what is cybercrime in essay

Cyber Crime Essay for Students and Children

500+ words essay on cyber crime.

Cyber Crime Essay – Everybody thinks that only stealing someone’s private data is Cyber Crime. But in defining terms we can say that ‘Cyber Crime refers to the use of an electronic device (computer, laptop, etc.) for stealing someone’s data or trying to harm them using a computer.

Besides, it is an illegal activity that involves a series of issues ranging from theft to using your system or IP address as a tool for committing a crime.

Types of Cyber Crime

Speaking in a broadway we can say that Cyber Crime are categorized into four major types. These are Financial, Privacy, Hacking, and Cyber Terrorism.

The financial crime they steal the money of user or account holders. Likewise, they also stole data of companies which can lead to financial crimes. Also, transactions are heavily risked because of them. Every year hackers stole lakhs and crores of rupees of businessmen and government.

Privacy crime includes stealing your private data which you do not want to share with the world. Moreover, due to it, the people suffer a lot and some even commit suicide because of their data’s misuse.

In, hacking they intentional deface a website to cause damage or loss to the public or owner. Apart from that, they destroy or make changes in the existing websites to diminish its value.

Modern-day terrorism has grown way beyond what it was 10-20 years ago. But cyber terrorism is not just related to terrorists or terrorist organizations. But to threat some person or property to the level of creating fear is also Cyber Terrorism.

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Cyber Crime in India

Web world or cyberspace is a massive community of millions and billions of users and websites. Also, people access it for different uses like shopping, movies, music, video games, transactions, and e-commerce, etc.

In this Age of Technology and easy access to the internet, anyone can easily reach it. Because of this fast pace growth from the previous decade. Besides, the internet has opened a world of information on which anyone can connect.

Due to, this the rate of crime especially the rate of Cyber Crime has increased much fold. Moreover, the rate of circulation of data is also increased much fold due to the higher speed of internet. Above all, due to all these issues, the Cybersecurity has become a major concern for society.

Laws related to Cyber Crimes

To stop the spread of Cyber Crime and to safeguard the interest of people the government has made several laws related to Cyber Crimes. Also, these laws serve as protection against Cyber Crime. Apart from that, the government has also introduced cyber cells in police stations to counter the problem of Cyber Crime as fast as they can.

Ways of stopping Cyber Crime

Cyber Crime is not something which we cannot deal with our self. Likewise, with little use of our common sense and logic, we can stop Cyber Crimes from happening.

To conclude, we can say that Cyber Crime is a dangerous offense to someone’s privacy or any material. Also, we can avoid Cyber Crime by following some basic logical things and using our common sense. Above all, Cyber Crime is a violation of not only law but of human rights too.

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Cyber Crime Essay

The unlawful act of gaining unauthorised access to computer systems or digital devices is known as cybercrime. A detailed grasp of how to stop or recover from cyberattacks is provided by cyber security. Online courses offer guidance on how to avoid, safeguard against, and recover from cybercrime risks. Here are a few sample essays on the topic ‘Cyber Crime’.

100 Words Essay on Cyber Crime

200 words essay on cyber crime, 500 words essay on cyber crime.

Cybercrime is the most discussed problem in the twenty-first century. The usage of cellphones and the internet is increasing dramatically over the world, which is generating questions about consumers' security and privacy. Because of this, it is crucial for all users to understand cybercrime and security. Cybercrime is defined as organised criminal conduct carried out by attackers online. Cybercrime comes in numerous forms, such as fraud, computer viruses, cyberstalking, and others. Due to these, businesses and government organisations are spending more on maintaining and employing professionals in cybercrime.

There are millions and billions of users and websites in the vast community known as cyberspace. People utilise it for a variety of activities including e-commerce, transactions, shopping, movies, music, and video games. Anyone can simply access anything online in the current technological era owing to accessible internet connection. As a result, crime in general and cybercrime in particular have surged dramatically. Additionally, the faster internet connection has greatly boosted the rate of data circulation. All of these problems are responsible as to why cyber security has grown to be a significant issue for society.

The government has created a number of cybercrime-related laws in an effort to curb the spread of the crime and to protect people's interests. These laws also provide defence against cybercrime. Aside from that, the government has established cyber cells in police stations to combat cybercrime as quickly as possible.

Cybercrime is an attack that can be harmful to both an individual and a business. There have been several instances where a cyber attack led to a data leak that caused a significant loss for a business or a person. These cyber-attacks could have negative effects on the country and the business. The countless instances of cyberattacks that have taken place in India and other nations have necessitated increased security measures. There are four main categories of cybercrime, according to a popular definition—hacking, money, privacy, and cyber terrorism.

Cybercrime is a type of crime in which illegal activities are carried out online or using computers. Cybercrime comes in a variety of forms which involves harassing online users. Cybercrime is the most serious and rapidly expanding type of crime in this day and age. Any person's life may be negatively impacted for a very long time by becoming a cyber victim. Cybercrimes have a wide range of repercussions on financial and investment activity in digital organisations.

One typical tactic used by criminals is to lure online users in by creating attractive websites and sending phoney emails purporting to be from banks or other organisations and asking for personal information. It makes it easier for criminals to access a person's bank account and personal data. Due to viruses, mail fraud, account hacking, and software piracy, people have been victims of cybercrimes. They also run into problems with unauthorised access mailing, threats from pornographic emails, and video transmission.

Types of Cyber Crime

Cyberstalking | It is the use of electronic communication to track down a person or to make repeated attempts to get in touch with them in order to foster personal interaction despite their blatant lack of interest. Anyone who monitors the internet, email, or any other form of electronic communication is guilty of stalking.

Phishing | It is a sort of fraud that includes collecting personal data from recipients of emails that seem to be coming from a reliable source, including Customer ID, IPIN, Credit/Debit Card number, Card expiration date, CVV number, etc.

Vishing | It is an attempt when criminals attempt to obtain personal information over the phone, such as Customer ID, Net Banking password, ATM PIN, OTP, Card expiration date, CVV, etc.

Smishing | It is a sort of fraud that employs text messages sent to mobile devices to entice victims into dialling a fake phone number, going to a fake website, or downloading harmful software.

Impersonation And Identity Theft | This includes the dishonest or fraudulent use of another person's electronic signature, password, or other distinctive identification trait.

Virus, Worms, Trojan | A computer virus is a programme designed to infiltrate your computer, corrupt your files and data, and spread itself. Worms are malicious software applications that repeatedly duplicate themselves on local drives, network shares, etc. Trojan is a malicious programme that mimics a legitimate application. Trojans offer unauthorised people and applications access to your computer through a backdoor entry, allowing them to steal sensitive data.

How to Prevent Cyber Crime

Backup every piece of information—data, systems, and considerations—to make it easier for businesses to recover from unforeseen events with the help of prior data.

Pick a firewall that offers protection from viruses, malware, and dishonest hackers.

Never divulge private information to a stranger since they might exploit it for fraud.

To avoid cybercrime, check your security settings—in order to determine if someone has logged into your computer, a cyber firewall analyses your network settings.

Antivirus software aids in identifying potential threats and malware before they infect a computer system. Never use software that has been cracked since it poses a serious risk of data loss or malware attack.

Keep your information protected when accessing untrusted websites—information can readily bypass the data through phishing websites.

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116 CyberCrime Topics & Essay Samples

If you are writing a cybercrime essay, our team prepared this article just for you. Here, you will find 115 unique topics for any type of paper.

