Computer crime or cybercrime is committed through the computer. Such offenses may threaten not only individuals but a whole nation or country. The perpetrator is a skillful computer user otherwise known as a hacker. This criminal intentionally steals private information or money.
Computer crime examples
Computer crime is a very wide notion. It has a great number of types. The following ones are the most common:
- Fraud- when hackers change banking records to steal the money through transferring to another account.
- Identity theft- when someone pretends to someone else, not himself/herself.
- Theft of intellectual property- when information or a product of a company is stolen and introduced as their property.
- Scam- the perpetrator tries to convince people to believe something which is in fact false.
- Spam- when thousands or hundreds of different addresses receive the same harmful email or message.
- Wiretapping- when the phone line is connected to a device to listen to conversations.
- Child pornography- this is the act of making or publishing child pornography via the internet.
- Cyber terrorism- when a business or a person gets blackmailed or threatened anonymously.
Avoid crimes
Computer crimes are often hidden in your computer software but you aren’t aware of it. Though the so-called hackers are very creative and intelligent knowing much more about computer technology than us, nevertheless there are some tips which you can use not to be a cyber crime victim.
Get Firewall
This is a kind of “arm to fight against the hackers.” It is a virtual barrier which doesn’t allow any information to flee into the network without your authorization. Firewall blocks the data which the network administrator doesn’t permit.
Up-to-date anti-virus software
Computer viruses are everywhere. They may cause to lose all data on the computer, sometimes even money. There are a number of anti-virus programs to install free or with some payment to protect your computer or network from harmful programs.
Restrict the access
Set a password to your computer. Only you should have an access to the computer. This enables you to avoid physical intrusion. When you don’t use your computer or laptop, don’t leave it switched on especially when there is internet connection nearby.
Don’t click on pop-ups
Pop-ups are not only bothering and “bagging” to click on them but also, in the majority of cases, contain viruses. To avoid their negative impact on your computer don’t ever click on and afterward verify something. If you do click, some malware is secretly installed on your computer.
Frequently change your passwords
No matter what account you are signing in, make a strong password and change it from time to time. Your password shouldn’t be such evident info as your name, birth date etc. Each account should have its own strong password. Never use the same for all. It will make your internet security vulnerable. Random numbers and symbols, combine all these together to create a safe password.
Computer as a tool or target?
On cybercrime, the computer may be either tool or target for the criminal. This crime is new in origin and exists as long as the computer itself. This “new crime” target is the computer network or devices. But when the target of a crime is an individual, not the system itself, in this case, the computer is just a means to reach that person. This crime existed even before the invention of technologies in the physical world. Such crimes are theft, scam etc.
When you are hacked
Anybody may become a victim of computer crime. If you have found out that you are a victim of such crime, take such steps as; immediately disable your computer from the internet connection. In this way, you will prevent information leakage from the computer to the cyber criminal. When your bank, credit or suchlike accounts are attacked, close them. If you are in the USA, you can report to the law enforcement agencies like The Federal Bureau of Investigation and The United States Secret Service. You can also file a police report which may later help you fight fraudulent claims.
Of course, you can decrease the chance of becoming a cyber crime victim. You should take the precautions and use strong security software for your PC.
