Essay on Cybercrime

Introduction

Business opportunities worldwide have experienced push and pull that tend to derail their business growth and success. Various interventions have been put in place to curb the risks associated with the push and pulls. Some of the interventions have yielded fruits, while others have proven to be futile. Cybercrime is one such threat that has posed many contentions in the business world and led to severe losses as far as business growth and success are concerned. In a layman’s language, cybercrime can be defined as a potential loss or rather harm closely associated with the use of technology, the organization’s reputation, or technical infrastructure. When cybercrime is not closely monitored, it proves to be one of the biggest headaches an organization or business faces. Efforts to effectively curb the menace have not been efficient, but joint efforts and ideas from developed countries are underway to ensure sanity in the cyber systems. This paper seeks to provide an insight into this menace in a broad aspect.

Types of Cybercrimes

First, the Distributed DoS attacks are a type of cybercrime attack that criminals use to bring down a system or a network. In some instances, the IoT (internet of things) is used to achieve the Distributed DoS attacks (Al-Khater, Al-Maadeed, Ahmed, Sadiq & Khan, 2020). This attack works by specifically overwhelming the system using one of the standard communication protocols the system uses to spam the system with continuous connection requests. Cybercriminals who major in extortion may use DDoS to demand money. Alternatively, the DDoS maybe be used as a distraction tactic while the real cybercrimes are taking place. Additionally, ransomware is another type of cyber-attack which is a form of malware. This is a form of malware that works by encrypting ones’ data and demands a ransom to acquire an unlock code. In most cases, the ransom wares are delivered via malicious emails. This type of cybercrime is dangerous because it is extortive in nature, and the unsuspecting victims end up being conned of their hard-earned money through this choreographed risk.

Moreover, phishing is another dangerous cybercrime. Phishing can be defined as an attempt by a criminal to gain sensitive information from an unsuspecting victim through posing as a trustworthy contact. This is majorly experienced in bank scenarios and online services. Spear phishing, for instance, is a hugely targeted scheme to gain information from an unsuspecting individual. Phishing emails at most times usually appear to be convincing and with genuine logos and wordings. Some of the criminals pose as high-ranking officials within a particular institution and hence make demands regarding payments, which lead to conning of the individuals. Impersonation is a common way criminals get away with their criminal activities and end up defrauding most citizens of their money.

Furthermore, data leakage is another cybercrime risk in the modern era. It is worth noting that despite cybercrime in the offices being an issue of contention, security extends beyond the office doorsteps. The use of tablets and smartphones has become a medium through which data is transported from the working area to the outside world. They are utilized in the backup and transportation of data. Those devices are a crucial target for data thieves. Nonetheless, hacking is also another cyber risk. The ability to gain access to the Information Technology systems of an organization while outside the organization is referred to as hacking. This is one of the most used techniques by cybercriminals in the current society. In most cases, the criminals have attempted to gain access to the bank accounts of individuals and databases. Conversely, intellectual property is a fundamental value that is priceless. The use of social engineering and dirty tricks into convincing staff members to reveal essential details, such as passwords and names, prove to be a massive threat to data management. Lastly, the aspect of insider threat is cyber risk. When a company or organization employs an individual on a temporary or permanent basis, there exists a possibility they could leak data by mistake or just maliciously (Ibrahim, Nnamani & Soyele, 2020). The potential damage associated with data leakage cannot be overlooked. This could provide a framework for the criminals to traverse the company’s crucial secrets or organization and effect downfall from without.

How to protect oneself against cybercrime

The first important step is always to ensure that software and operating system in laptops and phones are adequately updated. This is an important step that ensures that one benefits from the latest security patches essential in computer protection (Kikerpill, 2020). This should also be the case for the various organizations or companies that wish to protect their systems from cybercriminals. The latest forms of security patches are pretty hard to invade and are safer as compared to the previous ones. Moreover, there ought to be increased usage of antivirus software that is correctly updated. The use of comprehensive internet security solutions such as the Kaspersky Total Security is a brilliant move to protect the system from attacks. It is worth noting that antivirus software provides an individual with the rare opportunity to scan, detect, and remove any forms of threat before them being a problem. This valuable software is crucial in computer and data protection from cybercrime, resulting in peace of mind either from an individual or company.

Also, people ought to be very careful not to attempt and open attachments in spam emails. The primary way numerous systems and computers get infected by malware or other types of attacks is through the email attachments in the spam emails. To evade this, it is advisable never to open an attachment from a sender out of your recognition. This is also extended to the links that are found in emails or untrusted websites. They constitute a considerable percentage of how computers get infected. Additionally, it is essential never to disclose personal information unless it is safe (Moneva, 2021). This should be avoided in all manners possible, majorly via telephone or email, unless it is clear to your conscience that the line or email is very secure. This can be ascertained by making sure you are speaking to the person you think you are talking to.

Nonetheless, it should be a norm to directly contact a company or a firm if any suspicious requests or messages. Suppose one is requested to produce certain information regarding them. In that case, the best step is to hang up the call and call the company using their number on their official website page to ascertain that one is speaking to the company and not cybercriminals. It is safer to use a different phone to make the call because the criminals might also hold the line open.

Conclusion

It is clear from the above discussion that cybercrime is a pain in the neck not only to various individuals but also to big companies and multi-billion agencies. The various cyber crimes include; phishing, Distributed DoS attacks, and malware, just but to mention a few. Conversely, there are various ways in which the menace can be curbed, such as directly contacting a company or firm in case of anything, avoiding opening attachments and links from unknown sources, and increased use of antivirus software in companies and computers, amongst others.

References

Al-Khater, W. A., Al-Maadeed, S., Ahmed, A. A., Sadiq, A. S., & Khan, M. K. (2020). Comprehensive review of cybercrime detection techniques. IEEE Access, 8, 137293-137311.

Ibrahim, S., Nnamani, D. I., & Soyele, O. E. (2020). AN ANALYSIS OF VARIOUS TYPES OF CYBERCRIME AND WAYS TO PREVENT THEM. International Journal of Education and Social Science Research, 3(02), 274-279.

Kikerpill, K. (2020). The individual’s role in cybercrime prevention: internal spheres of protection and our ability to safeguard them. Kybernetes.

Moneva, A. (2021). Cyber Places, Crime Patterns, and Cybercrime Prevention: An Environmental Criminology and Crime Analysis approach through Data Science.