Essay on Cyber Crime

Cyber crime is the most discussed issue of the 21st century. The technology sector world wide is witnessing  a boom in the consumer of smartphones and the internet which is raising concerns with regard to the privacy and security of the users. Owing to this reason, it is highly essential for all the users to know about cyber crime  & security.  As a result, thi topic has become the most favorite topic of the examiner and can often be seen asked in the exams.  In this view, students must have information on cyber crime and stay prepared to tackle such topics in the essay question in the English paper.

Introduction

Cybercrime is a dangerous attack a company or an individual may face. There are many cases where the cyber attack has brought massive loss to the company and individuals due to the data hack. We live in a technology-driven era, and every piece of information is now fed on computers. Cybercrime involves an attack on computers and digital devices. These cyber-attacks can prove hazardous not just for the organization, but also for the nation. To date, there are many digital attack cases in India and global, pushing for more security measures. These attacks are also affecting the economy of the country if not controlled in the initial stage.

What is Cybercrime?

Cybercrime or attack is defined as the systematic criminal activity occurring digitally

and done by attackers. There are many examples of cybercrime, including fraud,

malware viruses, cyberstalking and others. Due to these, government agencies and

companies are investing more in the maintenance and hiring of cybercrime experts. 

Earlier, cybercrime was committed only by individuals or by small groups. However, now a highly complex cybercriminals network work on attacking the system for data

collection.

Three groups of cybercrimes-

This is the form of cyberstalking, trafficking, and grooming. Over the years, this

This type of cybercrime has been taken seriously by law enforcement agencies. It is

now keeping a track over every such attack on an individual.

Similar to the real world where criminals steal the property, in the cyber world,

attackers steal data. Here, the attacker steals a person's bank details and

misuse the credit card for online purchase. By using malicious software, the

attacker attacks the property to disrupt the system of the organization.

These types of crimes are denoted as cyber terrorism. This can be a terror because

the attacker can get hold of essential documents related to government

projects. An enemy nation or terrorist usually makes such attacks. There are

many cases globally where a terrorist hacks government data.

Apart from these, there is a financial crime where the hacker steals the money of the

user account holder. Moreover, they steal company data and finance.

In this type, the computer system of the person is hacked to get personal

information. In many countries, including India, hacking is a punishable act.

It is quite different from ethical hacking. In normal hacking, illegal use

different types of software to enter the system of the target person. Hacker is

then able to monitor every activity done by the person.

This Cybercrime is about violating copyright and downloading music or movies. In

India, many movies before their releases are leaked on the movie download

sites. In other words , theft is also called privacy, which can bring a huge

loss to the organization.

Cyber Stalking

It is online harassment by an individual or a group of people. Normally, these

stalkers target an individual and harass online. There are many cases of

cyberstalking in India, resulting in the target person ending up taking

Malicious Software

These are computer-based cybercrimes where virus-based software is installed in the

target people or organization computers. This is to damage the system and

corrupt the data of the target.

Laws Related to Cybercrime

In India, there are many cybercrime laws enacted to stop this threat. Be it for

the individual or the organization; these laws help to either bring down the

number of cases or eliminate these digital crimes.

Apart from these laws, as an individual, you also need to take steps to stop these

crimes. Like, not providing your login details, installing trust anti-virus

software and keeping your online profile private can help to act against such

Cybercrime is a significant threat that can bring huge loss to the individual and the

organization. It is essential to follow basic online rules to ensure the safety

of self and the organization.

Benefits of Cyber Crime Essay in English provided by Vedantu

The essay on cybercrime provided by Vedantu is prepared by highly qualified teachers which makes it a reliable source of information. This information could be utilized for a variety of reasons. Being a reliable piece of information the essay will benefit everyone curious to know about the topic.

Following are the highlights of its benefits:

Reliable information 

Adaptive to the context 

Precise language

Fulfills the requirements of the students for english exam questions 

Comprehensive and analytical. The  article digs in the depth of the issue and analyzes it through a 360 degree perspective.

The essay could also be used by the students for preparing themselves for the essay question in the English paper. This essay is an excellent guide to understand what the examiner is looking for in the exam. Moreover, the topic of cybercrime is quite a recurrent one in the exam. So the students use this essay to deal with the same topic.

The Essay on Cyber Crime is an excellent guide on averting any possibilities of a cyber attack. On today's date, one is mostly on the internet for a variety of reasons. It becomes essential for one to know important tips that can keep one safe from cyberbullies, thieves, or blackmailers. It is also important for one to understand the right course of actions to be taken in an eventuality of such an incident.

Download the cybercrime essay for students in English on the Vedantu website.

FAQs on Cyber Crime Essay

1. How Does Cybercrime Work?

Group of people or an individual commits most of these cyber-crimes. These criminals use a systematic process to hack and commit these acts. These criminal communities share strategies and tools to launch attacks. Some of the cybercrime techniques

Fast Flux - In this method, the hacker moves data quickly among computers in a botnet, making it challenging to find the right source.

Social Engineering - This method includes using lies and manipulation to trick people into revealing their personal information.

Skimmers - This involves installing a skimming tool in an ATM and stealing the information. You may find such skimming devices in ATMs.

There are some digital criminals targeting organizations to steal personal information.

2. How Cybercrime Affects Society?

Cybercrime can hugely affect society. In 2018, the US faced a loss of $600 billion. As consumers are increasingly allowing technologies to get into their lives, cyber attackers are getting better access. Some of the essential information available are-

Personal health data, sleep schedules, and geo-locations Shopping history, account information, and passive conversations noticed voice-controlled devices, Private conversations on social media accounts.

Your entire life is now available on social media, making it vulnerable to hack or cyber-attack. Attackers use different techniques including- installing malware, virus, phishing, cyberstalking, etc. These can certainly bring loss of lives and data for individuals and organizations. For society, this is a significant loss in the long run.  One needs to be very careful when presenting himself socially.

3. How to stay secure in times of cybercrime?

Cybercrime is a real threat posing to society. It is the 21st-century version of theft and blackmailing. There are certain ways one should adopt to prevent any possibilities of cybercrime. Do not disclose the banking details to random people or fill the CVV of your debit or credit cards on an unknown and unverified website. Keep your passwords always discrete. The camera of the laptop should always be covered.

4. Where can I get a cybercrime essay?

One can find a good quality cyber crime essay on Vedantu's website. The essay which is prepared by the expert teachers describes everything that one needs to know about cybercrime. It is the one-stop solution for all your requirements on the topic. Their essay is available in PDF format on the website and could be downloaded on any device. One downloaded essay could be used in offline mode too. If one finds it feasible, the printout of the PDF could also be taken out.

Essays About Cyber Crime: Top 5 Examples and 8 Prompts

Cybercrime is a severe issue that threatens user security and safety. To help you with this subject, see our essays about cyber crime examples and prompts.  

As its name suggests, cyber crime occurs in the digital space beyond our tangible keyboards, computer monitors, and phone screens. This criminal activity happens offline and online, and although many are affected, only 10% to 12% of the victims report these wrongdoings.

You may have encountered cyber crime in the virtual world as a victim or an almost-target. Most of us have the misfortune of being hacked, phished, spoofed, or attacked with a denial of service. At the same time, you may not know that you’ve committed a cyber crime by pirating software, music, movies, books, and other data.

