Personal information is easily accessible in cyber space. Identity theft is on the rise. This and related issues are discussed in the paper. Issues covered include personal security in cyber space and various types of cyber crimes. Different views are contrasted to arrive at the conclusion that cyber crimes are alive and flourishing. Statistics are given to show how cyber criminals are increasing each year.

With cyber crimes comes new ways of crime fighting. These newly needed techniques are discussed. Government awareness is raised as they fall prey to these new age criminals.

The question is Cyberterrorism and cyber crimes one in the same is discussed. Supporting documentation is presented to justify the conclusion.

"Just because you are not paranoid, doesn’t mean they are not out to get you!" - Steve Earle.

Cyber crimes affect us all. Cyber space is constantly under attack. The face of terrorism is changing. As the physical and the virtual worlds collide a new wave of criminals descend upon us. Few people realize how much of our daily lives rely upon computers or the vulnerability of these computer systems. The introduction of the Internet has opened a gateway to new criminal elements. This new gateway is a breeding ground for hacker, cyber criminals and Cyberterrorists. We need to be aware of what is occurring in our ever-changing world in order to protect ourselves from the new dangers lurking in the shadows.

These shadows are not the dark spaces of reality but rather the electronic blips of the virtual world. This is the place where cyber criminals lurk and do their dirty work. These crimes are as real as any committed in the natural world. These crimes need to be realized and the criminals punished. Currently, the cyber crime has to be solved before being able to decide who has the authority to investigate the crime. This type of crime requires a different type of criminal justice system incorporating a new brand of peacekeeper and discipline. Barry C. Collins of the Institute for Security and Intelligence refers to this New Age as the ‘New World disOrder’.

Let’s take a moment to understand the differences between the virtual and physical world as defined by Mr. Collins.

The cyber realm is a realm of information. Cyberterrorism opens these doors to information warfare and information theft. The head of the French equivalent of our NSA was quoted in a French magazine as saying, "information warfare is a permanent warfare."

Identity theft is a part of information theft and a real crime. Most of the information is gathered in cyber space but its usage and damage extends well into the physical world. This is a present threat and one that deserves to be addressed. We must learn to arm and defend ourselves in this age against computer crimes committed in cyber space. This is a crime we can not touch or feel but it is as real as someone robbing your house is. You sustain a substantial loss. What is worse, it may take weeks, months or even years to realize you are a victim. We must learn how to secure ourselves.

Cyber crimes are highly likely in today’s wired world. Cyber attacks in 2000 were reported to be over 52,000. That number is up from 21,000 in 1999. These attacks are by hackers and cyber criminals. The FBI estimates that electronic or cyber crimes are running about $10 billion a year. According to the Washington Monthly article of November 2002 by Joshua Green the main effect is economical however, personal information is also at stake. Dorothy Denning agrees with Mr. Green that cyber attacks, cyber crimes, cyber criminals, hackers and the threat of Cyberterrorism are all a reality of present day. Though not a crime, many adult sites use Meta Tags that include names of popular products or URLs similar to popular web sites. This is referred to as Stealth URLs and is used to drive unsuspecting visitors to their sites. The defenders of such practices say it is their right to freedom of speech that allows for such behavior. Is it not criminal to invite an under age person to such a site?

As technology advances and we continue to live in an age of information, we must learn to protect ourselves, our businesses and our government; hence our country, from invaders and attackers. Despite these figures, the government refused to introduce laws to help safeguard the population from such crimes. They have laws to protect classified government information but refuse to see the dangers in the private sector. When these issues hit home, perhaps the government will finally intervene and take steps to protect us all.

Thomas Edison in his infinite wisdom realized in 1816 that a government must update its governing rules as a nation progresses. He felt that law and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. One must advance to keep pace with the times. This was set to paper from his home in Monticello on July 12, 1816 in a private letter to Samuel Kercheval. The words of this letter are inscribed on the wall of the Jefferson Memorial located in Washington, DC.

Currently one is asked to act responsibly and ethically while in cyber space. The code of acceptable behavior users should follow is referred to as Netiquette. It consists of a Golden Rule and some basic cyber rules. All of these rules are based on common sense and the natural laws of a civilized society. Some are written in a way that specifically applies to cyber based communications. An example would be part of rule 1 regarding chat rooms where typing in all capitals is considered SHOUTING!

One update or proposed change to help enforce these and other rules in cyberspace is referred to as the Electronic Bill of Rights. This Bill governs actions in this new age. It provides bylaws for acting as a responsible citizen of cyber space. If such a Bill were implemented, it would provide cyber space with governing laws. These laws would provide a platform for policing and enforcing acceptable and ethical behaviors while interacting on the Internet or any cyber space medium. Punishments would be established and enforced for cyber lawbreakers. The Electronic Bill of Rights would establish a governing body to protect the interest of all those who travel in this virtual world. Thereby making cyber space a much safer place.

Moore’s Law states that technology doubles every 9-18 months. With this march forward, we are bound to see more and more cyber shock and cyber crimes. Today’s generation is growing up with technical skills far advanced to previous generations. This advancement in knowledge allows for greater hacker skills and a higher level of cyber criminals. The ever-increasing speed of the computer chip is a fine example. Intel engineers believe that they can reach a billion transistors before running out of silicon gas. Supercomputers increased to one million moves per second. Scientists and engineers have achieved ten trillion operations per second by coupling supercomputers. The latest desktop personal computers are now as fast as the supercomputer of yesterday. Where do the answers lie? Can we truly keep our private lives private or is the age of privacy over?

Mr. August Lunquist, former history and political science teacher at Brooklyn Park Jr./Sr. High School; Brooklyn Park, MD, taught his students that all stories have three sides; mines, yours and the truth. He said we are to examine all issues from all sides before drawing a conclusion.

