Cybercrime

Cybercrime or computer crime (사이버범죄/电脑犯罪, 컴퓨터범죄/计算机犯罪) refers to any crime that involves a computer and a network in the cyberspace. The computer may have been used in the commission of a crime, or it may be the target.

Cybercrimes may threaten a nation’s security and financial health. Issues surrounding this type of crimes have become high-profile, particularly those surrounding cracking, copyright infringement, child pornography, and child grooming. There are also problems of privacy when confidential information is lost or intercepted, lawfully or otherwise.

Internationally, both governmental and non-state actors engage in cybercrimes, including espionage, financial theft, and other cross-border crimes. Activity crossing international borders and involving the interests of at least one nation state is sometimes referred to as Cyber warfare. The international legal system is attempting to hold actors accountable for their actions through the International Criminal Court.

Key words
cybercrime, computer crime, computer fraud, Internet, obscene website, cyberterrorism

Types
Cybercrime encompasses a broad range of activities. Generally, however, it may be divided into two categories:
 * crimes that target computers directly;
 * crimes facilitated by computer networks or devices, the primary target of which is independent of the computer network or device.

Computer-oriented crimes
Crimes that primarily target computer networks or devices include:
 * Computer viruses
 * Denial-of-service (DoS) attacks
 * Malicious code (malware)

Computer-using crimes
Crimes that use computer networks or devices to advance other ends include:
 * Internet defamation
 * Cyberstalking
 * Fraud and identity theft
 * Information warfare
 * Phishing scams
 * Spam, or the unsolicited sending of bulk email for commercial purposes, is unlawful in some jurisdictions. While anti-spam laws are relatively new, limits on unsolicited electronic communications have existed for some time.

Computer fraud
Computer fraud (컴퓨터사기) is any dishonest misrepresentation of fact intended to let another to do or refrain from doing something which causes loss. In this context, the fraud will result in obtaining a benefit by:
 * Altering in an unauthorized way. This requires little technical expertise and is not an uncommon form of theft by employees altering the data before entry or entering false data, or by entering unauthorized instructions or using unauthorized processes;
 * Altering, destroying, suppressing, or stealing output, usually to conceal unauthorized transactions: this is difficult to detect;
 * Altering or deleting stored data;
 * Altering or misusing existing system tools or software packages, or altering or writing code for fraudulent purposes.
 * Other forms of fraud may be facilitated using computer systems, including bank fraud, identity theft, extortion, and theft of classified information.

A variety of Internet scams target direct to consumers.

Cyber financial crimes
Cyber financial crimes are getting increasingly sophisticated. These financial crimes, which originated from voice phishing, have evolved into diverse types of crimes including memory hacking, pharming, phishing and smishing. Internet frauds and Internet gambling are rampant amid faltering economy, with citizens being indiscriminately exposed to cyberbullying. It is also common to receive bogus text messages via cell phone, which trick people into clicking.

Even professionals such as financial experts, lawyers, professors and public servants fall victim to such intricate crimes. Claimed damages reported this year in relation to new kinds of cyber financial crimes including smishing, pharming and memory hacking amounted to a total of 22.9 billion won ($21.5 million), which does not reflect voice phishing, according to the National Police Agency in November 2013. The number skyrocketed over 40 times from 570 million won in 2012. Some violent offenders including drug offenders, organized gangs were found to have stepped into cybercrimes.

Obscene content
The content of websites and other electronic communications may be distasteful, obscene or offensive for a variety of reasons. In some instances these communications may be illegal.

A number of jurisdictions place limits on certain speech and ban racist, blasphemous, politically subversive, libelous or slanderous, seditious, or inflammatory material that tends to incite hate crimes.

The extent to which these communications are unlawful varies greatly between countries, and even within nations. It is a sensitive area in which the courts can become involved in arbitrating between groups with strong beliefs.

One area of Internet pornography that has been the target of the strongest efforts at curtailment is child pornography.

Cyber terrorism
There is a growing concern among ICT security specialists that such intrusions are part of an organized effort by cyberterrorists, foreign intelligence services, or other groups to map potential security holes in critical systems.

A cyberterrorist is someone who intimidates or coerces a government or organization to advance his or her political or social objectives by launching computer-based attack against computers, network, and the information stored on them.

Cyber terrorism
Cyber terrorism (사이버테러), in general, can be defined as an act of terrorism committed through the use of cyberspace or computer resources. As such, a simple propaganda in the Internet, that there will be bomb attacks during the holidays can be considered cyberterrorism. As well there are also hacking activities directed towards individuals, families, organized by groups within networks, tending to cause fear among people, demonstrate power, collecting information relevant for ruining peoples' lives, robberies, blackmailing, etc.

In North Korea, 3,000 cyber warfare experts under the Reconnaissance General Bureau reportedly wage cyber terrorism against the South. It is said that the North's cyber warfare troops develop and distribute apps to subvert South Korean efforts to block pro-North Korean websites and conduct guerrilla-style hacking attacks by constantly changing IP addresses and connecting other sites with pro-North Korean sites.

Cyberextortion
Cyberextortion (사이버공갈) is a form of cyberterrorism in which a website, e-mail server, or computer system is subjected to repeated denial of service or other attacks by malicious hackers, who demand money in return for promising to stop the attacks. Perpetrators typically use a distributed denial-of-service attack.

Cyber warfare
It is reported that cyber warfare (사이버전쟁) often takes place between the adversary states in the cyberspace before and during the real warfare.

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) notes that cyberspace has emerged as a national-level concern through several recent events of geo-strategic significance. Fearing that such attacks may become the norm in future warfare among nation-states, the concept of cyberspace operations impacts and will be adapted by warfighting military commanders in the future.