public body, an organization, or even an individual. In the qualitative research is an assumption of what the reality is a
formal sense, a library is a collection of books. The term can dynamic exploration. To solve the current problems of the
mean the aggregation, the construction that homes such an market, it is important for retailers to adopt a more strategic
assemblage, or both. Public and committed accumulations approach to decision making, taking into account the great
and services of process may be designated for use by importance of intellectual property management, it does not
individuals who prefer not to or cannot spend to purchase a say what is found in the process of universality, therefore,
huge collection, who require significant material that no promotion and tolerance is often cited as a study of these
person can fairly be anticipated to bear, or who demand types.
professional help with his/her probe.
9. Result
5. Research Approach
Computer geniuses, usually in their twenties, are thrown
An effective strategy will be used to collect most of the challenges to break one or another security program, capture
information and data from various sources. The research will the passwords to remote computers and use their accounts to
contain two parts, firstly “Secondary Research” in which the travel the cyberspace, enter data networks, airline
researcher will go through various research papers, reservation systems, banking, or any other "cave" more or
electronic journals and database. Whereas for “Qualitative less dangerous. Managers of all systems have tools to control
Research”, different methods that will be used to collect that "all is well", if the processes are normal or if there is
information from companies. suspicious activity, a user is using to access roads which is
not authorized. All movements are recorded in system files,
which operators review daily (Farmer & Charles, Pp. 46).
Furthermore, the network is becoming the ideal place for
criminals and terrorists to carry out their actions and
86 IJCSNS International Journal of Computer Science and Network Security, VOL.12 No.2, February 2012
activities. Hence, cybercrime and cyber terrorism have A similar but different form of information intrusion is
become two of the most serious threats seem to haunt cracking. Crackers are people who disturb others; pirate
Western societies. Moreover, the impact of the crimes on the software protected by law, destroying complex systems by
victims and their measures to cope up with such crimes in the transmitting powerful virus, and so on. Restless teenagers
future will also be a part of the paper. This paper will also quickly learn this complex craft. They differ with hackers
discuss the how network security is critically important in because they lack any kind of ideology when they do their
preventing the recurrence of these types of cyber-attacks in "jobs". Instead, the main objective of hackers is not to
the future. become criminals, but "fight against an unjust system" used
as a weapon system itself (Katz & Shapiro, Pp. 822-841).
Every organization should be at the forefront of change
10. Discussion and Analysis processes. Where continuous information is available,
reliability and time is a key advantage. In fact, hacking is so
After analyzing the results of the study through qualitative easy that if you have an on-line and know how to send and
analysis it can be said that computers and the Internet are read e-mail, you can start hacking immediately. Here you
now a familiar part of our lives. You may not see them often, can find a guide where you can download programs
but they are involved in some way in most of our daily especially appropriate for the hacker on Windows. Usually,
activities in the business, educational institutions, and these programs are free. They try to explain some easy
government. Without the support of any of these tools, we hacker tricks that can be used without causing intentional
would be able to handle the overwhelming amount of damage (Tipton & Krause, Pp. 320-386).
information that seems to characterize our society. But the The threats to the network security are not just for
problem of security limits the integrity of information and organizations, but can be observed all over the world in
computer systems. More people need to know the use of different countries and the degree to which each of them are
computers and the protections that are daily offered for the exposed to threats. The statistics to which can be seen in the
safe handling of information (Roland, Pp. 638-645). table illustrated below:
Cyber warfare has been defined as the process of nation-state
to introduce computers of other countries or networks to Table 1:
cause damage or destruction. Cyber warfare is a form of
warfare that occurs on computers and the Internet, by
electronic means rather than physical. Moreover, the Internet
is a means of easy access, where any person, remaining
anonymous, can proceed with an attack that is difficult to
associate, virtually undetectable and difficult to smuggle, let
alone reaching a high impact such action directly hitting the
opponent (network) by surprise. The term network security
refers to protection against attacks and intrusions on
corporate resources by intruders who are not allowed access
to these resources.
During 1997, 54 percent of American companies were
attacked by hackers in their systems. The incursions of
hackers caused total losses of $ 137 million that year. The
Pentagon, CIA, UNICEF, the UN and other world bodies
have been subjected to interference by these people who
have much knowledge on the subject and a great ability to
solve the obstacles they face. A hacker can take months to
11. Attacks on Information: What are the
violate a system and increasingly sophisticated Threats?
methodologies are used by the present day hackers (Ogut,
Menon & Ragunathan, Pp. 14-28). A hacker enters a Not forgetting that the latter are always a combination of
tools that have to do with technology and human resources
prohibited area to gain access to confidential or unauthorized
(policies, training). Attacks can serve several purposes
information.