Thus leading us to the question, "What is truth?" Is truth a black and white concept or merely an illusion that is nothing more than a perception? Can truth be construed to lead us to believe in a direction that is a mirror of the real truth? As morals and ethics decline in a society, truths becomes harder to distinguish. Let us take a few moments to evaluate cyber crimes from different points of views in hopes of concluding a truth.

While listening to the many programs offered on AIROS, American Indian Radio on Satellite, a point to ponder came to light. The Native American languages do not contain words for computer, microwave, and cell phone or any of the so-called technological advances in today’s world. The ‘red man’ has always sought truth. In nature he has found these things. The high councils of the tribes have gathered to discuss if such words will be added to their native languages. Might this be a sign of the dangers are we undergoing as we move farther into a realm of cyber space and virtual realities?

Most of us live in denial. We feel that bad things only happen to someone else. We never stop to think that to another, we are 'the someone else’.

Suppose one day you woke up but you were no longer you. Of course you know who you are but you have no way to prove it. In today’s world, if the computer does not say so, it is not so. In short, you are guilty until proven innocent in cyber space. How would you then prove that you are you?

Here is another situation. Have you ever applied for an apartment and been told you owe rent on a previous dwelling? You know that you have never lived there. After relaying this information to the rental agent, you are told to prove that you did not live at the address the credit bureau have provided.

Worse yet, you are accused of crimes you did not commit. Prints or evidence are planted at the scene. Perhaps your name is placed on a wanted list in the criminal database. You would be pursued by the police for a crime that was not yours or denied a job or resident based on your criminal record. Your life is turned totally upside down even though you have done nothing. You are innocent. But how do you prove your innocence? Think this is only science fiction, works of a futurist writer or just in the movies? Think again! This is exactly what tens of thousands of Americans face each and every year. That is just the American numbers but this is a worldwide threat. Everyday Cyberterrorists turn people’s lives upside down. This is done for their own personal gain or the thrill of being able to become someone else.

DAC of Tulsa, Ok, is a service that trucking companies use to screen prospective employees. The trucking agency has the overall feeling that DAC is King. How does DAC obtain this information? Can you review your personal information for mistakes and how do you correct any errors?

Credit companies and trucking firms take these computer versions of our lives over what we have to say day in and day out. However we are finding that this information is laced with errors. The errors encountered have to be corrected by the person referenced in the report. This process can be expensive and difficult. Yet in this technologically advanced era, we become more and more dependent on what a computer has to say about a person.

This is just the beginning of how our cyber identity effects our everyday lives. Hackers or anyone who has access to our personal data can control how others perceive us. With technology allowing our personal information to be just keystrokes away we must learn to protect ourselves in a new age.

As portrayed in the movie The Net (1995), "Our lives are but an electronic blimp just waiting to be plucked." Imagine for a moment this being a reality. Can someone take over your identity? Is your personal information safe? Can an organization develop software that is widely distributed that allows access to personal and private information? How safe are we now that we live in an age where information is king and cyberspace is open to all? How can we safeguard our private information and protect ourselves from identity theft?

The author of CYBERSHOCK, Winn Schwartau, had a cousin, Bill Waters. Mr. Walters was a victim of identify theft. He and his wife spent years building their excellent credit rating just to watch it be destroyed. Cyber criminals stole the Walter’s electronic identity to the tune of $350,000. The stress caused Mr. Walter to be hospitalized. He died six weeks later from a massive stroke and heart attack. This act of Cyberterrorism was well planned and researched. The cyber criminals received much while leaving their victims vulnerable and defenseless. It took over three months for them to even become aware that such a situation existed. The battle ensued for over six months. Still the Walters were perceived as guilty due to their computer records. Their identities had been compromised yet they were defenseless in protecting themselves and proving their innocence. What a person views on their computer screen is held in higher regard then what they view in reality. One must question the logic here. Why has the world allowed virtual proof to rule over physical proof?

The CYBERSHOCK book comments on hacking and identity theft.

John ‘Cap’n Crunch’ Draper, the AT&T hacker, wrote the forward for this book. He admits that it is an adrenaline rush to obtain information that is not for you. In Cybershock he discusses the BLUE BOX that was used to perpetrate the hack. Mr. Draper talks of the assistance of the three blind kids who invented the box to replicate the phone tones by being able to distinguish the different tones. This is what made the entire hack possible. More on this hack is discussed later. This is an example of inside information being needed to succeed in the successful acquisition of personal data (i.e. phone records and numbers).

Is Cyberterrorism, a phrase coined in the 1980’s, a reality? Some say yes while others no or at least feel that true Cyberterrorism is a few years away. If real, does identity theft or the taking of personal information fall under this heading. President Clinton in May of 1998 told us that Cyberterrorism and Cyberwarfare are no longer the stuff of science fiction. Our adversaries know that the country’s real assets are no longer in Fort Knox but are in electronic storage.

Mark M. Pollitt of the FBI Laboratory identifies Cyberterrorism, "as a premeditated, politically motivated attack against information, computer systems, computer programs, and data, which result in violence against noncombatant targets by sub national groups or clandestine agents. He goes one to say that Cyberterrorism must be differentiated from other types of computer abuse such as computer crimes, economic espionage or government warfare.

Dorothy Denning, in her testimony before the Special Oversight Panel on Terrorism Committee on Armed Services in the U.S. House of Representatives on May 23, 2000, definition is similar in theory. However she believes that a cyber attack that causes enough harm to generate fear, lead to death or bodily harm, explosions, plane crashes, water contamination or severe economic loss are also acts of cyber terrorism.

The first definition distinguishes Cyberterrorism as a separate entity. The second definition allows for broader coverage. Identity theft is a cyber crime but why do some not considered it to be an act of Cyberterrorism, especially when done on a large scale (i.e. mass theft of credit card information as verified by the FBI).

