What is Cybercrime?
Cybercrime is the use of digital technologies to commit crimes, and it can include everything from hacking to online banking fraud. It can be committed by individuals, groups or organizations and can affect individuals or entire economies. Cybercriminals can be found all over the world and are increasingly using psychological manipulation, phishing and malware to attack businesses and steal data that can be used for illicit purposes.
The internet’s speed, convenience and anonymity make it an ideal place for criminals to conduct their activities. Cybercriminals can be individuals with limited technical skills or highly organized global criminal groups, and because cyber attacks have no borders they are harder to detect and prosecute.
Cyber attacks can vary and are often motivated by profit or ideology, but they can also include extortion, which is when criminals demand money to give back stolen information or stop an activity such as a denial of service attack. This type of attack is a way to cause disruption to a business or a government body’s website and can have wider effects such as stopping a healthcare system from operating, for example.
Individuals can protect themselves against cyberattacks by keeping websites, computer systems and endpoint devices updated with the latest software releases and patching, never opening an attachment from an unknown source and creating complex passwords that are not easily guessed or recorded. They can also reduce the risk of loss of information or data by backing up regularly, and it is vital to always think before clicking a link in an email or other messages.