What is Cybercrime?
Cybercrime is the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) devices to commit crimes. It can also be used as a platform for other criminal activities such as fraud, money laundering, and terrorist activities. It can also affect public services and infrastructure such as power plants and hospitals.
Cyber criminals exploit a range of weaknesses in cyber security to access personal or company data. They may then use this data for malicious purposes such as ransomware and hacking to steal money, extort information, or even cause harm.
One of the most popular cyber crimes is phishing, whereby hackers send spam emails or other types of communication to trick recipients into clicking on infected links. This can then lead to malware being downloaded onto a device or system, allowing cybercriminals to steal sensitive or confidential information. This is often done in conjunction with a denial of service attack, where attackers flood a system or server with connection requests to make it unavailable.
Another common cybercrime is identity theft, which involves hackers gaining access to a victim’s online identity and using it for fraudulent transactions or other malicious activities. This can include a variety of different types of attacks such as fictitious online stores, social media scams, or ATM skimming. It can also be linked to more traditional forms of fraud such as bogus bank account transactions or fraudulent card-not-present (CNP) transactions.
The best way to prevent cyber crimes is by staying vigilant and being careful online. This means reading user reviews and checking screenshots before downloading applications and always keeping your devices up to date with the latest security patches. It is also important to have a good antivirus and antimalware solution in place to protect against the ever-evolving range of threats.