Cybercrime is a crime that involves a computer and a network. The computer may have been used in the commission of a crime, or it may be the target. Cybercrime may harm someone's security and financial health.
There are many privacy concerns surrounding cybercrime when confidential information is intercepted or disclosed, lawfully or otherwise. Internationally, both governmental and non-state actors engage in cybercrimes, including espionage, financial theft, and other cross-border crimes. Cybercrimes crossing international borders and involving the actions of at least one nation-state are sometimes referred to as cyber warfare. Warren Buffett describes cybercrime as the "number one problem with mankind" and "poses real risks to humanity."
Cyberextortion
Cyberextortion occurs when a website, e-mail server, or computer system is subjected to or threatened with repeated denial of service or other attacks by malicious hackers. These hackers demand money in return for promising to stop the attacks and to offer "protection".
Ad-fraud
Ad-frauds are particularly popular among cybercriminals, as such frauds are less likely to be prosecuted and are particularly lucrative cybercrimes
Identity fraud aims to impersonate real users and inflate audience numbers. Several ad-fraud techniques relate to this category and include traffic from bots (coming from a hosting company or a data center, or from compromised devices); cookie stuffing; falsifying user characteristics, such as location and browser type; fake social traffic (misleading users on social networks into visiting the advertised website); and the creation of fake social signals to make a bot look more legitimate, for instance by opening a Twitter or Facebook account.
E-mail Frauds
Hacking of the E-mail account:-
The email account of the victim is hacked by using various tools to capture the password of the account. This can be achieved by:-
- Sending phishing emails purportedly from genuine email accounts of the email service (but actually fake). The email contains links that prompt you to visit a page for updating your password and other credentials on the pretext of some system update, data loss, technology upgrade, regulatory compliance, etc. The links direct you to a fake page where, once you enter your login ID and password, the same get stealthily stolen by the fraudsters.
- Sending you unsolicited/spam mails containing attachments that have malwares embedded in them. Once such emails are opened and attachments activated the malware gets discreetly downloaded and installed on your device. The malware could be a keylogger that captures and sends all the keyboard taps to the fraudsters, which includes your account passwords. The other possible malwares could be ones that capture screenshot or read and transmit saved passwords.
- Email accounts having 2-factor authentication can also be got hacked when users share their OTP with fraudsters after getting tricked by social engineering tools.
Social Media Crimes
The most common targeted websites/apps for creating ‘Fake Profiles’ are as under:
- Facebook
- Instagram
- Twitter
- LinkedIn
Below are the common crimes being committed on or as a result of Social Media:-
1. Online Threats, Stalking, Cyber bullying
The most commonly reported and seen crimes that occur on social media involve people making threats, bullying, harassing, and stalking others online. While much of this type of activity goes unpunished, or isn't taken seriously, victims of these types of crimes frequently don't know when to call the police. If you feel threatened by a statement made online about you, or believe that the threat is credible, it's probably a good idea to consider calling the police.
2. Hacking and Fraud
Although logging into a friend's social media account to post an embarrassing status message may be acceptable between friends, but technically, can be a serious crime. Additionally, creating fake accounts, or impersonation accounts, to trick people (as opposed to just remaining anonymous), can also be punished as fraud depending on the actions the fake/impersonation account holder takes.
3. Buying Illegal Things
Connecting over social media to make business connections, or to buy legal goods or services may be perfectly legitimate. However, connecting over social media to buy drugs, or other regulated, controlled or banned products is probably illegal.
4. Vacation Robberies
Sadly, one common practice among burglars is to use social media to discover when a potential victim is on vacation. If your vacation status updates are publicly viewable, rather than restricted to friend groups, then potential burglars can easily see when you are going to be away for an extended period of time.
5. Creation of fake profile
Creation of fake profile of a person and posting offensive content including morphed photographs on the fake profile.
6. Fake online friendship
Developing online friendship over social media (with no real-life familiarity and using the emotional connect to trick you in transferring funds on some pretext such as medical emergency, legal troubles, problems in a foreign country etc.
Others:
• Mobile Apps related Crimes
• Fake Call Frauds
• Cheating Scams
