CYBER CRIME

Cyber Crime

                                                                                     

Defination

Cyber Crime is any criminal activity that involves a computer, networked device or a network.

Cybercrime is any criminal activity that involves a computer, networked device or a network. While most cybercrimes are carried out in order to generate profit for the cybercriminals, some cybercrimes are carried out against computers or devices directly to damage or disable them, while others use computers or networks to spread malware, illegal information, images or other materials. some cybercrimes do both- i.e, target computers to infect them with viruses, which are then spread to other machines and, sometimes, entire networks.

A Primary impact from cybercrime is financial, and cybercrime can include many different types of profit-driven criminal activity, including ransomware attacks, email and internet fraud and identity fraud, as well as attempts to steal financial account, credit information. Cybercriminals may target private personal information, as well as corporate data for theft and resale.

How cyber crime works

Cybercriminals use a number of attack vectors to carry out their cyberattcks and are constantly seeking new methods and techniques for achieving their goals, while advoiding detection and arrest. 

Where does cybercrime come from?

Cybercrime can begin wherever there is digital data, opportunity, and motive. Cybercriminals include everyone from the lone user engaged in cyberbullying to state - sponsored actors, like china's intelligence services. Cyber crimes generally do not occur in a vacuum; they are, in many ways, distributed in nature. That is, cyber criminals typically rely on other actors to complete the crime, whether it's the creator of  malware using the dark web to sell code, the distributor of illegal pharmaceuticals using cryptocurrency brokers to hold virtual money in escrow, or state threat actors relying on technology subcontractors to steal intellectual property.

Types of cyber crime

There are many different types of cybercrime; most cybercrimes are carried out with the expectation of financial gain by the attackers, though the ways cybercriminals aim to get paid can vary.For Example:

* Cyberextortion is crime involving an attack or threat of attack coupled with a demand for money to stop the attack. one from of cyberextortion is the attacker gains access to an organization's systems and encrypts its documents, files- anything of potential value- making the data inaccessible until a ransom is paid, usually in some from of cryptocurrency, such as bitcoin.

* cryptojacking attacks use scripts to mine cryptocurrencies within browsers without the user's consent. Such attacks may involve loading cryptocurrency mining software to the  victim's system. However, many attacks  depend on javascript code that does in browser mining as long as the user's browser has a tab or window open on the malicious site; no malware needs to be installed as loading the affected page executes the in browser mining code.

* Identity theft occurs when an attacker accesses a computer to glean a user's personal information that they can then use to steal that person's identity or access bank or other accounts. Cybercriminals buy and sell identity information on darknet markets. offering financial accounts, as well as other types of accounts, like video and audio streaming, online auctions and more. Personal health information is another frequent target of identity thieves.

* Credit card fraud occurs when hackers infiltrate retailer's systems to get the credit card and or /banking information of their customers. stolen payment cards can be bought and sold in bulk on darknet markets, where hackers who have stolen payment cards  profit by selling to lower- level cybercriminals who profit through credit card fraud against individuals accounts.

* Ransomware is a from of cyberextortion in which  the victim device is infected with malware that prevents the owner from using the prevents the owner from using the device or the data stored on it. To regain access to the device or the data stored on it. To regain access to the device or data, the victim has to pay the hacker a ransom. Ransomware can be inadvertently downloaded by opening an infected email attachment, visiting a compromised website or clicking on a pop-up ad.

* Cyberspionage occurs when a cybercriminal hacks into systems or networks to gain access to confidential information held by a government or other organization. Attacks may be motivated by profit or  by ideology, and cyberspionage activities can include every type of cyberattack to gather, modify or destroy  data, as well as using network- conneccted devices, like webcams or closed-circuit TV(CCTV) cameras, to spy on a targeted individual or groups and monitoring comunications, including email, text messages and instant messages.

* The dark web not surprisingly has given rise to the digital from of an old crime known as the digital from of an old crime known as the "exit scam". In today's from, dark web administrators divert virtual currency held in marketplace escrow accounts to their own accounts- essentially, criminals stealing from other criminals. 

Impact of cybercrime on businesses

The true cost of cybercrime is difficult to accurately assess. In 2018, McAfee released a report on the economic impact of cybercrime that estimated the likely annual cost to the global economy was nearly $600 billion, up from $45 billion in 2014.

While the financial losses due to cybercrime can be significant, businesses can also suffer other disastrous consequences as a result of criminal cyberattacks, including:

• Damage to investor perception after a security breach can cause a drop in the value of a company. In addition to potential share price drops, businesses may also face increased costs for borrowing and greater difficulty in raising more capital as a result of a cyberattack.

