Cybercrime
What is Cybercrime?
Computers and the Internet offer great benefits to society, but they also present opportunities for criminal activities such as fraud and identity theft. As an Internet user, it is important that you have a clear picture of what cybercrime actually is so that you can take steps to reduce your risk.
As long as there have been computers, there have been attempts to use computers to commit crimes. Any crime committed with a computer, or targets a computer or a network, is known as cybercrime. While some people consider cybercrime as petty and not worth the expense of money and resources to stop it, the reality is that computer crimes can run the gamut anywhere form petty annoyances to wide-spread damage that can cost companies millions of dollars to fix.
Over the last years, an ominous change has swept across the Internet. The threat landscape once dominated by the worms and viruses unleashed by irresponsible hackers is now ruled by a new breed of cybercriminals. Cybercrime is motivated by fraud, typified by the bogus emails sent by "phishers" that aim to steal personal information. The tools driving their attacks and fueling the blackmarket are crimeware - bots, Trojan horses, and spyware.
In general, cybercrime can be broken down first into two main categories: Ones that target computers in attempt to cause damage, and ones that mean to exploit computers (or their users) to steal information, data, or identities. Whether a computer is attacked by either of these two methods, it’s done because a cybercriminal has exploited a vulnerability in the software (such as the operating system) or through social engineering, which tricks a computer user into accepting the attack willingly.
This is an important point to understand; because once a vulnerability has been found and used – even if it’s a practical joke that just contains a harmless line of text – it basically sends out a signal to any other cybercriminals that this computer is ripe for the taking.
Here are some examples of cybercrimes broken down into those two main categories:
Computer-targeted cybercrimes plus Crimeware: Bots, Trojans, Spyware, Rootkit
Computer-targeted cybercrimes are physical attacks that look to cause damage to a computer or infiltrate a computer in order to steal information. While spyware has occupied center stage of late, it is but one of the tools behind today's rash of cybercrime. Deceptive Trojan horses, multi-purpose bots, and spyware programs form the crimeware arsenal of today's hackers and are regularly bought and traded on the black market. The price tag of crimeware is often based on their ability to steal sensitive data such as bank and credit cards while remaining undetected by the victim. Rootkit is another type of malware employed by cyber criminals.
Some examples of how these types of cybercrimes are committed include:
- Viruses – Computer viruses are infectious programs that look to self-replicate in order to cause damage to as many computers as possible. By rule, viruses are solely meant to create havoc by deleting data files, destroying operating system files, and similar damage. Equivalent to vandalism in the “real” world, viruses can range from a child’s prank to the intentional destruction of entire networks. Viruses generally do not mean to steal information by themselves, although they can open the door for this to happen.
- Spyware – Any software that is surreptitiously installed on a computer in order to collect data or seek out protected information is known as spyware. Even some reputable companies attempt to install spyware on their users’ computers in order to track usage. Spyware can also be used to view text being typed (such as passwords) or to remotely view what the user sees, a form of voyeurism.
- Trojan horses – As the name implies, Trojan horses are a form of malware that is disguised to be a beneficial or desirable program. When brought onto the computer by the user, Trojan horse unleashes whichever type of malware is contained inside of it, anything from viruses to keylogging programs.
- Denial of service attacks – More of a grand-scale attack, the purpose of this type of cybercrime is to cause so much traffic on a certain network that it cripples it or shuts it down completely. Although a singular home computer user may not be a target, they may feel the effects if their Internet service provider is a target of the attack or a business they patronize is the victim, such as their online banking service.
Exploitative cybercrimes
Most exploitative types of cybercrimes never involve intrusions into a computer by the attacker. They are mostly confidence crimes that end up in the mark freely handing over information to the cybercriminal. These types of crimes include:
- Phishing and Pharming – The explosive growth of online fraud has made "phishing", and to a lesser extent "pharming" part of nearly every Internet user's vocabulary. Phishing and pharming are two popular forms of fraud that aim to dupe victims into believing they are at a trusted Web site such as their bank, when in fact they have been enticed to a bogus Web site that intends to steal their identity and drain their financial resources. This involves cybercriminals creating an elaborate message that can reasonably pass as if it were from a reputable business. They can be in the form of an e-mail message, an instant message, or a false Web site. Examples of phishing include e-mails that request a person to confirm their login and password information for their online banking, or a redirection of a Web browser to an alternate site in which the cybercriminal can record their information.
- 419 Scams – Similar to phishing, 419 scams attempt to trick a computer user into sending large amounts of money to a phony person in distress. Commonly known as Nigerian money scams, the difference is that these attempts are usually poorly written and do not look as if they came from a reliable source. They also usually don’t try to steal information, but sometimes they can.
- Cyberstalking – This type of crime may not result in any capital gain for a cybercriminal, but it can be damaging to the person being targeted. This can be in the form of threatening e-mails, or even attempts to lure an unsuspecting user into a dangerous situation. Child predators use this method online to perpetrate their crimes.
Cybercrime Prevention Tips
Cybercrime prevention can be straight-forward—when armed with a little technical advice and common sense, many attacks can be avoided. In general, online criminals are trying to make their money as quickly and easily as possible. The more difficult you make their job, the more likely they are to leave you alone and move on to an easier target. The tips below provide basic information on how you can prevent online fraud and attacks alike:
- Keep your computer current with the latest patches and updates.
- Make sure your computer is configured securely.
- Never open or forward chain e-mails.
- Choose strong passwords and keep them safe.
- Protect your computer with Internet security software.
- Protect your personal information. Never give out personal information to anyone.
- Online offers that look too good to be true usually are.
- Review bank and credit card statements regularly.
- If something sounds too good to be true or far-fetched, be skeptical about it. Research the information to see if it’s a scam.
These tips may not prevent cyberattacks 100%, but they can help defend against them and malware they spread around.