Cyber Crime
Cyber crimes refer to criminal conduct that involves electronic equipment connected to the internet. This includes theft of identities, bullying, fraud, cyberstalking, child pornography, and a variety of other illegal activities. It is estimated that cybercrime costs the world an average of $600 billion each year, and experts believe the cost will exceed $6 trillion by 2021.
cyber crime is a serious threat to individuals and businesses, and it has increased dramatically in recent years. In fact, in the U.S., over half of the states have passed laws to combat the crime. And with the rise in cyber attacks, security breaches are becoming a larger concern.
Cyber crimes are often committed by highly organized, global criminal groups. They use different attack vectors to reach everyday users and exploit their security vulnerabilities. Cybercriminals send viruses, malicious software, and other illegal materials to infiltrate computers and networks. Their activities can be destructive, and they may even lead to physical harm.
What is the Cyber Crime Meaning?
The first known cybercrime was a hacking attempt in 1834, when a teenage boy broke into Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone company. Other early forms of cybercrime include phone hacking, which became popular in the 1960s and 1980s. These criminals gained access to systems to commit fraud, steal data, and disrupt the systems. One of the most high-profile cyber crimes was the North Korean state-sponsored group’s massive ransomware campaign.
Another major form of cybercrime is espionage. Espionage is the illegal acquisition of personal data, including email addresses, without the consent of the owner of the information. It is also a way of obtaining digital information that can be used to harass, blackmail, or harm the firm. Some examples of espionage are data alteration, which is changing data for political or other purposes, or trafficking in child pornography.
As the complexity of computer systems increases, so do the number and range of cyber crimes. The most serious are those that can be traced to computer viruses and malware. Malware infects a system and destroys files, and viruses can self-replicate and jump from device to device. Cryptojacking is another form of cybercrime, which involves unauthorized use of computing resources to mine cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.
Cybercriminals have become adept at evading detection and avoiding justice. As people become more aware of the dangers, more and more phishing campaigns infiltrate corporate networks. Phishing campaigns entice users to click on links that are designed to infect the user with malware.
Many financial crimes are easier to commit online, since the speed of the internet makes it much more difficult to detect the perpetrators. In addition, the relative anonymity of the internet makes it possible to commit crimes such as money laundering and child pornography without knowing the victim.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has launched a database, the Cybercrime Repository, to help countries prosecute cybercriminals. The repository contains a wealth of information on previous cyber crimes and case law. It is also intended to help countries develop and enforce legal policies.