Cyber Crime Any illegal activity committed using a computer and/or the internet can be called a cyber crime. 12 Types of Cyber Crime 1. HACKING Hacking is an act committed by an intruder by accessing your computer system without your permission. 2. VIRUS DISSEMINATION “Viruses” are computer programs that attach themselves to or infect a system or files, and have a tendency to circulate to other computers on a network. They disrupt the computer operation and affect the data stored-either by modifying it or by deleting it altogether. “Worms” unlike viruses don’t need a host to cling on to. They merely replicate until they eat up all available memory in the system. “Trojan horses” are different from viruses in their manner of propagation. They masquerade as a legitimate file, such as an email attachment from a supposed friend with a very believable name, and don’t disseminate themselves. 3. LOGIC BOMBS A logic bomb, also known as “slag code”, is a malicious piece of code which is intentionally inserted into software to execute a malicious task when triggered by a specific event. It’s not a virus, although it usually behaves in a similar manner. 4. DENIAL-OF-SERVICE ATTACK A Denial-of-Service(DOS) attack is an explicit attempt by attackers to deny service to intended users of that service. It involves flooding a computer resource with more requests than it can handle consuming its available bandwidth which results in server overload. This causes the resource to crash or slow down significantly so that no one can access it. 5. PHISHING This is a technique of extracting confidential information such as credit card number and username-password combos by masquerading as a legitimate enterprise. Phishing is typically carried out by email spoofing. 6. E-MAIL BOMBING & SPAMMING “E-mail bombing” is characterized by an abuser sending huge volumes of email to a target address resulting in victim’s email account or mail servers crashing. The message is meaningless and excessively long in order to consume network resources. “Spamming” is a variant of email bombing. Here unsolicited bulk messages are sent to a large number of users, indiscriminately. Opening links given in spam mails may lead you to phishing web sites hosting malware. Spam mail may also have infected files as attachments. 7. WEB JACKING Web jacking derives its name from “hijacking”. Here, the hacker takes control of a web site fraudulently. He may change the content of the original site or even redirect the user to another fake similar looking page controlled by him. 8. CYBER STALKING Cyber stalking is a new form of internet crime in our society when a person is pursued or followed online. A cyber stalker doesn’t physically follow his victim; he does it virtually by following his online activity to harvest information about the stalkee and harass him or her and make threats using verbal intimidation. 9. DATA DIDDLING Data Diddling is unauthorised altering of data before or during entry into a computer system, and then changing it back after processing is done. 10. IDENTITY THEFT AND CREDIT CARD FRAUD “Identity theft” occurs when someone steals your identity and pretends to be you to access resources such as credit cards, bank accounts and other benefits in your name. The imposter may also use your identity to commit other crimes. “Credit card fraud” is a wide ranging term for crimes involving identity theft where the criminal uses your credit card to fund his transactions. Credit card fraud is identity theft in its simplest form. 11. SALAMI SLICING ATTACK A “salami slicing attack” or “salami fraud” is a technique by which cyber-criminals steal money or resources a bit at a time so that there’s no noticeable difference in overall size. The perpetrator gets away with these little pieces from a large number os resources and thus accumulates a considerable amount over a period of time. 12. SOFTWARE PIRACY Software piracy is the unauthorised use and distribution of computer software. Software developers work hard to develop these programs, and piracy curbs their ability to generate enough revenue to sustain application development. This affects the whole global economy as funds are relayed from other sectors which results in less investment in marketing and research.
Posted on: Sun, 04 Aug 2013 16:58:59 +0000
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