MENLO PARK, Calif. - Despite all
the media attention surrounding his
conviction, Robert Morris does not
present the profile of a basic computer
criminal, nor is his crime typical
throughout the industry.
On the contrary, less computer
crime is being committed by those
who can be characterised as "hackers",
and the crimes committed are far
less sophisticated, says a report
issued by the National Centre for
Computer Crime Data (NCCCD) in the
United States.
In fact, it is becoming increasingly
difficult to identiy the typical perpertrator
as the bright, young white male,
said Buck Bloombecker, director of the
NCCCD. The report states that in
California, 32% of those arrested for
computer crimes were women, and 43%
were minorities.
The study also revealed the changing
nature of computer crimes. A nationwide
survey of 2500 prosecutors concluded that 34%
of computer crimes in 1988 involved the
theft of services. That figure, up from
10% in 1986, is indicative of the type
of computer crime being committed today,
Blombecker said.
"More and more computer crime is of the
garden variety," Bloombecker said.
"What we are facing is the 'democratisation'
of computer crime."
Computer crime has taken a heavy toll on
US business. In 1988, the cost of
computer crimes tallied to an astonishing
$US555 million, 930 personnel hours, and
16.3 years of computer service. Further,
in 12% of cases, the victims were individuals,
not corporations or networks.
Still, Morris' conviction may play a
role in preventing computer crime because
it demonstrates that existing computer
crime laws are sufficient, Bloombecker
said. Passing more laws like the
antivirus bill introduced by Republican
Wally Herger, is merely an academic
exercise, he said. "What we need are
more prosecutions under exisisting laws.
That takes time and money."
Marc Rotenburg, director of Computer
Professionals for Social Responsibility,
suggested that Congress boost funding for
computer security research rather than
pass more laws.
