Computer crime: About and types

               

Computer crime

This is the use of a computer to take or alter data illegally from persons, groups or companies by a knowledgeable computer user. Because of the versatility of the internet and information technology, people now depend on them greatly because of how easy it has made human life, business, social life and every other activity undertaken by humans.


These data are gotten illegally by hackers through so many ways which can be by sending malicious software to a pc or to a database and these software on being received by a pc or a web server, collect data from them and send them back to the hacker or by direct access to such databases by cracking the password, or anything that grants access to them.
So many activities can be regarded as computer crimes include; identity theft, software theft, and piracy, data interference, electronic frauds, child pornography, cyberbullying, etc.

Detailed explanations of some computer crimes are given below:

1. Phishing: This is the use of tricky ways to get passwords, usernames, and credit card details from people on the internet. This is usually done by copying the source codes of popular websites like facebook, twitter, PayPal, etc. by hackers and pasting them in another fake site, redirecting people to such sites using shortened links.

People mistaking such sites to popular sites, tend to enter their login details on them and once the details are submitted, they are saved in the hacker’s database or sent to his or her mailbox. It could also be carried out through emails.

2. Identity theft:   This is a more common computer crime. It involves the posing as someone by fraudsters with the aim of either extorting money from people, obtaining other forms of benefits or ruin the person’s reputations. This is usually done by charity organizations, churches or celebrities and done on social networks, forums, and blogs.

3. Hacking: Hacking is the act of getting into someone else’s computer system without permission in order to find out information or do something illegal by people known as hackers. Hackers exploit weaknesses in a computer system or computer network.

4. Cyber extortion: This is the use of threat or force by hackers to get money and other things from websites, companies, and people. Here, they threaten or harm websites, servers and portals and demand payment from them to avoid destroying them and often times offer to protect such websites while they are paid.

5. Salami slicing: This is a type of computer crime which involves the taking tiny fractions of every transaction that builds into a large sum of illegally gained money. It could be done by a hacker, in which he gains access to account numbers of individuals and firms and steal tiny amounts of money from each account which are unnoticeable.

6. Computer viruses: These are malicious softwares which are built by people with the purpose of damaging computer data and often make computers crash.

Others include:


7. Jamming of networks

8. Cyberterrorism

9. Cyberwarfare

10. Cyberstalking

Conclusion:
To bring this article to an end, I most proffer a solution to phishing which is common and can be easily prevented;

“Anytime you open a website, check the URL to ensure that is the actual one you intended to open before inputting your personal details like your username and password in case of facebook, twitter, PayPal and any of such sites that has login features”

Also, avoid entering your personal information on any website that you don’t trust or any unfamiliar blog requesting subscription or registration of any sort to avoid being hacked by anyone.