5 Essay Examples

1. cyber crime essay for students and children by anonymous on toppr.com, 2. cyber crimes and its effects on youth by anonymous on edubirdie.com, 3. cyber crime by luz owens, 4. cyber crime: a threat to society by ankita yadav, 5. essay on cyber crime by anonymous on vedantu.com, 1. the future of cyber crime, 2. the benefits of cyber crime, 3. cyber crime and its impacts on an industry, 4. cyber crime prevention for the average user, 5. mobile protection from cyber crime, 6. the power of strong passwords to combat cyber crime, 7. laws and cyber crime, 8. my personal experience with cyber crime.

“Cyber Crime is not something which we cannot deal with our self. Likewise, with little use of our common sense and logic, we can stop Cyber Crimes from happening.”

The essay begins with cyber crime’s meaning, defining it as an illegal activity to harm others through a computer. The author also discusses the four significant categories of cybercrime: hacking, privacy, financial, and cyber terrorism, and digs into what each type covers. 

In the next part of the essay, the writer focuses on cybercrime in India, citing how it’s now a significant concern. So, the government implements cybercrime laws to protect itself and its citizens. You might also be interested in these articles about death penalty .

“Becoming the victim of cyber can have long lasting effects on any one’s life.”

After recognizing cybercrime as the most potent crime today, the author probes its direct connection to the creation of the Internet. Aside from pushing organizations to spend more on their online security to avoid vulnerability, cyber crime also causes lasting effects on its victims’ lives.

The essay provides various instances where criminals exploit unaware individuals through the web. An example is fake emails mimicking legitimate organizations that give criminals access to the victim’s personal information to ruin their financial credibility. Unfortunately, the main targets for these crimes are the youth as they are the most who use the web for their studies.  

“In order to diminish cyber crime, all organizations and governments should cooperate, as it has no boundaries.”

Owens compares the new century and the old days when cybercrime didn’t exist. She then describes cyber crime, its different classifications, and how much damage it causes annually. She concedes that this criminal act is difficult to control because most countries don’t have the right laws against it. 

Owens also discusses how the youth are more prone to cybercrime exposure because they’re more likely to use technology and be curious. She includes relevant cases and studies that analyze cyber crime, its effects, and how it’s used to the detriment of others.

“Cyber crime is the criminal act which takes place over the internet through computers as tools or targets or other smart devices meant for making our work easier.”

Yadav determines cybercrime as a punishable offense committed via the internet, causing loss to an individual, organization, or government. She lists examples of cybercrime and how everyone falls victim to them, no matter their educational attainment. In her conclusion, Yadav recognizes cybercrime as the most prevalent misdeed today and calls for more severe measures to prevent it.

“Cybercrime or attack is defined as the systematic criminal activity occurring digitally and done by attackers.”

This essay highlights privacy issues connected to the steady rise of smartphones and internet usage. It’s also the reason users should be knowledgeable about cyber crime. The author defines cyber crime and expounds on its adverse effects on individuals, properties, and the government. The author also mentions specific crimes like hacking, theft, and cyberstalking.

Looking for more suggestions? Check out our essays about technology for your next project.

8 Prompts for Essays About Cyber Crime

Cybercrime continuously evolves as more people learn about its potential and countermeasures. Consider this essay prompt if you have several ideas and theories about how cybercrime will adapt to new anti-cybercrime measures. 

Don’t forget to research the current state of cybercrime, the capabilities of the criminals that perform it, and the laws made to prevent it. Make sure to include research data and support your theories with relevant studies.

While cybercrime is an umbrella term for illegal acts in cyberspace, it can also lead to positive results. One silver lining example of cybercrime is that it pushes software developers to create more effective protection measures against online attacks. Its rising occurrence among the youth also means that more people are becoming more educated about this issue and can thus actively prevent it from happening.

In this controversial essay topic, discuss the possible benefits of cybercrime. Look into how cybercrime might push technology forwards and improve personal data protection online. Cite relevant case studies and reference platforms with strict security measures, such as Meta .

Whether it’s healthcare, education, or banking, you can always find different and unique cybercrime impacts in various fields. Write an essay about how cyber criminals and their illegal actions can affect a specific industry, depending on your specialty or interest. For example, you can talk about the impacts of cybercrime on students and teachers if you work in the educational field.

One frustrating thing about being an average computer or device user is that you may need more resources to protect yourself from the latest cyber-attacks. With in-depth research and help from field experts, write an essay about how the average Joe can defend himself for a small fee or for free.

Most people spend hours on their smartphones and other mobile devices. Those who use their phones for work, banking, entertainment, and others are always at risk of cyber attacks. For this prompt, research how smartphone users can create a security blanket against cybercrime when they surf the internet, use banking apps, or linger on social media. Tip: If writing an essay sounds like a lot of work, simplify it. Write a simple 5 paragraph essay instead.

If there is one thing cybercriminals hate, it’s a strong and complex password. With this essay prompt, you can discuss creative and memorable ways individuals can create unique passwords. 

For example, they can spell their sibling’s name backward and add their favorite number and symbols at the end. Favorite colors, food items, dates, and other things can also work as effective password choices when used with the right symbol, capitalization, and number combinations. There are also helpful apps such as 1password , which creates strong passwords automatically for users.

For this prompt, look for laws worldwide that successfully assist the government in fighting cybercrime. Add your opinion on how your country should adapt these laws and if there are any areas of these proposals you want to change, remove, or improve.

If you’ve had a distressing memory concerning cybercrime, recount the experience in your essay. Tell how it happened and what you did to battle its impact on your life. Similarly, you can also talk about any cybercrime you unintentionally committed and how you worked on stopping yourself from repeating it. Looking for more suggestions? Check out our essays about technology for your next project.

Maria Caballero is a freelance writer who has been writing since high school. She believes that to be a writer doesn't only refer to excellent syntax and semantics but also knowing how to weave words together to communicate to any reader effectively.

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What is cybercrime? How to protect yourself

What is cybercrime?

Cybercrime is criminal activity that either targets or uses a computer, a computer network or a networked device. Most cybercrime is committed by cybercriminals or hackers who want to make money. However, occasionally cybercrime aims to damage computers or networks for reasons other than profit. These could be political or personal.

Cybercrime can be carried out by individuals or organizations. Some cybercriminals are organized, use advanced techniques and are highly technically skilled. Others are novice hackers.

What are the types of cybercrime?

Types of cybercrime include:

• Email and internet fraud.
• Identity fraud (where personal information is stolen and used).
• Theft of financial or card payment data.
• Theft and sale of corporate data.
• Cyberextortion (demanding money to prevent a threatened attack).
• Ransomware attacks (a type of cyberextortion).
• Cryptojacking (where hackers mine cryptocurrency using resources they do not own).
• Cyberespionage (where hackers access government or company data).
• Interfering with systems in a way that compromises a network.
• Infringing copyright.
• Illegal gambling.
• Selling illegal items online.
• Soliciting, producing, or possessing child pornography.

Cybercrime involves one or both of the following:

• Criminal activity targeting computers using viruses and other types of malware .
• Criminal activity using  computers to commit other crimes.

Cybercriminals that target computers may infect them with malware to damage devices or stop them working. They may also use malware to delete or steal data. Or cybercriminals may stop users from using a website or network or prevent a business providing a software service to its customers, which is called a Denial-of-Service (DoS) attack.

Cybercrime that  uses  computers to commit other crimes may involve using computers or networks to spread malware, illegal information or illegal images.

