Computer crime aka cybercrime aka e-crime aka hi-tech crime aka electronic crime.. the list goes on and on... generally refers to..
criminal activity where a computer or network is the source, tool, target, or place of a crime. However, these categories are not exclusive and many activities can be characterized as falling in one or more category.
As the use of computers has grown, computer crime has become more important.
Computer crime can broadly be defined as criminal activity involving an information technology infrastructure, including illegal access (unauthorized access), illegal interception (by technical means of non-public transmissions of computer data to, from or within a computer system), data interference (unauthorized damaging, deletion, deterioration, alteration or supp
ression of computer data), systems interference (interfering with the functioning of a computer system by inputting, transmitting, damaging, deleting, deteriorating, altering or suppressing computer data), misuse of devices, forgery (ID theft), and electronic fraud.
Computer crime can broadly be defined as criminal activity involving an information technology infrastructure, including illegal access (unauthorized access), illegal interception (by technical means of non-public transmissions of computer data to, from or within a computer system), data interference (unauthorized damaging, deletion, deterioration, alteration or supp
ression of computer data), systems interference (interfering with the functioning of a computer system by inputting, transmitting, damaging, deleting, deteriorating, altering or suppressing computer data), misuse of devices, forgery (ID theft), and electronic fraud.
Computer crime issues have become high-profile, particularly those surrounding hacking, copyright infringement through warez etc. Problems like privacy arises when confidential information is lost or intercepted, lawfully or otherwise.
With this, i actually came across an interesting video which actually tells you more about what cybercrimes are and the growing global threat that it is causing..
Hence, according to this website which i came across, i actually found out that that the top 3 internet crimes surfacing in Singapore include identity theft, credit card fraud and spam. Most of us tend to use credit cards while doing shopping online, and this results in increasing threats from unsecure online transactions.
Most of us tend to fall prey to cyber criminals who use banks and popular e-Commerce web sites to "phish" for unsuspecting consumers who simply click on web sites that look authentic but actually feed key credit card login details directly to cyber crooks.
Moving on, i would like to address a more inportant and relevant issue to most of us, ie social networking services
As stated in the article, findings have shown that various forms of malware activities exist within many social networking sites. For example, a popular site was compromised in late 2007 by banner ads that installed malicious files and programs onto a victim's computer. Other sites were also found to be embedded with codes that redirect users to malicious sites -- all in an effort to steal identity and private data. In addition, social networking sites can often be a haven for adware and spyware.
An increasing number of consumers are vulnerable to identity theft as more users choose to display personal information on their profile pages. It is easy to determine other personal details with something as simple as a birth date. Many organisations still use the date of birth as one of the "screening questions" when you call for assistance. This allows hackers to obtain personal data from these alternative avenues easily and thus enable them to masquerade a
s someone else with their particulars.
Many of us do not realise this but as users, we can also face real-life threats through social networking sites through unwanted contact.
It is no common for us to be persuaded to meet our virtual friends in the real world - which could spell DANGER.
While online social networks have revolutionised the way people communicate with each other and are ideal tools to keep in touch with friends and family all over the world, we need to be mindful of the threats and take adequate measures to protect our PCs and families from these threats.
Lastly, to end off, here are just some basic pointers to note on protecting ourselves against internet threats:
1)Set profiles on social networking sites to private
2)Be cautious and wise about what you post
3)Keep your security software up-to-date
4)Read between the "lines"
5)Avoid in-person meetings
Source: http://www.asiaone.com/Digital/Features/Story/A1Story20081007-92166.html
ONCE AGAIN, I URGE each of you to think twice before disclosing your particulars..PLAY YOUR PART IN PREVENTING CYBER CRIMES.
At present, i have not encountered anyone who lost personal information on their laptops. However, this issue has been on the tip of the police department for sometime. Cyber crime is indeed, getting robbed without physically seeing the attacker or the hacker.Even with the prevalent of security softwares,information is gone at an instance.Unless of course, one is capable of tracing the where bouts of the hacker.Thanks for letting us know, we can better prevent and take precautionary measures in defending our personal information.
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