We are currently living in Cyber age, where Internet and computers have major impacts on our way of living, social life and the way we conduct businesses. and owing to this the new kind of crime has evolved that troubles users with the computer more precisely, criminal exploitation of the Internet.
▬ The trafficking, distribution, posting, and dissemination of obscene material including pornography and indecent exposure, constitutes one of the most important Cyber crimes known today. The potential harm of such a crime to humanity can hardly be amplified. This is one Cyber crime which threatens to undermine the growth of the younger generation as also leave irreparable scars and injury on the younger generation, if not controlled
▬ Cyber terrorism is one distinct kind of crime in this category. The growth of internet has shown that the medium of Cyberspace is being used by individuals and groups to threaten the international governments as also to terrorize the citizens of a country. This crime manifests itself into terrorism when an individual "cracks" into a government or military maintained website.
▬ Corporate espionage has shifted grounds — it has now become digital and certainly more dangerous.
Planting a mole in a rival company to get sensitive data or hiring a detective firm to get access to company secrets are passé.
Take for instance, the case of a Delhi-based software firm whose sensitive source code data was stolen. The company that was working on one of its software lost its data to hackers.
Cyber criminals target trade secrets and product planning documents that they later sell to rival firms, many people have access to a computer whether at home, school, or a local coffee shop. As a result, cyber crime can be committed from almost anywhere. And for those that aren't computer savvy, falling victim may be easier than you would think. But there are some precautions you can take to help guard you and your family against cyber crime, Antivirus And Anti spyware Software which are used to restrict backdoor program, trojans and other spy wares to be installed on the computer then there are firewalls which protect a computer network from unauthorized access.
Also there are Cyber ethics and cyber laws are being formulated to stop cyber crimes. It is a responsibility of every individual to follow cyber ethics and cyber laws so that the increasing cyber crimes shall reduce.
Besides these there are several steps you can take to protect your computer from cyber crime.
First, keep your computer's operating system and software updated. Manufacturers will regularly send out patches and fixes to defend your computer from problems. Secondly, install a firewall and make sure that it is turned on at all times. The firewall prevents hackers from gaining access to your computer as well as passwords that you've created. In some cases, when you install new software you need to turn off the firewall briefly. If you do, be sure to turn it back on immediately after installation. Thirdly, install anti-virus software and update it regularly. For best results, have it perform a daily scan to check for computer threats as well as any new software that may need to be installed. Lastly, be careful what you download. Many email attachments contain computer viruses which can be launched upon opening. If you don't know the sender, don't bother opening it. It's not worth the risk of an email virus.
E-mail Scams
• Today's cyber criminals are sophisticated, they can send e-mails that look like they are from reputable companies asking for your personal information. If you aren't aware of how they operate you may unwittingly send them information, which will give them access to your personal account information. Once they have this, they can drain your account of all available funds. Likewise, some criminals will send e-mails posing to be from foreign countries and asking for help with moving money from their country to America. The rule of thumb is, if it sounds too good to be true it probably is. Why would someone you don't know contact you with help moving money and offer you a cut of it? It doesn't add up and your best bet is to delete these e-mails immediately
Peer Sharing
• While it may seem great to swap files over the Internet there are many risks associated with it. Because all parties involved must download software, which allows them to access each others computers, it opens up opportunity for computer hackers to attack your system. Hackers can then release viruses and worms onto your hard drive. And if you didn't properly download the file sharing software, hackers may be able to see the entire contents of you hard drive, not just the drives where your shared files are stored. In addition, file sharing can make your computer the target of child pornography images. It can also result in copyright infringement violations. It's best to not share information with those you don't know, especially over an open connection on the computer. Instead, opt for sharing with those who are your friends and put the information on a flash drive. Also, don't share information that is copyrighted as it opens you up for being sued.