Cybercriminals are often doing both at once. They may target computers with viruses first and then use them to spread malware to other machines or throughout a network. Some jurisdictions recognize a third category of cybercrime which is where a computer is used as an accessory to crime. An example of this is using a computer to store stolen data.

Examples of cybercrime

Here are some famous examples of different types of cybercrime attack used by cybercriminals:

1. Malware attacks

A malware attack is where a computer system or network is infected with a computer virus or other type of malware. A computer compromised by malware could be used by cybercriminals for several purposes. These include stealing confidential data, using the computer to carry out other criminal acts, or causing damage to data.

A famous example of a malware attack was the WannaCry ransomware attack, a global cybercrime committed in May 2017. WannaCry is a type of ransomware, malware used to extort money by holding the victim’s data or device to ransom. The ransomware targeted a vulnerability in computers running Microsoft Windows.

When the WannaCry ransomware attack hit, 230,000 computers were affected across 150 countries. Users were locked out of their files and sent a message demanding that they pay a Bitcoin ransom to regain access.

Worldwide, the WannaCry cybercrime is estimated to have caused $4 billion in financial losses. To this day, the attack stands out for its sheer size and impact.

2. Phishing

A phishing campaign is when spam emails, or other forms of communication, are sent with the intention of tricking recipients into doing something that undermines their security. Phishing campaign messages may contain infected attachments or links to malicious sites, or they may ask the receiver to respond with confidential information.

A famous example of a phishing scam took place during the World Cup in 2018. According to our report, 2018 Fraud World Cup , the World Cup phishing scam involved emails that were sent to football fans. These spam emails tried to entice fans with fake free trips to Moscow, where the World Cup was being hosted. People who opened and clicked on the links contained in these emails had their personal data stolen. 

Another type of phishing campaign is known as spear-phishing . These are targeted phishing campaigns which try to trick specific individuals into jeopardizing the security of the organization they work for. 

Unlike mass phishing campaigns, which are very general in style, spear-phishing messages are typically crafted to look like messages from a trusted source. For example, they are made to look like they have come from the CEO or the IT manager. They may not contain any visual clues that they are fake.

3. Distributed DoS attacks

Distributed DoS attacks (DDoS) are a type of cybercrime attack that cybercriminals use to bring down a system or network. Sometimes connected IoT (Internet of Things) devices are used to launch DDoS attacks.

A DDoS attack overwhelms a system by using one of the standard communication protocols it uses to spam the system with connection requests. Cybercriminals who are carrying out cyberextortion may use the threat of a DDoS attack to demand money. Alternatively, a DDoS may be used as a distraction tactic while another type of cybercrime takes place.

A famous example of this type of attack is the  2017 DDoS attack on the UK National Lottery website . This brought the lottery’s website and mobile app offline, preventing UK citizens from playing. The reason behind the attack remains unknown, however, it is suspected that the attack was an attempt to blackmail the National Lottery.

Impact of cybercrime

Generally, cybercrime is on the rise. According to Accenture’s State of Cybersecurity Resilience 2021 report , security attacks increased 31% from 2020 to 2021. The number of attacks per company increased from 206 to 270 year on year. Attacks on companies affect individuals too since many of them store sensitive data and personal information from customers.

A single attack – whether it’s a data breach, malware, ransomware or DDoS attack - costs companies of all sizes an average of $200,000, and many affected companies go out of business within six months of the attack, according to  insurance company Hiscox .

Javelin Strategy & Research published an Identity Fraud Study in 2021 which found that identity fraud losses for the year totalled $56 billion.

For both individuals and companies, the impact of cybercrime can be profound – primarily financial damage, but also loss of trust and reputational damage.

How to report a cybercrime

File a report with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) as soon as possible. Visit ic3.gov for more information.

Contact Action Fraud as soon as possible – find out more on their website here.

Europol has a useful website here which collates the relevant cybercrime reporting links for each EU member state.

You can find information about how to report cybercrime in the UAE on this official website here .

The Australian Cyber Security Centre has information about how to report a cybercrime here.

• How to protect yourself against cybercrime

Given its prevalence, you may be wondering how to stop cybercrime? Here are some sensible tips to protect your computer and your personal data from cybercrime:

1. Keep software and operating system updated

Keeping your software and operating system up to date ensures that you benefit from the latest security patches to protect your computer.

2. Use anti-virus software and keep it updated

Using anti-virus or a comprehensive internet security solution like  Kaspersky Premium is a smart way to protect your system from attacks. Anti-virus software allows you to scan, detect and remove threats before they become a problem. Having this protection in place helps to protect your computer and your data from cybercrime, giving you piece of mind. Keep your antivirus updated to receive the best level of protection.

3. Use strong passwords

Be sure to use strong passwords that people will not guess and do not record them anywhere. Or use a reputable password manager to generate strong passwords randomly to make this easier.

4. Never open attachments in spam emails

A classic way that computers get infected by malware attacks and other forms of cybercrime is via email attachments in spam emails. Never open an attachment from a sender you do not know.

5. Do not click on links in spam emails or untrusted websites

Another way people become victims of cybercrime is by clicking on links in spam emails or other messages, or unfamiliar websites. Avoid doing this to stay safe online.

6. Do not give out personal information unless secure

Never give out personal data over the phone or via email unless you are completely sure the line or email is secure. Make certain that you are speaking to the person you think you are. 

7. Contact companies directly about suspicious requests

If you are asked for personal information or data from a company who has called you, hang up. Call them back using the number on their official website to ensure you are speaking to them and not a cybercriminal. Ideally, use a different phone because cybercriminals can hold the line open. When you think you’ve re-dialed, they can pretend to be from the bank or other organization that you think you are speaking to.

8. Be mindful of which website URLs you visit

Keep an eye on the URLs you are clicking on. Do they look legitimate? Avoid clicking on links with unfamiliar or URLs that look like spam. If your internet security product includes functionality to secure online transactions, ensure it is enabled before carrying out financial transactions online.

9. Keep an eye on your bank statements

Spotting that you have become a victim of cybercrime quickly is important. Keep an eye on your bank statements and query any unfamiliar transactions with the bank. The bank can investigate whether they are fraudulent.

A good antivirus will protect you from the threat of cybercrime.  Learn more about Kaspersky Premium.

Further reading:

• How to protect your data online by using a password manager
• What to do if you’ve been a victim of a phishing attack
• Ransomware protection: how to keep your data safe in 2024

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Home — Essay Samples — Law, Crime & Punishment — Crime — Cyber Crimes

Essays on Cyber Crimes

When it comes to writing an essay on cyber crimes, choosing the right topic is crucial. With the increasing prevalence of cyber crimes in today’s digital age, it is important to shed light on various aspects of this issue through well-researched and thought-provoking essays. By selecting the right topic, you can ensure that your essay captures the attention of your readers and provides valuable insights into the world of cyber crimes.

Choosing the right cyber crimes essay topic is important for several reasons. Firstly, it allows you to delve into a specific aspect of cyber crimes, providing in-depth analysis and understanding. Secondly, a well-chosen topic can help you demonstrate your knowledge and expertise in the field of cyber crimes. Lastly, by selecting an engaging and relevant topic, you can capture the interest of your readers and make a meaningful impact with your essay.

When it comes to choosing a cyber crimes essay topic, it is important to consider your interests, the relevance of the topic, and the availability of credible sources for research. Consider topics that are current and have a significant impact on society. Additionally, ensure that the topic is specific enough to allow for in-depth analysis, yet broad enough to provide various angles for exploration.

