The internet is not a safe place anymore. As today’s generation is getting more connected with the digital world, even cybercrime is growing at the same rapid rate. Similarly, as you meet both good and bad people in the real world, you will also come across people on the Internet who use all their cybersecurity knowledge to help others, known as ethical hackers. But on the other hand, some people use their cyber skills to spread threats and create fear. These people are known as unethical hackers who commit fraud, violate privacy, and even steal your identity.
With time, cybercrime has cost various organizations, companies, societies, and governments a huge amount of money every year. And guess what is the worst thing? These cybercrimes happening on the internet shows no signs of slowing down. The number of cybercrimes is growing more and more each year. A report even stated that people in the USA are more concerned about cybercrimes than real-life-threatening crimes like terrorism, theft, or murder.
What is cybercrime?
If we describe it in simple words, cybercrime is a crime committed through the use of the internet. It is a criminal activity that either targets a computer device, a digital network, or a networked device. This type of crime is usually committed by hackers with the motive to make money. However, sometimes there may be even other reasons involved other than making profits.
Cybercrimes are either carried out by individuals or organizations. Nowadays, there are a lot of cyber criminals who are properly organized, use the latest technologies, and are highly skilled due to which cybercrimes are turning out to be serious threats.
Impact of cybercrime
As technology is getting more and more advanced, even the number of cybercrime is raising. Accenture’s State of Cybersecurity Resilience 2021 report stated that cyber attacks had increased by 31% from 2020 to 2021. The number of attacks per company increased from 206 to 270 just within a year. These cyber-attacks on companies even affected individuals as many of these companies stored sensitive data and personal information of their customers.
What are the different types of cybercrimes?
The crimes that we have mentioned here are not a complete list of network threats, it is just a review of the most popular types of digital crimes to make you aware of the common cyber crimes happening out there.
Identity theft
Identity theft which is also known as identity fraud is one of the worst cybercrime which has been rising high in this generation. It is all about stealing someone’s identity to indulge in illegal activities. In such cases, a hacker might steal your identity and use your data such as name, social security information, aadhar details, etc to use services in your name, commit some fraud or crime, steal property, etc.
Cyberstalking
Also known as cyberbullying, this is a cybercrime where a digital criminal sitting behind a screen tries to harass the person on the other end of the screen by connecting through the internet.
A lot of cyberstalking cases occur through various social media networks, instant messaging applications, dating apps or sites, etc.
Online Scams
Online scams usually involve fraudsters over the internet offering various fake services, goods, or rewards to the victims. Some of the highlighted examples of online scams are gambling scams, fake gift cards, online ticket scams, etc.
Social Engineering
It is a type of cybercrime that can be launched both against individuals or groups. This type of cybercrime is usually committed by manipulating people to reveal secretive information which they can make use of to illegally sign into a highly protected network. The major goal behind this cybercrime is to steal various sensitive information, money, or other financial data.
How to protect yourself from being a victim of cybercrime?
There are a lot of ways that you can use to prevent cybercrimes. Here, we are sharing with you the most common ways to do it.
Always keep your software up-to-date
Keeping your device software updated is very essential. You must always remember to update all your systems, services, and applications that are installed on your device to have the latest bugs so that all your data remains safe.
Keep your system firewall enabled
Most computer operating systems come with a fully pre-configured firewall to protect against malicious packages from both the inside and the outside. A system firewall plays the role of the first digital barrier whenever someone tries to insert any malicious packet into your device.
Make use of strong passwords
Always use different passwords on different websites, and always create such passwords that combine letters, special characters, and numbers.
The best way to create a strong password is by using a password manager like 1Password, LastPass, KeePass, etc. These password managers will help you generate strong passwords for each website, and also help you to store them in an encrypted database.
CONCLUSION
As long as there is the internet, there will always be cybercrime. It is a cruel reality and no one can avoid that. There are various ways through which one can become a victim of cybercrime. If you feel that you are ending up in any such situation, the best thing to do is connect with a detective agency in Delhi immediately.
