What is a Cybercrime and How to Protect Yourself from Them!

What is a Cybercrime? Maybe there are still many of you who are still quite unfamiliar with this one term. In fact, cybercrime is a serious threat, especially in the era of computer technology and the internet which is growing rapidly.

Crime in cyberspace always lurks internet users anytime and anywhere. The main target is not only individuals but also big companies. In general, attackers target financial gain to the extent of harming the victim.

So what exactly is Cyber Crime? In this article, we will review the definition of cybercrime, examples, and also how to avoid it. The goal is that you become more aware of these cybercrimes and can avoid the threat of dangerous risks.

What is a Cybercrime?

In general, cybercrime is a form of cybercrime that uses computers and the internet. Thus, cybercrime is a threat to individuals as well as to other large companies.

Citing the TechTarget page, cybercrime is defined as criminal activity involving computers, networks and devices connected to the network. Cybercriminals target personal or corporate data for theft and resale.

Meanwhile, referring to the OECD (Organization of European Community Development), the notion of cybercrime is all forms of illegal access to a data transmission. So that it can be interpreted that any form of unauthorized activity in a computer system is a cybercrime.

Today, the threat of cybercrime is increasingly diverse and can attack anyone. According to a study that has been done, in 2020 there were 137.7 million types of malware found.

Meanwhile, in the first half of 2021, the number of malware threats found has reached 92.45 million malware samples. The projection states that threats to malware tend to increase in very significant numbers from year to year.

Read: 15 Best VPNs For Safer Internet

Usually, cybercrime is carried out with various malicious purposes that harm the victims, both in terms of device security or financially. Examples of cybercrime are hacking, cracking, and so on.

The threat of cybercrime that is so massive, of course, needs special attention. Make sure that you are always careful when you are on the internet. Because the internet is a world that is prone to crime and data theft.

One example of cybercrime that is relatively common until now is the forgery of social media accounts, such as Facebook. Usually, the perpetrators will create “clone” accounts from other people, especially public figures or anyone with a large number of followers.

Using these pseudo accounts, they can attract a lot of attention and carry out their evil plans by approaching several people and pretending to ask for help in the form of money.

Another example can occur in some dating apps by means of catfishing, namely using other people’s photos and fake identities and then ultimately deceiving the victims. Not only financial losses, the impact of catfishing is psychologically detrimental.

Why is Cyber Crime So Dangerous?

After knowing What is a Cybercrime, of course you also need to know the potential dangers that can be caused. Because crime on the internet is very dangerous and can provide very large losses.

Read: What is Network Security? Types and Functions

The loss in question, of course, is not only financial loss. But also other losses, both material losses and non-material losses. For information, here are some reasons why cybercrime is a very dangerous activity.

Losing Important Data

One of the most dangerous impacts of cybercrime activities is the loss of important data. The data in question is of course not only personal data but also other data, such as company data or server data.

Data theft is the most common occurrence of cybercrime. The main purpose of data theft is generally related to finance for the benefit of the hacker. This of course will be very detrimental to the victims because they lose important data and privacy.

Damage to Computer Software and Devices

Theft of important data is not the only reason why cybercrime is a very dangerous act. Cybercrime can also cause damage to software or computer equipment.

Damage that occurs to the software or computer will certainly provide a very large loss. Damage that occurs to the device can have a wide and varied impact. Especially if the computer device uses a pirated or outdated operating system.

Online Reputation Threatened

Cybercrime can also have a negative impact on reputation. When an individual or company experiences cybercrime, it has the potential to damage the online reputation of the victim. For business people, this can reduce customer confidence in their business or company.

Financial Losses

The next danger of cybercrime is related to financial losses. Cybercrimes generally also target the financial sector. This has resulted in rampant digital theft of money through cybercrime activities.

Read: What is Firewall? Definition, Types, and Function

Hackers generally use security holes and user carelessness in carrying out their actions. Sometimes many people are complacent and just click on certain links that trigger cybercrime activities such as theft of money in bank accounts.

Commonly Used Cyber Crime Methods

Hackers generally have several different methods to carry out cybercrimes. For information, the following are the methods commonly used in cybercrime:

Spoofing Method

A relatively common method used in cybercrime is spoofing. In short, spoofing is the act of falsifying identity or data so that the perpetrators can enter a certain network or even into the account of the original owner.

After hackers manage to get into the network or server, then they can carry out criminal acts according to their goals. Starting from data theft, financial theft, and can even destroy the system.

Sniffing

The next method that can also be used to commit cybercrime is Sniffing. The sniffing method is an attempt to steal someone else’s account which includes passwords and usernames. So that the account is actually taken over by people who should not.

After the account is taken over, the hacker can do many things for his personal gain. Of course, this action will have a negative impact on victims who experience account theft.

Destructive Device

A destructive device is a particular software or program that contains viruses, such as nukes, trojan horses, worms, and email bombs. This is usually intended to damage or destroy data on the computer concerned.