Recommended Cyber Crimes Essay Topics

If you are looking for essay topics related to cyber crimes, you have come to the right place. Below is a list of recommended cyber crimes essay topics, categorized for ease of selection. These topics cover a wide range of issues related to cyber crimes and provide ample opportunities for in-depth research and analysis.

Privacy and Data Protection

• The impact of data breaches on consumer privacy
• Legal and ethical considerations in data privacy
• The role of social media in compromising personal privacy

Cybersecurity and Hacking

• The evolution of hacking techniques and their impact on cybersecurity
• The role of artificial intelligence in cyber warfare
• The implications of ransomware attacks on businesses and individuals

Cyberbullying and Online Harassment

• The psychological impact of cyberbullying on adolescents
• Legal measures to combat online harassment and cyberbullying
• The role of social media platforms in addressing cyberbullying

Financial Fraud and Identity Theft

• The impact of identity theft on individuals and businesses
• The role of cryptocurrency in facilitating financial fraud
• Preventive measures for combating credit card fraud in the digital age

Cyber Warfare and State-Sponsored Attacks

• The implications of state-sponsored cyber attacks on international relations
• The role of cyber warfare in modern warfare strategies
• The legal and ethical considerations of cyber warfare

With these recommended essay topics, you can explore various aspects of cyber crimes and make a meaningful contribution to the discourse on this important issue. By selecting a topic that resonates with your interests and allows for in-depth research, you can create an impactful essay that sheds light on the complexities of cyber crimes in today’s digital landscape.

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Why we should all care about cyber crime: the risk to you and me

Associate Professor and head of the Department of Computing, Curtin University

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In today’s world, the reality is that all individuals and organisations connected to the internet are vulnerable to cyber attack. The number, type and sophistication of attacks continues to grow, as the threat report published last month by the Australian Cyber Security Centre ( ACSC ) points out.

It isn’t only large organisations that are under threat. Even individuals or organisations that don’t believe they have much to offer hackers can be targeted. So even if you think you’re a small target, you might still be at risk.

Illusion of trust

Malicious individuals and groups thrive on gathering information that can be used to enhance their attack strategies. Hackers are becoming more focused on spear-phishing attacks, which are tailored to individual people, and any bit of information about you can be of help.

Key to the hacker is the issue of trust. The information gathered is used to build a profile of the target with the aim to have enough data that allows the hacker to appear trustworthy to you.

In most cases, the hacker will attempt to impersonate an entity that is trusted by you. The more information the hacker has on you, the more likely they will be able to maintain the illusion long enough to achieve their aims.

The effects of a successful attack vary significantly, largely depending on the motivation of the hacker.

For most of us, identity theft is likely to cause the most damage because it badly impacts on our ability to go about our normal daily life. Our credit rating could be severely compromised, for example. To make matters worse, the process of addressing the damage of an attack can be costly, time consuming and emotionally exhausting.

In other cases, the damage could be in the form of confidential information, such as medical history records, ending up in the hands of malicious parties, and thus make the you susceptible to different kinds of blackmail.

The recent breach of the Ashley Madison website is a typical example of confidential information about individuals that could be exploited by malicious parties.

Your access is important to hackers

But specific personal information is not the only driving factor behind cyber attacks. Often, the resources or the access you have to other systems is the overall goal.

A common misconception held by many individuals and organisations is that if they do not have anything of value on their systems, they are not likely to be attacked. Or the hackers have nothing to gain from copying all their information.

The information value may be zero, but the resources are precious commodities which can be easily used in two ways:

to launch more intensive, distributed attacks on the hacker’s primary target

they can be “leased out” in the form of botnets to other parties.

From the point of the user clearance, hackers again can exploit the knowledge about the target to attempt to gain access to difficult to reach systems.

Food for hacking thought

I was told of one case in the US where foreign hackers used the eating habits of the staff of a government organisation (obtained from credit charges) to launch a “ watering hole ” attack.

The hackers were able to easily compromise the server hosting the website of the restaurant frequented by the government employees and replaced the original PDF menus with a new set that had malware embedded in them. Thus, when the government employees were viewing the menus from their secure machines, they were downloading the malware as well.

These are just some of the ways hackers can take advantage of the information gathered from attacks. Unfortunately, the only limiting factor is the creativity of the malicious party. And sadly, hackers are very creative.

Beating cyber attacks

The attitude of individuals and organisations needs to change in order to prevent cyber attacks. There has to be a fundamental understanding that, when online, everyone is a target and that none of us are too small or unimportant.

It is also critical to change the attitude to incident detection and handling. We can only get better at the defence part if we learn from previous experience, painful and costly as that may be. The reason we know about some of the attacks mentioned above is because they were detected and investigated.

Most organisations do not consider incident handling as a core component of cyber defence. And as long as that continues, the improvement in the cyber defences will be slow.

There has to be a concerted effort to treat cyber security seriously rather than an expensive auditing exercise. The vast majority of organisations are looking at cyber security as a compliance task and thus do the minimum possible to achieve that.

The payment card industry’s Data Security Standards for major credit cards is a classic example. It is good that there is a standard, but what is unfortunate is that all organisations try to do is the absolute minimum possible to pass the standard check rather than actually improving their security.

Instead the view should be to use the cyber security requirements as a way to improve overall security and thus avoid costly and damaging incidents in the future.

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Cybercrime: Victimization, Perpetration, and Techniques

• Published: 10 November 2021
• Volume 46 , pages 837–842, ( 2021 )

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• James Hawdon   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-0273-2227 1  

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The creation of the World Wide Web revolutionized communication. At the turn of the twenty-first century, roughly 413 million people used the internet (Roser & Ortiz-Ospina, 2015 ). A mere 21 years later, nearly 4.7 billion people, or about 60% of the world’s population, actively use the internet (We Are Social, & DataReportal, & Hootsuite, 2021 ). The pace of innovation in information technology, from the introduction of email in the 1960s to the rise of multiple social media platforms in the early 2000s to the rise of the Internet of Things (Iot) and 5 g, has been astonishing. It is now almost inconceivable to imagine life without access to the internet. Yet the IT revolution, like all technological revolutions, has been a dual-edge sword. Indeed, the internet’s many benefits and drawbacks have been discussed in numerous forums, and these discussions will undoubtedly continue as long as we remain dependent on this technology. This special edition of the American Journal of Criminal Justice contributes to those discussions by considering one of the drawbacks: cybercime.

Cybercrime, or the use of computer technology or online networks to commit crimes, ranges from fraud and identity theft to threats and intimidation. Cybercrime and its many manifestations has clearly increased over the past 20 years. For example, cybercrime costs increased from approximately $3 trillion in 2015 to more than $6 trillion in 2021, and these are expected to increase to over $10.5 trillion by 2025 (Morgan, 2020 ). In the U.S. alone, approximately 23 percent of households experience some sort of cybercrime annually (Reinhart, 2018 ; Hawdon et al., 2020 ). Indeed, in the same way that larceny characterized the twentieth century, cybercrime is characterizing the twenty-first century (Albanese, 2005 ). And these facts just reflect the economic costs of cybercrime and do not account for the non-monetary harms caused by cyberviolence. Cyberstalking, online sexual exploitation, cyber-harassment and bullying, threats of violence, and online violent extremism are also commonly committed acts of cyberviolence (FBI, 2021 ).