What separates the instance of a hacker that held credit card information for ransom with the threat of publishing all the numbers to a public site different from any other premeditated attack on data resulting in violence (mental and economical violence) against the public at large? This act may or may not have been politically motivated but the bottom line still comes down to terrorism. Is stealing your identity not terrorism? Does this crime not instill fear within the hearts of the general public? This conclusion would bring us to cyber crimes on a mass basis and Cyberterrorism, are one in the same when we included the definition of Ms. Denning and the speech of President Clinton.

Hackers are patient people. Remember that most hackers expect to devote time to their project. They even write codes to help them in their pursuits. Some of the world’s best programmers are hackers. Hackers spent countless hours-taking programs apart to find errors they can exploit. Software glitches, bugs, trapdoors and "Easter eggs"-programming errors and quirks in a code that can leave the software vulnerable to hackers, are being cited as the main reason viruses and worms are successful.

Another group to concern us is 'cyber hactivists'. These groups have been referred to as 'Electrohippies'. Electrohippies stage techno or web sit-ins. A web sit-in is where a group of protestors target a site and using specialized software flood that site with multiple rapid download requests. The result is a blocked web site. The group that designed such software is the EDT.

One such example of their work occurred in December 1997 when a group called The Electronic Disturbance Theater (EDT), conducted a Web sit-in against various sites that supported the Mexican Zapatistas. Since then, their software has been used by hacktivists for animal rights and abuse campaigns and other social causes. The Electrohippies used the software in Seattle in 1999 during a sit-in in protest of the WTO. To clarify, these specialized software packages are suited for activists or hacktivists more than terrorists.

Information comes from many sources. Some gathering techniques we many never imagine or fathom as possible. Let us start by examining where we place our personal information and how others might obtain this information. This will help to demonstrate how easily accessible our lives are to those cyber stalkers or cyber criminals who lie in wait.

Most people do not realize how much free information they unknowingly give up every day. Your computer broadcasts an IP address. Much can be gained from this tidbit of information. Did you know that hackers could piggyback onto your IP address to use disc space, gain information off your hard drive and ‘surf the net’? There are sites out there that take a copy of your hard drive when you visit them.

Think of all the personal information most of us store on our hard drives. The financial records we save in Quicken, Excel, Money or some program of the sort. Word holds our resume, the story of our lives with dates, address and job references. This is a gold mine when in the wrong hands. Think what personal information the credit bureau asks for when you request a loan.

Many of us use Gator or similar programs to store personal and credit card information for easy access when we shop online or fill out a request form. But how safe is this site? Does it really safeguard our information as the ad claim? Turning off the cookie function disables such programs. However, Java Applets from unauthorized sources can invade your hard drive and steal this private information.

Many of us post web sites to share information and photos with family and friends. But this is just another way of not just telling but showing cyber criminals personal information as well as supplying them with photos to doctor or use at their will.

Remember that a picture is worth a thousand words. In this cyber age, a retouched or doctored photo is still worth a thousand words. Can we still believe what we see? Are images truth or what we choose to perceive as truth? Think slander as we later return to this train of thought and reasoning. Worse yet, the driver license departments of Florida, Texas and Oregon sell CD-ROMS with the driver and vehicle information for all those licensed in these states. This has been readily available sine the mid-90’s. Many times, all one needs is a photo to complete their identity theft portfolio.

Every day people are obtaining personal data on others. Innocently you sign up for a newsgroup, free magazine, insurance quote or other information. You give information about your interests, your family, your income, your vehicle and yourself. Then these companies broker this information to others. There is nothing illegal here but your information is being sold over and over.

The Australian site SpyNet allows you to ‘spy’ on others and obtain otherwise personal information. Prospy.com, cyberspy.com and many others add to this list of spy sites. Information brokers or cyber private eyes easily obtain information that was private or hard to come by before the 1990’s. Just a few years ago the information on the Internet was less conclusive and inclusive. With the upgrades of electronic sites to allow for the instant access of information, your personal information is sitting on the waves waiting to be taken. There are sites for medical information, education information, social security numbers, drivers licenses information, birth certificates and the list goes on and on. No one site is yet known to give you everything. However, with the vast assortment to choose from, you can easily compile quite a complete bio on just about anyone.

The social security number alone, which is accessible through the Social Security Index site, allows you to hit the ‘mother load’. This one little number controls our lives. It allows or denies us credit. It is how we are identified in college, at work and in life. This bar code of our identity, in short, controls our destiny.

The once interactive Social Security site allowed for easy access to earnings. Privacy advocates were irate. They feared ex-spouses, landlords, employers, lookup services and more would misuse this site. The site was shut down and replaced with a more secure site. Such a site is in use today. Information has to be ordered and is not readily available.

Above all, keep this number private. Do not give it out, do not allow it be used as a pin number or first line identifier. Do all you can to safeguard your social security number including writing your Congressperson to invoke laws to help protect your identity. Some states such as Virginia are insensitive to today’s cyber threats and use this coveted number as the driver license number or at least publish it along with your number. Confront them in regards to openly providing such delicate information.

Even if you can not directly obtain the social security number of the person you are targeting, with enough background information on the family, provided by the death index and other sites, you can eventually obtain the desired numbers. Add in Ancestory.com or the Mormon’s family records vault and anyone who has researched their family tree and posted the results in hopes of discovering distant family members, volunteers a world of information in one click. This information is free game. No hack, no cyber crime required to obtain this broad wealth of knowledge. It is a free source site.

The government houses most of our personal information. The FHA requires extensive justification for their computerized record base. Law enforcement, voter registrations, county assessor and the Department of Motor Vehicles store a wealth of personal information electronically. The IRS computer network holds all our financial secrets. Internal Revenue Service employees has abused this information by selling, bartering, and trading this information to criminals and the media. However, real estate, car, boat, airplane, and vehicle ownership are publicly open records. Meaning that this information is legally open to anyone inquiring.

