Editing Organized crime (section)

====Computer viruses====
{{main|Computer virus|denial-of-service attack}}

The term "computer virus" may be used as an overarching phrase to include all types of true viruses, [[malware]], including [[computer worm]]s, [[Trojan horse (computing)|Trojan horse]]s, most [[rootkit]]s, [[spyware]], dishonest [[adware]] and other malicious and unwanted software (though all are technically unique),<ref>{{cite journal |last=Grabowsky|title=The Internet, Technology, and Organized Crime|journal=Asian Journal of Criminology |date=2007 |volume=2 |issue=2 |doi=10.1007/s11417-007-9034-z |pages=145–161|s2cid=144677777|hdl=1885/21260 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> and proves to be quite financially lucrative for criminal organizations,<ref>{{cite journal |last=Williams|title=Organized Crime and Cybercrime: Synergies, Trends, and Responses|journal=Global Issues|date=2001|volume=6|issue=2|url=http://www.ncjrs.gov/App/AbstractDB/AbstractDBDetails.aspx?id=191389   |id={{NCJ|191389}}  }}</ref> offering greater opportunities for [[fraud]] and [[extortion]] whilst increasing security, secrecy and anonymity.<ref>{{cite journal|last=O'Neil |title=Rebels for the System? Virus Writers, General Intellect, Cyberpunk and Criminal Capitalism |journal=Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies |date=2006 |volume=20 |issue=2 |pages=225–241 |url=http://adsri.anu.edu.au/pubs/ONeil/O%27Neil_VirusWriters.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110407174526/http://adsri.anu.edu.au/pubs/ONeil/O%27Neil_VirusWriters.pdf |archive-date=April 7, 2011 |doi=10.1080/10304310600641760 |s2cid=39204645 |hdl=1885/30644 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>  Worms may be utilized by organized crime groups to exploit security [[vulnerability (computing)|vulnerabilities]] (duplicating itself automatically across other computers a given network),<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Weaver | first1 = Nicholas | last2 = Paxson | first2 = Vern | last3 = Staniford | first3 = Stuart | last4 = Cunningham | first4 = Robert| title = Proceedings of the 2003 ACM workshop on Rapid malcode | chapter = A taxonomy of computer worms|pages=11–18 |date=2003 |chapter-url=http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=948190 |doi=10.1145/948187.948190 |isbn=1581137850 |s2cid=2298495}}</ref>  while a Trojan horse is a program that appears harmless but hides malicious functions (such as retrieval of stored confidential data, corruption of information, or interception of transmissions). Worms and Trojan horses, like viruses, may harm a computer system's data or performance. Applying the Internet model of organized crime, the proliferation of computer viruses and other malicious software promotes a sense of detachment between the perpetrator (whether that be the criminal organization or another individual) and the victim; this may help to explain vast increases in cyber-crime such as these for the purpose of ideological crime or terrorism.<ref>{{cite book |last=Linden|title=Focus on Terrorism|date=2007|publisher=Nova Publishing|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wl-Ds42YMDIC&q=Focus+on+Terrorism+linden|isbn=9781600217098}}</ref> In mid July 2010, security experts discovered a malicious software program that had infiltrated factory computers and had spread to plants around the world. It is considered "the first attack on critical industrial infrastructure that sits at the foundation of modern economies," notes the ''New York Times.''<ref>[http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/24/malware-hits-computerized-industrial-equipment/ "Malware Hits Computerized Industrial Equipment"] ''New York Times'', September 24, 2010</ref>