Password Cracker

The next method that is often used in cybercrime is a password cracker. This method is an attempt to steal someone’s account password with the help of a certain program to be able to open the password encryption.

DDoS

DDoS or Distributed Denial of Attacks is an attack on a computer or server in the internet network that can consume a lot of resources so that the network cannot function properly.

Examples of Cyber Crime Cases

Generally, there are many types of cybercrime cases that occur in this world. Some examples of common cybercrimes are as follows:

Phishing

One of the cases of cybercrime is phishing. It can be said that phishing is the most common cybercrime case by hackers.

Phishing is done with the aim of stealing the victim’s important data, such as username, password, identity, PIN, and so on. This crime is usually carried out by tricking the victim through fake sites, fake links, and so on.

Hacking

An example of a cybercrime case that is no less popular is Hacking. The perpetrators of this crime are called hackers. Hackers can attack any network or server they want for a specific purpose.

In short, hacking is a cybercrime that breaks into other parties’ computer networks with various purposes, such as stealing data, damaging systems, and others. Hacking is a crime that is relatively common, especially on the internet.

Malware Attack

Malware attacks are an example of cybercrime that also needs to be watched out for. Malware attacks are carried out by infiltrating software on the victim’s computer that comes from various media, ranging from fake websites, emails, or website themes.

Read: 12 Types of Computer Viruses You Need to Get Rid of Right Now

Once the victim’s device is infected by the infiltrated malware, the hacker will start taking over the device. As a result, the device could be damaged or even remotely monitored activities.

It is possible that what was infiltrated was a Backdoor. If the device has been compromised by Backdoor, then the potential for loss of personal data or other data will increase.

Social Engineering is also an example of cybercrime that has recently been rampant. These cybercrimes generally target digital banking users or people who often carry out internet banking activities.

Generally, the perpetrators manipulate the victims by directly contacting them. Some of them asked about OTP (One Time Password) and so on with the aim of being able to get financial benefits from user carelessness.

To avoid any loss, it is highly recommended not to give any OTP code to other people. Because OTP is unique and personal with the aim of security authentication when logging into certain networks.

Exploit Kit

Exploit kit is a computer attack program that has a low security system. By exploiting loopholes due to low security, this program can download malware so that the computer can be controlled by perpetrators freely.

How to Avoid Cyber Crime

After knowing What is a Cyber Crime, it is also important to understand how to avoid this crime. For information, here are some ways that can be used to reduce the risk of cybercrime.

Nowadays, social media is getting more and more popular and widely used. The large number of social media users can become easy targets for cybercriminals. Especially for users who are still new and don’t really understand the intricacies of social media.

Therefore, keep your account and social media posts safe. Avoid sharing any personal or private information such as family member names, pet names, nicknames, and the like.

If there is suspicious activity such as spam or attempted login to your social media accounts, please report it to the relevant platform immediately. Then you can change the password of the social media account to ensure that it remains secure.

Using a Unique Password

The next tip that can be used to avoid cybercrime is to use a password that is unique and not easy to guess. Avoid using general passwords such as using names, birthdays, house numbers, or other general information that is easy to guess.

Instead, you can use a combination of letters, symbols, and numbers to make your password strong and unique. The goal is to make it difficult for hackers to break into using your password.

Using Two Factor Authentication

The next way to avoid cybercrime is to use two-factor authentication. This method is relatively powerful enough to protect accounts from the risk of data theft or cybercrime.

In short, Two factor authentication or 2FA is a double security method by verifying in real time. So not only username and password, you will also be asked to enter the OTP code via SMS or email.

Using SSL

SSL is one of the additional security of the website and you can usually find it on the URL of a website. The SSL display uses a padlock icon display next to the URL. The existence of this SSL guarantees that every internet data exchanged between visitors and the website is protected through encryption techniques.

Avoid Clicking Random Links

Cybercrimes can also occur because of the carelessness of internet users. For example, cybercrime can occur when you click on any link or ad that appears on the device’s browser.

Read: What is Trojan and How to Keep Your Computer Safe

Therefore, avoid clicking links carelessly, especially when on the internet. Make sure that the link to be visited is a safe official link and not a phishing or scamming link.

Conclusion

Cybercrime is an action that has recently become increasingly common. Cybercrime has different purposes ranging from data theft, device destruction, and so on. However, cybercrime still provides enormous losses to victims.

There are many methods of cybercrime that hackers can use. Starting from phishing, scamming, spoofing, and so on. Therefore, you must always be careful in carrying out activities on the internet to avoid these cybercrimes.

That’s the article about What is a Cybercrime in full. After reading this article, we hope to increase your knowledge regarding cybercrime and find out how to avoid it.

What is a Cybercrime and How to Protect Yourself from Them!

Table of Contents

What is a Cybercrime?