[Manny Varela]

Look on the internet to find a recent case of computer fraud.   Based on that article, post:

• • • A paragraph or two summarizing the fraud case
    • Suggestions on what could have been done to prevent the incident
    • The URL of the article

[Kevin Mehok]

IST2900 Digital Forensic Examiner
Week One Discussion
Kevin Mehok

There literally countless computer fraud cases and cybercrimes that have been well documented.
I have raised three daughters, and this case stood out like a sore thumb for me. At the tender of age 15, Jonathan James hacked into NASA and the Pentagon back in 1999 (RedLaw, 2021). Using the name “C0mrade,” James stole software and data valued at nearly $2 million and forced NASA to shut down for 21 days (RedLaw, 2021). Not content with being the first person to successfully hack the Defense Department, James went on to breach the security at prominent private firms (RedLaw, 2021).

In a world that cybercriminals are glorified, this is very concerning. This act should not be considered as a video game or even a challenge. In this particular case, well, it ended, sadly.

By the age of 16, he was arrested and pleaded guilty (RedLaw, 2021). His age kept his sentence at a modest 6-month house arrest and being banned from the computer until he was 18 (RedLaw, 2021). The story, unfortunately, has a tragic ending as eight years later, James was accused of stealing credit card information (RedLaw, 2021). He denied the charges and took his own life (RedLaw, 2021).

God Bless,

Kevin

References:

RedLaw (2021) https://www.redlawlist.com/criminal-law/famous-cyber-crime-cases.html#:~:text=5%20Famous%20Cyber%20Crime%20Cases%201%201.%20Russia,Hacking%20the%20Pentagon%20…%205%205.%20Mafia%20Boy

[Kelly Crooks]

Kevin, thanks for sharing the article. What a tragic ending. Cyber crimes are so common anymore its was interesting to me to see how many there are and how many are unreported. It seems to me and, I know we have discussed this in a previous course, that the cyber crimes and criminals are getting more determined to steal data and information.

[jpurdy@ohiochristian.edu]

Kevin,

Thanks for sharing the fraud case. That is a tragic ending. You are correct that fraud is much too common. My husband’s social security number was stolen from our company’s records. Shortly after that, someone filed taxes in our name. The only good news was that apparently whatever they filed was so off that the IRS contacted us telling us what had happened and they explained that the request was denied and gave us a PIN to use for our valid filing so that they knew it was us.

[Kevin Mehok]

Professor,

That is really interesting to me. The IRS needs to keep our data/information and information secured. I have experienced this during COVID-19, a school teacher in Ohio file for unemployment and COVID-19 relief under my SSN. I did not know until I filed my taxes. It was a mess to say the least.

God Bless,

Kevin

[Kelly Crooks]

As Kevin stated there are countless cases involving computer fraud and cybercrime. The case I found interesting happened in November of 2022 and involved the Government of Costa Rica. Hackers using ransomware were able to gain access to the government’s critical systems for weeks. The Costa Rica government declared a state of emergency during this time. Because of the attack, the government was unable to pay its workers on time. The fraud case was so bad that it affected the tax and customs system as well causing the country’s import/export logistics to collapse.

It was determined that the Conti ransomware gang was responsible for the attack and they demanded $20 million in ransom payment. The gang claims to have stolen an estimated 50% of the government’s data during the weeks-long attack.

As cybercriminals get smarter and technology advances I think some of the things that could have been done to help stop this kind of fraud would be better security policies and procedures, stronger forms of authentication, and making sure your security officer is trained and up to date to be able to recognize an attack and how to mitigate the theft or fraud. Another step to help prevent fraud attacks is to regularly test your system and practice scenarios just like this one to determine if your system is hackproof and/or what needs to be put into place to change the security of your data.

Reference

The 13 Costliest Cyberattacks of 2022: Looking Back

[jpurdy@ohiochristian.edu]

Kelly,

Thanks for sharing the article. Yes, unfortunately, it’s much to easy to find these cases. I like your point that security professionals need to stay update to date because the hackers, etc. are always trying new schemes.

[Kevin Mehok]

Hey Kelly,

I see value you in stories such as the one you have shared. Hackers, sadly, to me are very talented and could do some serious good for the world. Yet, just as in Biblical times, man feeds his temptations and desires, before the good will to others. Amazing how much doesn’t change, despite technology.
God Bless,
Kevin

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