In many ways, it is unsurprising that cybercrime has increased in recent years. As technology becomes more sophisticated, so do cybercriminals, and cybercriminals now target individuals, businesses, healthcare facilities, educational institutions, and governments. As more people engage in an ever-increasing variety of online activities and more businesses conduct their affairs online, it is predictable that there would be a rise in cybercrime. To use the familiar language of Routine Activity Theory (Cohen & Felson, 1979 ), we have a lot more suitable targets in insufficiently guarded space being victimized by an increasing number motivated offenders. It is also unsurprising that there is a growing body of literature dedicated to cybercrime as scholars scramble to understand the ever-evolving phenomena. Entire journals are now dedicated to its study, and new academic disciplines have been created to try to prevent it. While our understanding of cybercrime has accumulated quickly and impressively, there is so much about cybercrime that we still do not know. This special issue of the A merican Journal of Criminal Justice offers nine new articles to help fill that knowledge gap.

The articles included in this issue reflect three broad areas of cybercrime research: cybercrime victimization, cybercrime perpetration, and techniques and facilitators of cybercrime. While there is some overlap, the issue includes three papers focused on each of these three areas.

The first area covered in the special issue focuses on cybercrime victimization. This area has generated the most research to date. In part because victims of cybercrime are relatively easy to find, considerable research has been conducted on cybervictimization across a variety of cybercrimes. Three of the articles in this special issue focus on cybervictimization, and they add to the literature in interesting ways by providing cross-national perspectives, building on theoretical traditions, or providing systematic summaries of the state of field at this time.

The first article in this section by Michelle Wright and a team of colleagues investigates how adolescent from China, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, India, Japan, and the United States explain being a victim of cyberbully. The investigation compares if how adolescents explain victimization varies by setting (private vs. public), medium (offline vs cyber), and severity and if cultural differences alter these relationships. Their findings suggest the need for prevention and intervention efforts to consider the role of setting, medium, severity, and cultural values if they are to be successful.

The second paper focusing on victimization builds on the frequent finding that problematic social media use is associated with negative life experiences and provides empirical support for a theoretical link between problematic social media use and cybervictimization. The analysis, conducted by colleagues Eetu Marttila, Aki Koivula, and Pekka Räsänen, is framed in Routine Activity Theory/Lifestyle-Exposure Theory. The results indicate that not only is problematic social media use strongly correlated with cybervictimization in a between-subject analysis, but within-subject analyses also reveal that problematic social media use has a cumulative effect on victimization.

The third paper bridges research on cybercrime victimization and cybercrime perpetration and provides a glimpse at the state of knowledge about a specific form of cyberviolence. Catherine Marcum and George Higgins conduct a systematic review of literature investigating both offending and victimization of cyberstalking, cyberdating abuse, and interpersonal electronic surveillance. Using a number of electronic databases, the authors focus on 31 studies to identify correlates of involvement in these cybercrimes. Victims are disproportionately female. Other correlates of victimization include overall social media use, risky online behavior, and negative external factors such as being attached to abusive peers. Correlates of perpetration provide support for a number of leading criminological theories as perpetrators tend to have low levels of self-control, associate with delinquent peers, and have low levels of parental supervision. As more research is conducted, there is a great need for more systematic literature reviews so we can begin to better refine our understanding and identify the theoretical approaches that provide the most insight into the world of cybercrime.

There are another three articles included in this special issue that focus on cybercrime perpetration. All three articles test traditional criminological theories and find support for them. In the first, Adam Bossler uses Sykes and Matza’s ( 1957 ) techniques of neutralization to examine the effects of techniques of neutralization on college students’ willingness to commit cybercrime, specifically hacking websites to deface them or compromise foreign and domestic financial and government targets. An overall techniques of neutralization scale significantly predicts being willing to commit cyberattacks even after controlling for other relevant factors. In addition to the theoretical implications of finding strong support for Sykes and Matza’s framework, the findings also have implications for situational crime prevention efforts aimed at removing excuses for offenders.

In another article focusing on perpetration, Thomas Dearden and Katalin Parti use a national online sample of 1,109 participants and find strong support for social learning theory as measures of both online and offline social learning correlate with a measure of cyber-offending. However, the authors also argue that self-control will interact with social learning variables to further influence the likelihood of cyber-offending. Overall, they find that both social learning and self-control, individually and as an interaction, are good predictors of cyber-offending.

In the final article dedicated to investigating the perpetration of cybercrime, Ashley Reichelmann and Matthew Costello use a nationally representative sample to explore how various dimensions of American national identity relate to producing online hate materials. The analysis reveals that higher levels of salience and public self-regard are weakly related to producing online hate. However, the findings suggest that understanding the nuances of “what it means to be American” is important for fully understanding the phenomenon of cyberhate, especially in this polarizing time when what it means to “be American” is frequently questioned.

Another three articles deal with perpetrating cybercrimes or “pseudo-cybercrimes,” but their focus is on how these crimes are committed. That is, the investigations deal with using the Dark Web or the surface web to make illegal or pseudo-legal purchases of illegal or quasi-legal substances. In the first paper in the section, Eric Jardine provides a crime script for purchasing drugs on the Dark Web. The script involves four generic stages (i.e. Informational Accumulation; Account Formation; Market Exchange; Delivery/Receipt) and provides an opportunity to review known law enforcement interventions that have effectively targeted each stage of the script to reduce the use of these online markets. The paper highlights numerous steps that law enforcement could take to effectively reduce the illegal selling and purchasing of drugs on the Dark Web.

Next, Robert Perdue engages in green criminology and focuses on the illegal trade of endangered species. Noting that regulating this trade is a critical, and very difficult, challenge for conservationists and law enforcement agents, Perdue examines the role the Internet plays in critically endangered plant transactions, but instead of focusing on the Dark Web, he investigates eBay to understand the extent to which such trades occur in plain sight. He finds that nearly a third of the critically endangered plant species examined were for sale in some form on eBay. Yet, despite the evidence that there is a high degree of open trading in these species, the complexity of the international legal frameworks regulating these transactions makes it difficult to ascertain their legality. Nevertheless, at least a subset of these sales are probably unlawful.

Finally, J. Mitchell Miller and Holly Ventura Miller provide insight into the computer-facilitated gray market of pseudo-legal marijuana sales in Los Vegas, Nevada. The ethnographic study reveals how various cannabis products are illegally diverted from legal markets to the gray market, and how brokers use the Internet in clever ways to advertise their products and services to a public that is likely unaware that they are engaging in illegal activities by skirting the regulations and tight control of the legal market.

Taken together, these three papers highlight the tremendous difficulties with regulating e-commerce. While the Dark Web provides an environment to conduct illegal transactions with minimal risk, it turns out that the Dark Web may be unnecessary for many illegal cyber-purchases. Given the surface web is convenient, widely available, and scarcely policed, many cybercriminals simply commit their crimes in the open. Using the language of Routine Activity Theory again, the internet—Dark or Surface—is an environment largely devoid of capable guardians.

As a whole, I believe these nine papers speak to the current state and future promise of cybercriminology. Currently, we are building a large body of empirical studies that speak to patterns of victimization and perpetration. With respect to victimization, we have learned a lot about who is likely to be victimized and how the patterns of victimization vary by type of cybercrime. We also have a good understanding of the activities that increase the likelihood of victimization, the emotional and financial costs of being a victim, and how people view victims depending on the setting and type of victimization. The body of evidence supporting a slightly modified version of Routine Activity Theory/Lifestyle-Exposure Theory is increasingly impressive, and the papers by Marttila, Koivula, and Räsänen as well as the article by Marcum and Higgins offer additional support for aspects of this theoretical approach.