One new technology being readily advertised on TV is the ability to store all of your medical information electronically. This allows for ready access by any doctor or treatment facility. This is a wonderful thing. However we may be opening a door for danger. One slip of the mouse and a person’s medical history is altered. Health insurance can be denied and yet you are not allowed access to your own health history.

What unauthorized users will access this information? How will it be encrypted to protect from hackers or cyber criminals who wish to change medical records? Does encryption really protect a system when only the data is able to be encrypted still leaving the network vulnerable to destructive viruses? Who will be responsible for the accuracy and privacy of each record? With such easy access, are we not opening a Pandora’s box for tragedy?

Suppose someone removed, altered or changed an allergic reaction. This patient could now be prescribed or worse dispensed an IV or other medications if taken into an emergency room while unconscious. This expected life saving medication just became a lethal dose of poison.

As technology in the medical field advances, the use of robotics is introduced in delicate operations. Cyber terrorists can reprogram these robots causing devastating effects.

Another scenario, an influential personal diagnosed or misdiagnosed with AIDS or Alzheimer's Disease. Suppose this person is in a position of control and needs to have a sharp mind. The leak of such information would end their career. Or in the case of AIDS, a homophobic could be destroyed in public light by such news. Most of the general public refuses to face the truth about this disease and cry ‘gay’ while running in fear. Their public and political lives would be distorted or even destroyed while under the protected umbrella of medical privacy.

As a concerned and devoted citizen, you help mankind by being a regular donor to the blood bank. You also feel it is your civic responsibility to be an organ donor. These are thoughtful and kind gestures to the population at whole. But are you putting your personal safety at risk? Blood banks record your blood type. The MVA and other organizations record that you are an organ donor. This is personal information that can fall into the wrong hands. The hands of a criminal mind that would exploit the good of others for profit.

Let us suppose for a moment that a very affluent person urgently needed a heart or liver. That same person was willing to pay ‘big money’ for such an organ. If a cyber criminal hacked into a hospital’s database, he would be able to see people on blood bank and donor lists with compatible blood types. This may encourage a person, a criminal, to commit murder to obtain the big dollars promised by the party in need. Other times, blood type or donor information is just the missing piece of information that is needed to convince another of your assumed identity.

This advanced technology offers many advantages but there are a lot of cons to be considered. This is just one more example of our lives being at the press of a button. Thus tempting the cyber criminal to take what is available and use it to their benefit.

Police, FBI, CIA, military, security guards and other agencies use our fingerprints for identification. They can place you at the scene of a crime or allow you authorization for a government clearance. These agencies need this information readily available and thereby store it electronically. This allows for computer look-ups and matches. However, this offers the cyber criminal yet another smorgasbord of goodies to add to their identity-swapping quest.

Agencies are using handprint, retinal print and voice scanning for improved security. This has a flip side. Those pieces of information have to be saved electronically in order for the system to function. Again, another identity tidbit for today’s cyber criminal.

Think back to the first well-known hack. The AT&T hack discussed earlier, where college students hacked into the system to change phone bills and make unauthorized called. This was all to be just a prank but there were monetary losses to the Phone Company, the disclosure of phone numbers and records to unauthorized persons and criminal charges levied to the hackers.

Sneakers was the first movie to openly discuss computer hackers thus bringing cyber crimes, potential for cyber crimes and problems of a new age to light. The public in general was introduced to the threats in cyberspace. You were offered a first hand glimpse of how businesses in the electronic age store your information and how easy it is for others to gain access. Not only did the movie portray the AT&T event but also it showed us how computer dating can be sabotaged.

When you register on a dating site, your personal information, photos, thoughts and dreams are free game in the cyber realm. Once contacted by a potential partner, more vital information is freely offered. When you make that first video or write your first single’s page, rarely do you take time to consider the wealth of knowledge you are openly offering a villain, con artist or criminal. You are earnestly seeking a companion. Beware, the cyber criminal mind lurks in all places.

In this age, all we do is an open book. Obtaining this information is not a criminal act for you gave of it freely in the act of registration and publication. However, what is done with the knowledge gained may become highly criminal.

Friends send you electronic mail, better known as e-mail, with a cute poem or cartoon image. That e-mail is to several people. You then forward this e-mail on to your other friends. The forwarded e-mail contains the addresses of the pervious senders and their recipients. Many people see this as an opportunity to gain new addresses. Perhaps their intentions are to obtain new cyber friends or use their addresses for marketing. There may be many other reasons for their acquisition. Netiquette number 4 clearly states: Never read someone’s private e-mail. Does this rule apply to the e-mail addresses as well? Is it unethical to use e-mail addresses from piggybacked e-mails?

The blind e-mail system keeps this from being an issue. However not all systems offer this service. Another danger that emerges today is the ready introduction of viruses. With the new e-mail systems allowing for the immediate display of active content when opening a message, viruses can unknowingly be introduced to your system or network. Such viruses can attack your address book and other vital sectors of your computer. When a virus attacks your address book, it can replicate and spread the virus to others and/or withdraw personal information from your address book. The ‘I LOVE YOU' virus is an example of a replicator virus that spreads through address books.

Chat rooms and Instant Messages are other places for identity theft and/or transmission of viruses. Schwartau refers to these sites as communicating by writing on the bathroom walls. In short, there are some really sick people out there. There have been examples of people’s hard drives being compromised, viruses implanted, violence threatened and more.

People chat and agree to meet. They impersonate people that will bring young children as well as teenage girls the desire to meet in the physical world. When they fall for this seduction, they end up harmed, injured, missing or dead. Many public libraries have banned the use of chat rooms on their computer systems. This is just one more example of ways to steal another’s identity and perpetrate cyber crimes.

