Social Implications of Network

The internet has made it easier than ever to obtain, share and store information on a
platform that you can access from around the world.

TYPES OF COMPUTER-RELATED CRIMES

THEFT OF COMPUTER HARDWARE

Theft of computer hardware refers to the theft of physical hardware components,
which includes internal components, such as RAM and graphics cards, external
components such as a keyboard and mouse, as well as the theft of your laptop or
smartphone.

general guidelines on how to protect yourself:

• Never leave your laptop or mobile device unattended in a public place.

• Use passwords as a security method.
• Use a cable to lock your equipment to a table or desk in the office.

SOFTWARE THEFT
Software theft refers to the use and distribution of software obtained by illegal
methods. This includes stealing a CD or DVD that contains software, as well as
downloading illegal software from the internet (piracy).

guidelines to help you stay clear of software theft:

• Do not copy, duplicate or distribute any software without a copyright licence.

• Do not download and use illegal software from the internet.
• Do not lend your software so that an illegal copy can be made.

BANDWIDTH THEFT
Bandwith theft refers to the use of bandwidth without paying for it. People steal
bandwith in many ways, which includes stealing usernames and passwords and
connections that are not owned by them. Bandwith theft can also occur when one is
connected to an unprotected network.

Precautions include:
 • Having good password policies.
• Being careful when installing free software from the internet, as it might be malware.

Hotlinking is when someone takes a file or video from his or her website and links it
to your website.

IDENTITY THEFT
Identity theft refers to stealing data that can be used to pretend that a person is
someone else. Identity theft can range from stealing any personal information such
as your name, your address, your favourite food or more official information such as
your ID number, telephone number, etc. The stolen information can be used to take
over your accounts on websites like, Twitter, instagram, etc, so as to post messages
or use these services whilst pretending to be you.

To avoid these problems, do not share your sensitive information unnecessarily and
protect your information using a secure password.

MISUSE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

Information about you has value. For example, if you use Google to search for the
rules of the computer game “Defence of the Ancients” (“Dota”) and then watch
YouTube videos about how to play it, your web browser and search engine may
record this information.

THEFT OF TIME AND SERVICES

Theft of time refers to a person receiving payment from his or her employer for work
that the employee did NOT do. This is usually because the person is busy with non-
work-related activities during work time. Theft of services refers to the person using
company equipment, such as a computer or the internet, for personal matters.

INTERNET-RELATED FRAUD
A scam is a fraudulent scheme used by a malicious person to obtain money or
something of value from someone else.
CROWD FUNDING
Crowd funding is a way for individuals and organisations to raise money from a large
number of people. It can be an alternative to using a bank or investment firm. Below
are some examples of crowd funding:

DONATION CROWD FUNDING

Donation crowd funding is used to raise money for a cause. It’s not just charities
who can do this – groups and individuals can also start crowd funding projects, for
example to pay for a community centre or a child’s surgery.

REWARD CROWD FUNDING

This involves funding a project for a set reward. For example, you might give money
to help a band record its music and get their album in return. The reward may vary
depending on how much money you give. For example, if you gave R20 you might
get the album, but if you gave R50 you might get the album and a t-shirt.

LOAN BASED CROWD FUNDING

This is also known as “peer-to-peer” (P2P) and “peer-to-business” (P2B) lending.

You’ll lend a certain amount of money, which should be repaid to you with interest
over time. So, the idea is you get back more than you lent.

INVESTMENT CROWD FUNDING

Investment crowd funding (also called “equity crowd funding”) typically involves
buying part of a company. The part you own is called a “share”. You’ll usually be one
of many shareholders, along with other crowd funders, investment firms and people
working at the company.

INTERNET ATTACKS
Internet attacks or cyber attacks refers to an attack on the infrustracture of the web
itself. Examples include the following:

• Denial-of-service (DOS/DDOS): The use of compromised computers to flood a server

with requests for information. The attack can be regarded as successful if the server
becomes so overwhelmed that normal users cannot connect to the system.
• Cyberterrorism: Attacks that only occurs in parts of a country’s IT infratructure.
• Spoofing attacks: Spoofing attacks work by masking the attacker and making it seem
as if he or she is a legitimate user. This is done by using false data to connect to the
network.
• Sniffer attacks: Sniffer attacks works by checking the data packets sent over the
network. Hackers use sniffer applications to analyse the network and access all
unencrypted data being transmitted.