Similarly, our understanding of cybercrime perpetration has expanded exponentially in recent years. While finding samples of cybercriminals is always a challenge, the growing body of evidence suggests that the behavior of cybercriminals is largely explained by the same set of factors that can account for the behavior of more traditional criminals. That is, cybercriminals tend to have low levels of self and social control, are largely unsupervised, experience strains, and learn the how, when, and why of their crimes from their associates. The papers in this issue offer additional support for techniques of neutralization, social learning theory, and self-control theory. While there are nuanced differences in how some criminogenic factors play out in the virtual and offline worlds, our existing theories appear to be robust as many of our theories apply to both online and offline criminal behavior. A number of the differences that exist largely relate to the asynchronous nature of many online interactions. The fact that online interactions can occur synchronously as well as asynchronously expands our networks and provide additional opportunities for others beyond our immediate environment to influence us and for us to commit crimes. The full ramifications of these changes in social networks, criminogenic forces, and criminal opportunities are not understood; however, we understand these far better today than we did even just a few years ago.

We also have a far greater understanding of the techniques of committing cybercrimes. We know considerably more about the use of the Dark Web to find and purchase illegal goods and services, and we have learned that the Surface Web plays a significant role in computer-dependent crimes. Moreover, as the article by Miller and Miller highlights, information technology has helped blur the line between legal, pseudo-legal, and illegal behaviors. What work in this area really highlights is how difficult it is to monitor and police the internet. While there is certainly social control exercised on the internet, there are limits to the effectiveness of this control (see Hawdon et al., 2017 ). Yet, by understanding the patterns of victimization, the underlying causes of perpetration, and the techniques that facilitate cybercrime, we become better armed in designing strategies to prevent it, defend against it, mitigate its adverse effects, and prosecute those who commit it. All of the articles included in this issue further that understanding.

The Special Issue

The process of selecting the articles for this special issue was perhaps unusual but also rather intensive. The process began by me inviting a group of scholars to submit manuscripts for the special issue. I selected these scholars because I knew of their work and was confident they would submit quality papers that covered a wide range of topics in the area of cybercrime. After discussing their planned submissions with the authors to assure there would be good topic coverage, the authors submitted their paper. An anonymous scholar and I reviewed these initial submissions (the anonymous scholar served as a typical double-blind reviewer). Each contributing author also reviewed one or two of the included articles. Authors then revised their work based on the reviewers’ comments and resubmitted the papers. Each contributing author was then asked to read all nine revised papers. Then, the authors and I took advantage of the brief pause in the COVID-19 pandemic and gathered for a two-day workshop in Asheville, North Carolina as part of the Center for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention’s annual research workshop program. The lone exception to this was our Finnish colleagues who were unable to get a special visa to visit the U.S. at that time. These colleagues joined the workshop via Zoom. The authors/workshop participants then discussed and provided feedback on all of the articles. The authors then made final revisions to their papers based on these discussions. Thus, these papers have been through three rounds of revisions. As the editor of the special edition, I am proud of the finished product.

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Hawdon, J. Cybercrime: Victimization, Perpetration, and Techniques. Am J Crim Just 46 , 837–842 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12103-021-09652-7

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Cybercrime and Its Impact on Society

Introduction, overview of cybersecurity issue, what threats cyber attacks bring to society, implications and future cyber threats for society, works cited.

Modern society goes through various changes every day: people can observe movements, policies, and establishments that have never taken place before. Environmental issues, space travel, jobless growth, inequality and nationalism, migration, and social instability – all these problems affect the development of communities and countries. This paper will critically assess one subject related to modern society that is cybersecurity and the growing dangers coming from cyberspace. There will be discussed current processes going on the Internet regarding the cybercrime field, its threats imposing to the society, and the implications that might influence people in the future.

The year 2018 had a large number of cyber events, offering a lot of questions and reasons for analysis and reflection. It is stated that the majority of cybercrimes were committed by hackers that were motivated financially and ideologically (Coats 5). Among the severe attacks was the disabling of the official website of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. Southeast Asia is suggested to be the most actively attacked region when considering cybercrimes (Haynes). Even though the countries of the area express grave concern about the situation, the quality of dialogue in the region remains at the level of 2010-2012.

In September 2018, a new cybersecurity strategy was published – one of the most anticipated documents of the year. The paper suggests a shift to a more proactive and even offensive position, which was to the taste of the military (the United States, Department of Defense 1). According to the document, the US will “defend forward to disrupt or halt malicious cyber activity at its source” (for example, hacker attacks in response to the actions of other countries). The US is ready to share its growing cyber potential (both defensive and offensive) with NATO allies if such a need arises, and there is a corresponding request from the countries of the Alliance (NATO). The organization also plans to create a separate center for coordinating NATO’s actions in cyberspace.

In three days in May 2017, the WannaCry encryption virus attacked 200 thousand computers in 150 countries. The virus has swept through the networks of universities in China, Renault factories in France and Nissan in Japan, telecom company Telefonica in Spain, and rail operator Deutsche Bahn in Germany (Johnson). Experts of the World Economic Forum stated that cyberattacks “are perceived as the global risk of highest concern” (Drzik). All these figures lead to the fact that society is a target and will face harsh crimes that will be conducted in cyberspace.

The presidential decree opened unprecedented opportunities for the use of cyber weapons – the reasoning of this step caused another disagreement among experts and the population (Sanger). In this context, the number of emerging threats may exceed the number of problems to be solved: operations undercover (“false-flag” operations) will create a new round of tension between countries (Coats 11). It is also understood that the authorities will work closely with operators of critical infrastructure to ensure the highest level of cybersecurity.

Without exaggeration, one can say that the lives of most people are stored in computers: lists of relatives, friends, and acquaintances, videos and photos, information about where people were, what do they like and do not like secrets, and confidentiality. Given that society is becoming more and more dependent on information and communication technologies, the protection and accessibility of these technologies are becoming a critical point and a vital topic for national interests.

The scenarios that society can experience may be various. One scene can be associated with security in the transmission of medical information. When people visit the doctor while traveling or even in the hometown, doctors get access to the patients’ data via the Internet. In this case, the doctor who treats a patient continually communicates with the system on the Internet, and at this stage, the data of the patient may be under attack. If a doctor gets false information from the system, it can physically affect the patient, as there may be prescribed the wrong medicine.

If, for example, a person has security sensors at home, a temperature sensor, and a climate control system that regulates the temperature in the house to track the state of a residence or check how children are doing, then everything becomes interconnected. This information flows from sensors are usually monitored by a security company. What if the flow of this data will be threatened, and hackers may have control over it? A hacker can disable all cameras and sensors to rob a person, use the data to commit illegal actions, and so on.

On an individual level, a cyber-attack can lead to a variety of consequences, ranging from theft of personal information to extortion of money or loss of valuable data, such as family photos. Society and systems depend on critical infrastructures, such as power plants, hospitals, and financial services companies. The protection of these and other organizations is essential for the maintenance of our society and support of the relations between countries and international organizations.

These days, the damage from cybercrime has become extremely high. In 2019, society was hit with several significant attacks: two cities in Florida (USA) have paid ransoms totaling over a million US dollars after cyberattacks (Wile). The famous British airlines British Airways was forced to pay a fine of 183 million pounds due to data breaches of the passengers (BBC). Cybercrime is becoming global and more dangerous than traditional organized crime.