Cookies hold your information to keep you from retyping security information when entering or re-entering a site. Sites also send out Cookies and Java code. All types of codes can be embedded into these Java Applets. There is no way of telling what the intent of the creator was when writing and deploying the code. Your browsers allow for multiple security settings. It is up to the network administrator or computer user to choose the appropriate settings to safeguard the information stored within these systems. One must decide how comfortable one is living on the edge.

The Internet is its own global state. It houses its own economy (e-commerce) and its own digicash (e-cash with PayPal being just one example). The discussion of tax within the walls of cyber shopping is a hot issue. This new state is changing the way the world economy functions. Sales via the Internet are expected to reach $5 trillion in the US and Europe by 2005.

With the introduction of cyber malls, electronic storefronts and cyber shops, we are encouraged to shop online. This budding economy offers convenience but is riddled with traps. Danger lurks here even though these sites are said to be secure due to high-bit security encryption. The bit number on the encryption keeps growing but so does the hackers skill. This is a hacker’s paradise to credit card numbers. For it is another large source of personal information.

Corporate America knows more about your shopping habits than you do. With their sophisticated software they have comprised a purchase pattern or buying history for each of us. With this information, they can predict how one will respond to just about any marketing campaign.

A new marketing strategy is to track you via your cell phone and to bombard you with ads based on your current position. Currently mall security can monitor how long you spend in one area by your cell phone or pager. Once you enter a mall, your communication device is detected. Mall security then uses this to monitor your activities within the mall. How is that for privacy invasion? The marketers can get inside your head and anticipate your responses. You must remember that attacks comes from all places and are most successful when least expected.

Think about online banking. Most banks offer it and we gobble up the service. It is convenient and easy. The bank sites are said to be secure, just like online shopping, with multi-bit encryption. They are even called ‘secure sites’. Our account numbers, social security numbers, balances, amount of weekly deposits, links to accounts and credit cards and loads of personal information are all available on this one site. Every aspect of our financial life resides in this one spot. Even if you do not choose to use the online service the same information is stored within these cyber walls. These sites offer the potential for check fraud and identity theft. Just as the check by phone option opens the same door. The wealth of information on such sites is an open invitation to cyber criminals.

The movie Swordfish claims to be based on a 'real world' bank hack. Therefore one must ask, is anything truly protected from a hacker? The CIA, FBI, Secret Service, Air Force and others have all developed some group to deal with cyber terrorists. The Secret Service is in charge of investigating such incidents as bank fraud while the FBI handles hacking incidences. This was both portrayed in this ‘hacking for hire’ movie. We were introduced to the usage of high bit encryption as well as the software worm that was deployed to steal the money. Punishment was shown for such cyber criminals but the desire and greed for power and money out weighted the consequences. The criminals needed to be inside a connected bank to be able to access the backbone of the network to make their plot a success. Inside help is needed and personal account numbers taken.

A real world counterpart would be the incident of a Russian hacker who tapped into Citibank’s funds transfer system. He gained $10 million US for his efforts. Chaos Computer Club in 1997 created an Active X Control that would trick the accounting system, Quicken, into moving money from a user’s account and depositing it into one of their own.

Why do these terrorists succeed? Banks and other organizations are afraid to let the public know how vulnerable they really are. If they loose your trust, they loose your business. Their primary concern is stockholder value and consumer confidence. Economic reasons often make it in the businesses’ best interest to pay the ransom or blackmailer than to allow such occurrences to go public. However, if the businesses would allow this knowledge to be known, then more unity could be formed to aid in the combating of such cyber forces.

Cyber criminals hack into the system and leave viruses, encrypted messages, logic bombs, or use electromagnetic pulses, high-emissions radio frequency guns or any other means to gather information or destroy files and records. In order to protect the integrity of such files, records and systems, company executives opt to follow the cyber terrorist’s demands. To add to the difficulty, this criminal could be anywhere in the world. As I said, a new age of crime is upon us and it descends in many forms.

Here is another scary situation. One day I was ‘surfing the net’ and came across a site about cyber crimes in other countries. One such article stated a requirement to graduate in the computer sciences in India; you must hack into a secret US database such as the FBI or CIA. I can not locate this site again nor do I remember the URL but the information became a haunting fact that I long stored and pondered. If this is true, what does it tell us about computer security? If our most secure agencies can be hacked, of course a personal PC is easy pickings.

Now that you realize how easy it is obtain information. Let’s move on to what experts say about cyberspace and the dealing therein.

The government is said to have excellent firewalls and security procedures. Still the Pentagon under goes tens of thousands of attacks a year from the US and various other countries. Their cryptology experts are to be just that – expert. Yet they are still hacked! According to CNN.com, the government was infected with the "I LOVE YOU" virus as well as many financial agencies, news bases, agencies that contract to the government such as Northrop Grumman and influential businesses from around the globe.

Mr. Green goes on in his article of November 2002, The Myth of Cyberterrorism, by saying that the media hype of a terrorist sitting at a computer and reeking world havoc is hype. This is supported by several examples. George Smith of the Crypt Newsletter covered one incident being discussed. The Washington Post in June 2002 released a story portraying a scenario of a 12 year old that hacked into the SCADA system of AZ’s Theodore Roosevelt Dam in 1998. It was said that he was within mere keystrokes of dumping millions of gallons of dam water on the town and communities below.

Cnet.com investigated and showed us the reality. In 1994 the incident occurred but the hacker was 27 and no one was in immediate danger. The closest anything of this nature ever occurring was in 2000 in Australia. A disgruntled man released a million gallons of raw sewage along Queensland’s Sunshine Coast after being turned down for a government job. His ability to do so came from the knowledge he gained being previously employed by the Sewer Company. Thereby having inside information and specific training on how the system worked. This is the case many times over. Inside information and/or personal information is needed in order to access a system deep enough to reign havoc.