MALWARE
In our modern society, computers and smartphones are used to do everything; from
transferring money with online banking, to storing personal information on the cloud.
BOTS
A bot (short for robot) is a software application that allows the user to automate
tasks and actions. On the internet, they are normally used to analyse and gather file
information.

ZOMBIES
Malware bots also have the capability to completely take over the user’s computer,
allowing the hacker to take control. When this happens it is known as a zombie.
Hackers can use zombie computers for a wide variety of applications; including
launching DoS attacks and sending spam emails in order to spread the malware.
RIGHT TO ACCESS VS RIGHT TO PRIVACY
We know by now that computer crimes depends on access to data. For one to
prevent fraud and identity theft one needs to keep their data private and one needs
to protect it.

AVOIDING SECURITY THREATS

The first and best defence against security threats is to prevent them from occurring
in the first place. Therefore, in order to help you avoid security threats, let’s take a
look at some of the following suggestions:

• Use a secure password.

• Pay careful attention to the websites and links you open.
• Do not share your sensitive information unnecessarily: While sharing information is
part of using the internet, be selective about the websites with which you choose to
share your information. If you use your email address for every website you visit, do
not be surprised if you start receiving a lot of spam emails!
• Do not open suspicious emails: Suspicious emails are emails from unknown or
suspicious email addresses, emails that seem too good to be true, emails that request
sensitive information, emails with executable attachments and emails with poor
spelling or grammar.
• Do not download suspicious programs or attachments: If you do not know who the
sender of the email is, never download the attachment. Even if you know who the
sender is, but you are not expecting an attachment, do not open it. Your friend may
have been hacked and sending you a virus!
• Keep your antivirus application up to date: Your antivirus application is your last line
of defence against viruses. By keeping it up to date, you make sure that it knows how
to detect all the newest security threats.
• Keep your other software up to date: Software weaknesses or vulnerabilities can be
used by hackers to gain access to your computer. One of the main reasons that
programmers release updates is to fix these vulnerabilities.
• Use two-factor authentication whenever possible: Two-factor authentication prevents
anyone from logging into your accounts using just your username and password.
Instead, they need a second factor (which is usually a physical device, such as your
phone) to access your account. This means that your account can only be hacked by
the small number of people with access to your phone.
SAFEGUARDS AGAINST CRIMINALS, VIRUSES AND
THREATS

FIREWALLS
The firewall is responsible for monitoring all incoming and outgoing traffic on a
network. If the firewall detects any traffic that is not within the defined set of security
rules, it is blocked. Through this action, the firewall prevents malware from
spreading over a computer network.

Examples of firewall software include ZoneAlarm, Comodo and GlassWire. Windows

10 comes equipped with a basic firewall, but this might not be strong enough to
protect your computer against powerful malware.

ANTIVIRUS PROGRAMS
An antivirus or anti-malware is a computer program designed to detect, identify,
prevent and remove malware from your computer. The program achieves this by
running on your computer as a background process. This allows the program to
scan the computer, as well as any external storage devices that are connected to the
computer, for malicious software.

ANTI-SPYWARE
Anti-spyware is a type of computer program designed to prevent, detect and remove
spyware programs from your computer.

Impact of technology on the global community

COMMUNICATION
In the old days, we were limited to using landline phones to make calls and writing
physical letters when communicating over a long distance.

CONDUCTING BUSINESS
The internet has created a whole new platform that we can use to conduct business
and to reach new customers. This includes the following:

• Creating online advertisements for products in order to reach more customers

 • Creating and hosting online services, for example Netflix and Amazon
• Creating completely new business ideas, for example YouTube and Esports

MEETING NEW PEOPLE

Social media and online gameplay are the most common digital venues for meeting friends
The most common spots for meeting friends online are social media sites like Facebook or
Instagram, followed by playing networked video games.

Text messaging is a key component of day-to-day friend interactions:

DISTRIBUTED COMPUTING POWER

One of most important ways in which technology has impacted our daily lives, is
through the invention of distributed computing power. Distributed computing power
technologies, such as cloud and grid computing, allow users to store information on
the internet, as well as increase their computing power, by using a network where
one computer can use the computing power and resources of other computers.

THE END OF THE CHAPTER