The mass media prefer to characterize them as criminals to including fraud, extortion, data theft, revenge or simply the
challenge of penetrating a system. This can be done by
intercept credit card codes and use them for personal gain.
There are also those who intrude into airport systems internal employees who abuse their access permissions, or
by external attackers to remotely access or intercept network
producing chaos in flight schedules and aircraft. Today
traffic.
hacking is a prime concern of businessmen, legislators and
officials.
IJCSNS International Journal of Computer Science and Network Security, VOL.12 No.2, February 2012 87
At this stage of development of the “information society” Table 3:
and computer technology, hackers is no longer new. Some
date back to emergence of digital networks, a good few years Name Description
ago. No doubt as access to electronic communication
There are several levels of protection and warns us
networks became more widespread, also went by when we scanned through a sound and a flashing
multiplying the number of those entering "illegally" to them, BlackIce icon. It offers a wealth of information about the
attackers and attacks following statistics, broken
for different purposes. The Pirates of the cyber age down by hours, days and months.
considered as a sort of modern Robin Hood and demand a It is a bit outdated and tends to disappear when
Conseal PC there is an installation of several old files.
free and unrestricted access to electronic media (Whitman &
Mattord, Pp. 205-249). It comes configured with a medium security level,
Another common attack on a computer system is the creation Tiny suitable for normal Internet browsing. The
network works fine without having to set special
and distribution of malicious computer code, called rules.
“viruses”. Computer viruses are computer programs written Leave some open ports and others as closed. It
specifically to damage other computer systems. Sometimes Protect X notes from where you've connected the
port. Facilitates IP registration information.
these malicious programs are contained within another
Sygate Interface comes configured with a high level of
program, known as a “Trojan horse,” and are copied by a Firewall security.
user without his or her knowledge (Richards, Pp. 21-54). It is a proxy server. Its source addresses filtering
The approximate time to resolve some categories of attacks Win Route Pro and destination of both incoming and outgoing. It
on networks can see in the following table: does not consume system resources and is not
necessary to install an sw.
It not only detects all access from the Internet
Table 2:
Zone Alarm unless it gives control of the programs try to access
the Internet. You can select levels of protection and
block access to Internet after a certain time.
Allows you to define rules for everything, is fast
and gives you a control of what is
At Guard happening. Blocks unwanted advertising has a log
of date, time, URL, IP, bytes sent and received and
time of all Web connections.
Esafe Desktop prohibit total many
Consumes system resources, you can
or partial access to your computer.
Freedom It is very easy to install, pass ports invisible so you
can surf the Internet anonymously.
You can identify the attacker, since it has a
Hack tracer program that includes a world map with the route
of the attacker's computer. Easy to install and
default pass all ports invisible.
Internet Does not work on local network, you can see active
Firewall 2000 connections
12. Benefits of network Security 13. Conclusion
In conclusion, it can be said that attacks on machines
1. Prevents unauthorized users from accessing your connected to the Internet have increased by 260% since 1994,
network. with an estimated loss of 1,290 million dollars annually in
2. Provides transparent access to Internet-enabled users. the U.S. In the era of information, ideas, data and files on
3. Ensures that sensitive data is transferred safely by the your network are probably more valuable than your entire
public network. company. Think about your customer lists and records of
4. Help your managers to find and fix security shareholders, trading and marketing materials, marketing
problems. strategies and product design, the loss of which could mean
5. Provides a comprehensive system of warning alarms the significant loss for your firm. With advances in
attempt to access your network. technology, no one is safe from an attack by "hackers.
Currently it is relatively easy to gain control of a machine on
the Internet that has not been adequately protected.
The following table lists the most common types of Companies invest a significant portion of their money in
Information Security Network Protection ISNP packages protecting their information, since the loss of irreplaceable
(Network Security Packages) in use by large organizations: data is a real threat to their business. The technology boom in
the development of networks, digital communications and
88 IJCSNS International Journal of Computer Science and Network Security, VOL.12 No.2, February 2012
advances in software technology allowed the birth of a
virtual world whose ultimate expression is the Internet. Ammar Yassir received the B.Sc. degree
Today, for the implementation of effective measures for with Honors in Computer Science in the
protecting information requires not only protection of year 2002 from Future University, Sudan
information networks and mechanisms for a model of and Master in Business Administration and
network security and implementation of a systematic Information Technology degree from
Sikkim Manipal University, India in 2006
approach or a set of data protection - a complex of and currently a Ph.D. candidate in
interrelated measures, described by the definition of Information Technology, CMJ University,
"protected information". Shillong, India. He is now lecturer at
Muscat College, Sultanate of Oman. He has
References published an international paper in IJCSNS.
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