Russia’s Interior Ministry Col. Konstantin Machabeli reported that a Trojan horse hit Gazprom. Gazprom is a state run, monopoly, natural gas supplier to Western Europe. The hackers gained control to the central switchboard and interrupted the gas supply. This succeeded due to insider information.

All though insiders are usually needed to succeed, their intervention is not always needed. Director of Central Intelligence, George Tenet reported a 16-year old English boy who disabled 10 defense systems in 1994. Other cyber terrorists rerouted 911 calls in Florida to sex-service numbers in Sweden, disrupted troop deployments in the Gulf in February 1998, launched attacks against the Pentagon’s systems, NSA and a nuclear weapons research lab. These new tools of terror are alive and in action. Deputy Secretary of Defense (1998), John Hamre, believes that Cyberterrorists pose a very real and increasing danger to national security with the electronic equivalent of the human Ebola virus.

The Nimda Virus struck just seven days after the September 11, 2001 attack. Companies and individuals heightened their computer security due to 9-11 and still fell pray. Private sector businesses, which include personal online services, comprise 85 percent of the Internet. The combined attacks of 2001cost $15 billion in damage.

Prior to 9-11, the government did not see a reason to become involved since this was a private sector attack. Industry is found to only devote one-quarter of one per cent of its information technology budget to cyber security. Comparably, slightly less then the average company spends on coffee annually.

Richard Clarke’s position was originally formed under the former president’s reign. His job was to devise a national protection plan from Cyberterrorism. President Clinton’s commission had identified only the tip of a very large iceberg. They feared these cyber geniuses and wished to off set a virtual Waterloo.

Clarke’s team presented a proposal in mid-September 2002 to the White House, to address this and other security issues. The private sector petitioned the White House primarily due to cost. Bill Conner, president of the computer security firm Entrust, told The Washington Post, " It looks as though a Ph.D. wrote the government items, but it reads like someone a year out of grade school wrote the rest of the plan." It is true that some action needs to be implemented to help safeguard personal, business and government information but now they may be overstepping their authority as they rule in the Microsoft case.

Some call all this "The Gloom Boom". This new move is said to be caused by the dot.com crash and has been invented to now booster a sagging economy. The ideas are that feeding the public fears with cases of Cyberterrorism helps to raise the level of public anxiety about terrorism in general. Thereby easing an administration’s way to pass its own agenda. Not only does this foster support for the war effort but it is said to open doors to a new computer market for cyber security as well as a physical world job market for 'real world' security.

Mr. Green states that Richard Clarke, special adviser to the president for cyberspace security named "cyber security czar" by President Bush in a position so created in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attack, and a veteran of four administrations, hyped the cyber threats to protect his own position. He stated that, "if an attack comes today with information warfare…. it would be much, much worse then a Pearl Harbor."

A former colleague said, "Dick has an ability to scare the bejesus out of everybody and make the bureaucracy jump." He is at times referred to as the Profit of Doom.

The Bush administration has requested a 64 percent increase in cyber security funds for FY2003. This change was none too soon since Canada and the UK has already implemented policies to protect their citizens.

This change now reverses the government’s original position on cyber attacks. They once referred to cyber attacks as "electronic graffiti". They did not see the need to implement a program or funds to stop such incidents.

Despite Article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights signed on December 10, 1948, personal information and individual privacy is not protected by the US Government as promised in this document. However, once the ‘attack’ came home, their attention was gained.

According to John Gilligan, Air Force CIO, programming software is the main cause, 80%, of hacker penetration. He says that the government is fast approaching the point where finding, patching and correcting vulnerabilities are costing more than the price of the software. Microsoft, the system most used in homes, is now the main supplier to the US Government since they are moving from proprietary systems toward universal software.

This has brought the issue of liability to light. Should computer professional not be held accountable for the works they produce? A car manufacturer and a mechanic both guarantee their work through warranties. Why then does the computer industry adhere to a different standard? Are computer professionals not responsible for what they create? Do they not have an ethical and moral responsibility to their clients? Should programs written not be as error free as possible to deter cyber criminals from gaining access through such weaknesses thereby aiding in the safeguarding of information both in business and in government as well as personal information?"

Joshua Green of the Washington Monthly, quotes Dorothy Denning, winner of National Computer Systems Security Award and the Distinguished Lecture in Computer Security Award, computer science professor at Georgetown University, author and one of the nation’s fore most cyber security experts, "Cyberterrorism and cyber attacks are sexy right now. It’s novel, original, it captures people’s imagination."

Mr. Green goes on to call Winn Schwartau, author of CYBERSHOCK (2000), an alarmist tech writer. He claims that Mr. Schwartau coined the phrase, "electronic Pearl Harbor," only to hype his novel. However, John Deutch, Director of Central Intelligence in June1996, said "criminal hackers were offering their services to so-called rogue states with ‘various schemes to undo vital U. S. interests through computer intrusions’ and warned that an ‘electronic Pearl Harbor’ was now a real threat".

Former President Clinton outlined the magnitude of the new electronic perils in his address to the U. S. Naval Academy in May of 1998. Mr. Green claims that we are all brooding over a minor threat due to ignorance. Mr. Green admits that cyber security is a serious issue but not one that involves terrorist. He reefers to this whole issue as the Chicken Little approach and feels it opens real potential for backfire and furthermore criticizes President Bush’s administration by saying, "Hyping a threat that doesn’t exist while shrinking from one that does is no way to protect a country." Since everyone does not share Mr. Green’s point of view, I feel we must address the reality of cyber terrorism, cyber crimes, end of privacy and the real threat of identity theft.

