- Cybercrime
- Cybercrime Types
- Two primary Cybercrime category are
- Some of the crucial examples of Cybercrime are:
- Essential tips to protect yourself from Cybercrime
- Is Cybercrime increasing?
- Which Cybercrime is considered to be a form of harassment?
- How does Cybercrime become a national concern?
- Why does Cybercrime cost businesses money?
- How a Cybercrime affects society?
Are you worried because of Cybercrime? Well! When you have a better understanding of what Cybercrime is, what are different kinds of cybercrimes and how you can protect yourself from Cybercrime, then your concern about it will minimize.
Know about Cybercrime in depth to know what precisely a threat is for you and how you can protect yourself to stay safe.
“Rather than fearing or ignoring cyber attacks, do ensure your cyber resilience to them.”
― Stephane Nappo
Cybercrime
Cybercrime is a kind of criminal activity that might target or use a computer, network, or networked device. Most cybercrimes are committed by hackers or cybercriminals who want to make some money from them. Cybercrime is carried out either by individuals or any organizations.
While some cybercrimes are perfectly organized, make use of the latest techniques, and some mischievous hackers do, others. In some rare cases, a cybercrime keeps an aim to damage a computer for reasons other than profitmaking. Reasons could be either personal or political.
Cybercrime Types
Here are few examples of various kinds of Cybercrime.
- Email and internet fraud.
- Stealing of financial or card payment data.
- Theft of personal data.
- Stealing and selling corporate data.
- Cyber extortion where the cybercriminals demand money for preventing a cyber attack.
- Ransomware attacks
- Crypto-jacking – Here, the hackers perform cryptocurrency mining by making use of resources that are not theirs.
- Cyberespionage – The hackers try to gain access to essential data of the government or a company.
Two primary Cybercrime category are
- Cybercrime that targets: It mainly involves some viruses and other kinds of malware used to infect computers either for damaging the whole device or stop them from working. Sometimes criminals can use it for deleting or stealing data.
- Cybercrime that uses computers for committing other crimes: In this category, criminals stop the computer user from using the machine or the network. Sometimes it prohibits a business from offering software services to its consumers. It is called a Denial of service attack.
Cybercriminals who use computers to perform other crimes might use computers or networks to spread malware: illegal images or information.
In some cases, cyber attackers perform both cybercrime categories at a time. They will target the computer using viruses and then use them to spread the respective malware to other computers and the network.
Some of the crucial examples of Cybercrime are:
If you want to have a clear-cut idea on Cybercrime, you have to go through some good examples of Cybercrime. Here are some of the famous examples:
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Malware attack
It is a kind of attack where a network or the computer is attacked with a computer virus or other type of malware. Cybercriminals can use a malware-compromised computer for various purposes like stealing essential data, damaging data, or using a computer to carry out other criminal activities.
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Ransomware
Ransomware is a kind of malware utilized for extorting money by keeping in hold the victim’s data or any device. WannaCry is an excellent example of ransomware that targeted the vulnerability of a computer. It hit 230000 computers affecting about 150 countries.
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Phishing
A phishing campaign is something when several spam emails or another kind of communication are sent in made to trick the recipients into doing something that weakens their security or the organization security for whom they are working.
Those phishing emails or other communication modes will have some infected attachments or links to naughty sites. One example is the world cup phishing scam that took place in the year 2018. The targets were the football fans.
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Distributed DoS attacks
Cybercriminals use these attacks for bringing down a system or a network. In some cases, connected IoT devices are also used for launching DDoS attacks. Those attacks overpower a system by using the standard communication protocols used for spamming a system making some connection requests. One of the famous examples is the 2017 DDoS attack on the UK National Lottery website.
Essential tips to protect yourself from Cybercrime
So, now when you understand what Cybercrime is, you should know about Cybercrime and cybersecurity.
To get perfect cybersecurity, here are the best ways to protect your computer as well as your data.
- Always keep your software and operating system up-to-date: When you keep your software and the operating system updated, it makes sure that you get benefits from the recent security patches for protecting your computer.
- Use antivirus software: When you use antivirus or a comprehensive internet security solution, it is one of the most innovative ways to protect your system from cyberattacks. Good antivirus software helps you scan, detect, and eliminate all threats before turning into a problem. Moreover, you have to keep this antivirus software updated.
- Always use strong passwords: Make sure you use strong passwords that are difficult to track and do not keep a record of them anywhere. You can use a renowned password manager for generating strong passwords to make the whole task more manageable.
- Never open attachments of the spam emails: One of the common ways computers get infected and increase in cybercrime complaints is by the email attachments in the spam emails. Never open attachments, or click on links in spam emails.
- Never give your data unless safe: As per the cybercrime law, never make the mistake of sharing your data over your phone or email unless you are sure it is entirely secure.
So, with these tips, you can easily protect yourself from cybercrime effects. With the advancement of technology, more and more people are using the internet. Some are unaware of cybercrime hacking ways and become a victim. Therefore, it is necessary to learn about safe methods of dealing with computers and networks.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Is Cybercrime increasing?
Cybercrime is not a new concept, but with enhanced connectivity level, remote mode of working, dependency on technology, and automation, the risk of cyberattacks are increasing. Moreover, the covid-19 pandemic has made all organizations vulnerable to cyber-attacks due to flexible control environments, look over processes and procedures, and altered employee profiles.
Which Cybercrime is considered to be a form of harassment?
Cyberstalking is considered a form of harassment. Here the user is subjected to online harassment where all face a plethora of emails and online messages. All these cyberstalkers use social media, websites, and search engines to intimidate a user and then instill fear.
How does Cybercrime become a national concern?
The strong link between Cybercrime and national security is becoming highly prevalent. With the advancement of technology, the criminal capacity is also causing harm and infuriation to individuals and the nation’s necessary infrastructure. This is the reason more, and more cybercrime laws are being kept in place.
Why does Cybercrime cost businesses money?
Businesses nowadays are storing more of their consumer data online, which is why they are becoming highly vulnerable to cyber thieves. While dealing with online criminals, the cybersecurity cost increases that might trickle down to the customers at high prices.
How a Cybercrime affects society?
Most of the cybercrimes have some motives behind them as they might be processed unaware. Those attacks that are processed perceptively are considered Cybercrime, and they have a profound impact on society in terms of economic disruption, psychological disorder and a threat to national defense, and many more.
