Group Writing Assignment: Becoming a Cyber Sleuth

Ever since the Internet has become a global tool for sharing information and data, countless organizations have gone virtual. They rely on ICTs to coordinate employees and customers as they produce, distribute, or provide goods or services. As the virtual world of business and personal data has expanded, so, too, has cybercrime.

According to a 2011 Symantec study, hackers and cybercriminals have cost the global economy an estimated $114 billion annually. Whether from malware (malicious software), phishing scams, network downtime, or identity theft, the virtual world of retail sales, banking, and finance is exposed to many of the same criminal threats apparent in the real world. Still, there is tremendous confusion about what should be regulated, how it should be regulated, or by whom.

After reading Chapter 11, answer the following questions:

1. Become your own cyber sleuth. Research the top five cybercrimes or scams that are currently a threat to business and personal security. Write a short description of each threat and what, if anything, is done to address it.

2. Next research the group Anonymous, the Internet hacktivist group whose unofficial slogan is The corrupt fear us, the honest support us. How are groups like anonymous forcing governments to rethink their own security?

3. How is Anonymous forcing businesses, like the recording and film industries, to rethink their online strategies in terms of serving their own business interests while, at the same time, respecting the rights of the public?

4. As a group, discuss your own personal views of hacktivism. Does it provide the same service as a consumer watchdog organization or just another cybercriminal movement? Then write a paragraph that will capture the thoughts of the group.