Does this age of information and cyber space really mean the end of privacy? Reg Whitaker, author of the book entitled THE END OF PRIVACY tells us how our everyday lives are being invaded.

The camera idea caught on and spread. Most major cities have some form of camera surveillance in use today. The rural areas are adapting the same idea for fear of the criminal moving into the unwatched, thus unprotected, rural community. Miami Beach, FL implemented a form of this technology back in the mid-1980’s to aid police in the patrolling of high crime beets.

Currently, we receive ‘mail-order’ tickets from cameras. Is this right or an invasion? Cameras can and probably will be installed from coast to coast in the near future. Every move you make can be monitored. The peacekeepers argue this will facilitate the recovery of lost children, the location of fugitives and dead beat parents and promote general safety. Most of the populace views this as an invasion of privacy. Even upstanding citizens do not wish their every move monitored. Do you agree with having your every move monitored?

These cameras, with the aid of digitization and the creation of "Person Spotter" software, are said to be able to detect a change in hair, emotion, appearance, voice and so on. The advantages of this advanced biometrics recognition system are thought to be obvious. A person’s identity could no longer be stolen and used fraudulently. ATM machines credit cards systems and such would immediately identify you as a fake.

Many of today’s TV series are based on ‘real world’ issues. The District, The Agency and West Wing are just a few that mirror actual current occurrences. The TV series, The District, addressed this very issue. The mayor wanted full citywide surveillance while the Police Chief opposed the idea. The mayor felt the cameras were a wonderful way to monitor and thus prevent crime. The Chief turned the tables by monitoring the Mayor. He showed how a person’s actions can easily be misconstrued and thus rendering an innocent person guilty. The Mayor, being the unknowing guinea pig, quickly reversed his opinion.

The Agency (TV series) depicts the activities of the CIA. One episode showed how our government relies on the information gathered and interpreted from the satellites. The key here is interpretation. The analyst mistook some activities he observed and incorrectly advised a wrong hit. Granted both of these examples are fictional. However, the lesson is all too true. If you are not present, can you correctly and adequately deduct, especially without audio, what is truly occurring?

Used properly, this new technology is a wonderful and valuable tool. However, in the wrong hands, a receipt for disaster. Hackers could falsely implant a search mode to locate people for hit men or their own self-gain. Safe houses and relocation projects for witness protection programs could become a thing of the past. With this new technology, where could or would you hide?

New products include Global Satellite Positioning System (GPS), satellites, x-ray detectors, thermal scanners, wiretaps, bugs and the list goes on and on. All inventions to offer protection or the government would claim. The Japanese are experimenting with cyberinsects. These new bugs would invade the skies and spy on the enemy.

ECHELON, a globally integrated communications intelligence system, links all the computers among the cooperating UKUSA agencies using a set of keywords. All communications are scanned. Just as a search engine is programmed to seek and find a list of relevant sites, this program operates on the same basis. An old song says, "The Night Has A Thousand Eyes". With all this new technology, many more ‘eyes’ than that are watching our every move.

Mr. Whitaker discusses all this and other technology in detail. It is clearly demonstrated that we have entered into an age of espionage. The hope of a global society has lead to the ability to globally spy on each other. Yes, we live in a time that has put us at the end of privacy.

Jimmy Sproles and Will Byars wrote a paper on computer ethics at Eastern Tennessee State University in 1998 where they address Cyberterrorism. These men agree with my point of view in that Cyberterrorism includes hacking into a hospital computer, altering prescriptions, using computer resources to intimidate or coerce others. Therefore, stealing personal information to use unlawfully, is Cyberterrorism. They believe that Cyberterrorists have given computer professionals a bad name, worldwide. Therefore, Cyberterrorism must be understood to be able to thwart such attempts.

The paper continues by discussing and classifying hackers. The terrorists are grouped into cyber joyrides, hackers for hire or corporate spies and world class criminals. These gentlemen show us how we are all at risk. The world is electronically linked thereby allowing anyone with the know-how access to any and all systems, information and controls in cyber space.

Furthermore, it is stated by many, that Hackers hack for sport. It is the thrill of the entrance and not the information gained that drives them onward. They are nuisances but rarely access anything of true value. It is the one with inside information, personal data, and not random terrorists, which do the real damage.

In a work of so-called fiction, an audiobook, The Devil’s Code, a software firm is contracted to write the program for our country’s satellite system. They imbed a Trojan horse program just in case they are dissatisfied with the government. As it turns out, they are. This rouge group can then access, undetected, the information of the satellites. The information taken was satellite image photos of the Middle East, which they then sell to the highest bidder. Is this still just sport hacking?

Businesses are at risk because consultants and contractors are often used to develop technology. This technology then becomes vulnerable to attack due to hidden worms, viruses and Trojan horses. A real world case with the same scenarios occurred in Japan 2000. Ms. Denning’s testimony includes such an example. The Aum Shinryko cult developed software tracking system for Japan’s Metropolitan Police Department as well as 80 Japanese firms and 10 government agencies. They also worked as subcontractors for various other firms thus making it impossible to detect exactly where their work may lie. Fearing a cyber attack, the State Department notified 170 embassies to remove their software. The software was found to have been written by citizens of the former Soviet Union.

There are hacking schools. These schools are said to be for the education of the computer security professional. When asked what happens when the professional changes sides, the reply was simply." They hope one would not." The big ‘what if ‘still lies in wait. Do we really need a schooling system to train cyber criminals to attack us through our personal information in cyber space?

The Internet hosts a variety of sites to assist one in hacking, spying and obtaining unauthorized information. On such site is The Hackers Catalog. These sites was introduced and discussed by my instructor at the Computer Learning Institute in Catonsville, MD during an MCSE course. Ms. Denning’s testimony also included references to such sites and spoke of the ready access hackers have to these many resources.

