Cybercrime: Definition, Types, and Steps to Prevent It

Anyone can be a target of cybercrime threats; be it individuals, companies, or governments.

As a matter of fact, well-known technology companies such as Google, Yahoo, and Apple have also been victims of various cyber-attacks. 

Let's understand more deeply what cybercrime is, its impact, as well as some of its categories and types. I hope that by understanding

You will be able to better understand the dangers of this threat to your device or network, then be able to take all precautions to always be protected when using the internet.

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What is Cybercrime?

Cybercrime is a criminal act carried out by cybercriminals, hackers, or cyber crooks via the internet, and targets personal computers, networks, and devices on the network.

These illegal actions can be carried out by individuals or by organized groups. Some cybercriminals are even very professional groups, have good technical skills, and can use sophisticated attack patterns.   

There are several motives that usually underlie this cybercrime action, including:

• Earn some money; either by extorting victims directly or by selling the data they have stolen to certain parties;
• Damage or disable the victim's device or network. It could be that the perpetrators want to sabotage their competitors to win the business competition; 
• Not infrequently, hackers are part of a political group or are contracted by election candidates to manipulate voting results or take other actions to achieve political goals;
• Sometimes, cybercrooks challenge themselves to be able to penetrate the digital security of certain companies or institutions. Or, they want to gain status or recognition for breaking through strong cybersecurity systems;
• It is undeniable that cybercrime is often an inseparable part of cyberwar/cyberwarfare between one country and another.

Negative Impact of Cybercrime

Cybercrime can cause a bad influence on the victim. Some of them are: 

1. Financial Losses

McAfee, in their report entitled “The Economic Impact of Cybercrime—No Slowing Down”, released that cybercrime has caused losses of up to $600 billion (USD) worldwide. The report also states that cybercrime is the third biggest threat to the world economy after corruption and narcotics. 

2. Damaging Reputation

Cybercrime can result in the loss of trust from customers, investors, and other companies in a brand. In the end, victims will find it difficult to get new customers and suffer financial losses that are not small.

3. Loss of Important Data

Without a doubt, cybercrime is a major threat to the security of corporate and customer data. The bad news is, customers can sue you for the loss or leak of the data. Not only that, but you can also be subject to fines and penalties from the relevant authorities.

Types and Categories of Cybercrime

Referring to the US Department of Justice (DOJ), cybercrime is divided into three categories, namely: 

• First, the computer as the object of cybercrime. In this category, cybercriminals will infect the target device with malware to disable it or steal data.
• Second, the computer as the subject of cybercrime. Here, the perpetrator will turn the target device (another user) into a subject to carry out cybercrime, for example, launching a DDoS attack. 
• Third, the computer as an instrument or tool to commit crimes. For example, hackers use computers to store stolen data or other illegal data.

The several types of cybercrime are as follows: 

1. Identity Theft

Identity theft is the act of cybercriminals accessing your sensitive data. For example, the perpetrator steals your credit card information, then uses it to make certain transactions. In other cases, the perpetrator will also sell your personal data over the internet.    

2. Hacking

Hacking refers to the actions of hackers accessing your device without your knowledge or permission. After successfully logging into your system or network, the perpetrator will then carry out various other criminal acts.

3. PUPs (Potentially Unwanted Programs)

Once upon a time, you installed an application/software that was downloaded from the internet. But apparently, you find that some unwanted programs are also installed. These additional programs are called PUPs. The danger, PUPs can be in the form of spyware or adware which is very dangerous.

4. Illegal Content

Sharing illegal content on the internet is also a cybercrime. Some examples of illegal content include pornography, terrorism, acts of violence or crime, child abuse, hoaxes, and other types of content that violate the law, violate norms, and disrupt public order.  

5. Cyberstalking

Cyberstalking (or online stalking) is the act of cybercriminals to harass, intimidate, or frighten their victims by monitoring their activities on the internet. In addition, cyberstalking also includes the actions of the perpetrator making false accusations, threatening, insulting, or disturbing the victim through social media, email, or certain forums.

In addition to these five things, several other types of crimes such as phishing, cyberextortion, cryptojacking, and software piracy are also included in the type of cybercrime.

Protect Yourself from Cybercrime Threats!

After learning what cybercrime is and its negative effects, you will now understand more and more how important it is to protect your device and data from these threats. 

Although efforts to eliminate all cybercrime attacks are quite difficult and arguably impossible, you can at least take the following precautions:   

• Never download any files or programs from untrusted sites;
• Avoid clicking on links or downloading attachments received from suspicious senders;
• Use a strong password. You can take advantage of a password manager tool that is supported by a password generator—a feature that can help you create unique and strong passwords for each account; 
• Maximize two-factor authentication (2FA) to provide your account with multiple layers of security;
• Arm your system and network with the latest security patches and software updates;
• Backup your data regularly to prevent loss or damage to your data;
• Always be careful when using public Wifi. It's a good idea to use a VPN to encrypt your data;
• Install anti-virus or anti-malware software to scan, detect and remove any cyber threats on your device;
• Do not provide your sensitive data, unless you have researched and confirmed the identity of the requesting party.