• Loss of sensitive customer data can result in fines and penalties for companies that have failed to protect their customers' data. Businesses may also be sued over the data breach.

• Damaged brand identity and loss of reputation after a cyberattack undermine customers' trust in a company and that company's ability to keep their financial data safe. Following a cyberattack, firms not only lose current customers, they also lose the ability to gain new customers.

Businesses may also incur direct costs from a criminal cyberattack, including the cost of hiring cybersecurity companies to do incident response and remediation, as well as public relations and other services related to an attack and increased insurance premium costs.

How to prevent cybercrime

While it may not be possible to completely eradicate cybercrime, businesses can reduce their exposure to it by maintaining an effective cybersecurity strategy using a defense in depthapproach to securing systems, networks and data. Some steps for resisting cybercrime include:

• develop clear policies and procedures for the business and employees;

• outline the security measures that are in place about how to protect systems and corporate data;

• use two-factor authentication apps or physical security keys: Activate two-factor authentication on every online account when possible;

• verbally verify the authenticity of requests to send money by talking to a financial manager;

• create intrusion detection system rules that flag emails with extensions that are similar to company emails

• carefully scrutinize all email requests for transfer of funds to determine if the requests are out of the ordinary.

• create a cybersecurity incident response management plans to support these policies and procedures;

• continually train employees on cybersecurity policies and procedures and what to do in the event of security breaches;

• keep websites, endpoint devices and systems current with all software release updates or patches; and

• back up data and information regularly to reduce the damage in case of a ransomware attack or data breach.                                                                                Causes of Cyber Crime

According to the credit-checking firm Experian, online identity theft increased 300 percent between 2010 and 2012 -- just one of the areas of online crime that has grown in recent years. Cyber crime -- including everything from identify theft and hacking to virus distribution and computer fraud -- is a complex area of criminology and one that is receiving more attention as computers are prevalent in our lives and handle more of our personal information. Like other areas of crime, its causes are sometimes difficult to establish, but certain trends in cyber crime are emerging.

Economically Motivated Cyber Crime

As is the case with many crimes committed outside the Internet, money is a major motivator for many cyber criminals. Especially because the dangers of criminality are less apparent when you're hiding behind a network, the perception of low risk and very high financial reward prompts many cyber criminals to engage in malware, phishing, identity theft and fraudulent money request attacks. Businessweek estimates that cyber crimes targeting online banking accounts alone, for example, pull in nearly 700 million dollars per year globally.

Personally Motivated Cyber Crime

Cyber criminals are still human beings and what they do -- including their crimes -- is often the cause of personal emotions and vendettas. From the disgruntled employee installing a virus on office computers to a jealous boyfriend hacking into a girlfriend's social media accounts or a teenager taking down a school website just to prove that he could do it, many cyber crimes are essentially crimes of passion committed over the Internet. Many of these crimes, however, can still have very serious impacts and cause considerable property damage.

Ideologically Motivated Cyber Crime

After financial companies like Visa, MasterCard and PayPal refused to let account and card holders make contributions to the controversial non-profit WikiLeaks, the "hacktivist" group Anonymous coordinated a series of bot attacks on the companies' servers, rendering them unreachable to Internet users. These kinds of attacks are conducted for perceived ethical, ideological or moral reasons, damaging or disabling computer equipment and networks to express grievances against individuals, corporations, organizations or even national governments.

Structural Causes

Beyond the causes that motivate criminals, the environment in which cyber crime is committed also serves to explain the prevalence of the phenomenon. While more and more personal and sensitive information is stored online -- increasing the potential rewards for cyber criminals -- neither computer security nor applications like email filters have improved dramatically in terms of coverage. According to the anti-virus manufacturer Norton, for example, as many as 41 percent of computers did not have up-to-date security protection in 2012.

Conclusion

Though not all people are victims to cyber crimes, they are still at risk. Crimes by computer vary, and they don’t always occur behind the computer, but they executed by computer. The hacker’s identity is ranged between 12 years young to 67years old. The hacker could live three continents away from its victim, and they wouldn’t even know they were being hacked. Crimes done behind the computer are the 21st century’s problem. With the technology increasing, criminals don’t have to rob banks, nor do they have to be outside in order to commit any crime. They have everything they need on their lap. Their weapons aren’t guns anymore; they attack with mouse cursors and passwords.

AUTHOR BY: Adv.Maitry Ketankumar Kansara