As you can see, cyber attacks are possible in just about every way imaginable. This is not just a domestic issue but a worldwide situation. An important point to remember is that the most successful attacks are executed with inside information, personal data and help. This makes us ask, must we only fear Big Brother and those he employs? Or are we vulnerable to attacks from the population at large?

Years ago people wondered and worried if Big Brother was watching. Now we have to wonder not only about Big Brother but who all is watching. Perhaps a better question would be – who isn’t watching, learning and stealing our personal information? The National Security Agency, NSA, was once the ‘big eye in the sky’. They heard and saw all. Now as technology advances and changes, more organizations, companies, people, terrorists, drug dealers and criminals have the same or better equipment. Information is encrypted in space via satellites and no long sent along phone wires. Workers at NSA are no longer top dog. ‘Techies’ are replacing senior staff. Truth be told, many are in fear for their jobs. Today anyone with the technological know-how can obtain the secrets of another.

Criminal elements have more advantaged cryptography and encryption capabilities than the government. The Monterey group defines such elements as complex-coordinated Cyberterrorists due to their ability to create sophisticated hacking and transmitting tools. Crime syndicates purchase state of the art technology as soon as it becomes available.

Asia smuggles into the US ten thousand high-powered scanners every month. These scanners can intercept and record communicates from landlines, mobile phones and phones. They are used to spy on law enforcement agencies, steal proprietary secrets and invading any one they desire.

Personally, we must protect ourselves from all that can invade. Any company can have a disgruntled employee. That firm could have your personal information and an unhappy employee may place you on the auction block at any time. This would mean that our private lives are no longer private. It would suggest that all one does might be up for sale at any given time. The question to ask would be "Who will be the next target?"

Our stars or anyone in the spotlight is exploited for personal gain. The media invents stories when none are available. They put their own captions on photos in the interest of sales. As promised earlier, we returned to the issue of slander. This is an example of identity theft from another point of view.

Look on the racks as you exit Rite Aid, Wal-Mart or the grocery store. What do you see? National Enquirer, The Examiner and other rag magazines are lining the shelves. Then to add insult to injury, the movies such as Men in Black I & II, promote the use of these magazines as ‘true information’ sources.

Every day the ways of the physical world continues to slip farther from the bonds of reality into the virtual world of cyber-living and fantasy. This virtual reality only promotes such twisted values thus adding paranoia and promoting peoples’ spying actions through these ridiculous ads in the above listed papers telling you of ways to acquire personal information. As the populous desires a greater escape from realism, the line between real and fantasy becomes less defined. This gray area opens more doors of exploration into the cyber world and new opportunities for today’s technical criminals.

Weekly, your e-mails contain ads to purchase software packages that will allow you to gain any information wanted on anyone. Search engines can now help you find that long lost friend. If this is such a good friend, why do you need to find them? Would you not know where they are? Are we all electric blips just waiting to be plucked? Has the cyber age truly lead to the end of privacy?

Tom Clancy’s novels of Cyberterrorism, children’s cartoons like the new Scooby Doo series and the movies show us an all too probable ‘new’ reality. The Matrix, Minority Report, AI, The Terminator, Total Recall, Stargate: The Series, The Firm, Enemy of The State, Sneakers, Hackers, The Net, War Games, Swordfish, Anti-Trust and list goes on, are all good examples of technology gone eschew. How far will we go before there is no return? In this information age, how much information is too much? Will we continue to allow our lives to live on the waves of cyberspace without some real protection being provided to safeguard from intrusion?

When one says ‘authorized personal’. One must question what designates that person as ‘authorized personal’? Can we ever feel truly secure in this new age? I think not. What we once considered personal is now easily accessible.

Our whole approach to cyberspace has altered our sense of privacy, private information and personal safety. We must think in new ways as we progress in the age of technology. With all these things, both fact and fantasy, pointing to cyber crimes and the loss of privacy, one must analyze and weigh the risks before subscribing to a public database, entering additional information on our e-mail subscription, surfing the net, shopping online, banking online or even opening an account. To succeed in this new cyber world, one must realize the potential for access, maintain close watch on ones records and beware of all electronic footprints. This is not to suggest that one should live in fear but rather to raise awareness of today’s new issues.

Scientists and criminologists have suggested that we computer chip our young. This practice is widely used by veterinarians for locating and verifying animals.

Cloning was once a theory of science fiction. In fact I wrote a term paper on the theory of cloning in 1981 for high school. Today we see it is a reality. Just look at poor Dolly. Do we really want an exact duplicate of ourselves? Talk about the end of privacy and protecting our identity. We just shot all of that if we allow the introduction of clones into our society. I feel both of these subjects merit further exploration.

Now that we have reviewed multiple sides, I do not see how anyone can say cyber crimes do not exist. These criminals are just that, criminals. They are not ankle biters, nuisances or any other milder terms. They are criminals and they are flourishing. Our legal system has to devise new rules and laws to combat the destruction occurring in cyberspace.

Cyber crimes, hackers, identity theft, cyber shock and the end of privacy are upon us. Not only is Big Brother watching but also anyone with the knowledge and desire to spy, invade and steal.

Perhaps we have not evolved into Cyberterrorism but hackers, cyber criminals and unethical computer usage is alive and on going. To survive in today’s world, one must arm themselves against such threats. We must be aware of where we travel when in cyberspace and how we interact. As in many situations, prevention is the best protection.

We live in a new time and a new age. This new age is an age of technological advancements. Who will rule in the cyber world? Remember we live in a New World disOrder where information is king. Our lives are on the cyber waves. Computers will rule our world as long as people hold to their beliefs. That belief is computers are right even when evidence to the contrary is looking you in the eye. This is a new era and one that must be faced with a new point of view.