The number of online communication activities of extremist and terrorist communities is rapidly increasing; the cases of sexting and cyberbullying have become more frequent. Symantec states that “nearly 60 million Americans have been affected by identity theft” (Symantec). According to Cybercrime Magazine, cybercrime “will be more profitable than the global trade of all major illegal drugs combined” (“Cybercrime Damages $6 Trillion By 2021”). Thus, society experiences unprecedented malicious movements in cyberspace that are going to accelerate further.

Technology makes the life of people more comfortable, but danger can come from anywhere. Cybercriminals are actively creating botnets from the IoT (Internet of Things) for later use in DDoS attacks. It is not difficult to imagine the consequences of such an attack if 20 billion IoT devices are going to be connected to the Internet by 2020, according to Gartner (Hung 2). For example, a virus can encrypt not only a computer, an apartment, or a house, but also an entire smart city.

Cases of cyber threats can have unpredictable political effects at all levels. The beginning of 2018 was remembered by scandals related to the leakage of personal data. The most high-profile fracas erupted around Facebook and reached the proceedings in the US Congress with Mark Zuckerberg’s testimony about the fake news and leakage of personal data of Facebook users in front of US Congress (Ivanova & Segers). No one could have imagined that social networks would become such a powerful political tool to influence the decision of the President of the US.

Not a power outage or a failure in the data center will raise the head of the country, city, or business out of bed at night, as the loss of data. What happens if all interconnected smart infrastructure, such as money transfer processing and banking, are affected? The interruption or loss of data on tax payments, remittances, or supply chain structure can leave local or federal government agencies without operational funds in a few days. This state of virtual exhaustion of an organization can become irreversible.

It is expected that cybercrimes will become even more prevalent in the next years. According to Accenture, in 2019, hackers will not reduce their activity, and for the implementation of large operations and attacks, they will have to carry out even more serious work. Due to the ongoing work of authorities to find and arrest members of large cybercriminal groups, others will create new groups, changing countries, and regions and copying each other’s tactics.

According to Accenture, the market for cybersecurity services is growing at a pace similar to the Digital and IT markets. Accenture predicts that by 2020, the global expenditure on cybersecurity services will reach $125 billion, while the total comprehensive damage from cyberattacks could grow to $90 trillion by 2030 (Bissel et al. 2). The increasing reliance on data in cloud systems will give hackers the incentive to weaponize it against citizens and society of various countries and manipulate the opinion of people by creating fake news as it was done before with US elections.

Private homes, home routers, and storage systems are also at higher risk. BeyondTrust company that is specialized in access management states that “the major devices targeted will be IoT and will range anywhere from consumer-based routers to home-based nanny cams” (Haber). A person can only imagine what the consequences may be if a hacker will have access to the homes of users, can track any movements inside, and block appliances from outside.

Similarly, Cisco sees a specific danger in the growing threat of DDoS attacks carried out through Internet-connected home devices. According to company analysts, in the future, more severe threats await the critical infrastructure sector (Cisco). Chief Cyber Officer of threat detection company BioCatch Uri Rivner claims the following: “Your smart fridge will start scamming you. IoT-connected appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines already produce unattended payments that the user cannot personally verify. Fraudsters see this vulnerability now and will begin to take advantage of it” (Press). Thus, people may expect intrusion in their homes, wallets, browsers, and other valuable spaces and sources of information.

The fact that someone can steal the identity of a person, prescribe the wrong medication, or commit a financial crime with someone’s phone pose a threat to society that is moving to communications in cyberspace. It might be stated that cyberattacks in the future may have more massive societal implications as people continue to increase their dependency on the Internet, technologies, and services provided online. Society can be the aim of cybercriminals who have their intentions, and nobody knows how it will affect the development of countries and cities. Still, everyone should be aware of the upcoming threat.

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Haber, Morey. “ BeyondTrust 2019 Security Predictions. ” BeyondTrust . 2018. 

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Ivanova, Irina & Segers, Grace. “ Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg faces sharp questioning in Congress about Libra cryptocurrency. ” CBS News . 2019. 

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Press, Gil. “ 60 Cybersecurity Predictions For 2019. ” Forbes . 2018. 

Sanger, David. “ Trump Looses Secretive Restraints on Ordering Cyberattacks. ” The New York Times . 2018. 

Wile, Rob. “ Key Biscayne recovering from cyberattack after hackers hit a third city in Florida. ” Miami Herald , 2019. Web.

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What is the impact of cybercrime on society and the economy?

21 Feb 2022

MSc Cybercrime

• How you'll learn

Cybercrime impacts the economy, business, and society, with long-reaching effects. It’s in our best interest to combat it to ensure a safer world for all.

Be it malware attacks, cyber fraud, or any form of exploitation or extortion, cybercrime is a rampant problem that causes harm in a large scale. Find out how it impacts the economy and how rewarding careers in the industry can tackle cybercrime.

What is cybercrime?

To put it in simple terms, cybercrime is any sort of crime that involves a computer or a network. It can be extremely detrimental to someone’s finances or security, and may target individuals, businesses, or even mega-corporations.

Be it malware attacks, cyber fraud, or any form of exploitation or extortion, cybercrime is a rampant problem that causes harm in a large scale. It’s usually done by hackers or cybercriminals and can be carried out by individuals or organisations that partake in cybercrime.

The impact of cybercrime on society

When it comes to cybercrime, nothing is private — be it our geolocation, our conversations on social media, or even our bank account. With over 60% of the world’s population now accessing the internet , it is easy for hackers to find vulnerable people and attack them.

Children and the elderly are often cited as common victims of cybercrime, but they certainly aren’t the only groups at risk. Even teens face cybercrime in forms like cyberbullying and solicitation. Cybercrime has a psychological impact on those affected, causing feelings of anxiety, depression, and even trauma.

The impact of cybercrime on economy

It has been found that even a single successful cybercrime can have far-reaching effects such as financial losses and theft of intellectual property. Collectively, as a society, we lose billions of dollars to cybercrime every year . In 2020, the global economy lost $945 billion to cybercrime , and this number is expected to steadily increase.

Not just individuals, but businesses and even governments are vulnerable to cybercrime when not protected properly. It is possible for hackers to access customer and citizen data, which can generate distrust towards the involved organisation / government, which may lead them to pay millions to settle claims.

Why it’s a growing problem

As we continue our advances in technology, there’s also a lot of advancement in cybercrime. Cyber criminals are continuing to scale up their attacks and take advantage of the widespread disorganisation caused by COVID-19. As people continue to work from home, hackers can target businesses easily and take advantage of their vulnerability.

To this end, it’s important that there are people who can step up and counter cybercrime in a bid to create a more secure digital world.

How cybercrime professionals can help

Cybercrime professionals are trained with the necessary technical skills that can help them combat cybercrime. They play an important role when it comes to the safety and security of society or businesses. To this end, they can work in a range of organisations such as the police, hospitals, banks, or even private firms.

An MSc in Cybercrime can offer professionals a chance to improve their skill set and pave their path to a rewarding career. Some roles one can choose from after graduation include researchers, behavioural analysts, information security officers, risk management analysts, and intelligence analysts.

At the University of Portsmouth, we offer a part-time, online MSc in Cybercrime that is flexible and can be studied from anywhere in the world. You can access lessons as per your convenience, meaning you can even continue working while you study.

The course focuses on cybercrime and cybercriminals. You’ll learn about different topics in a global context, such as theoretical perspectives, cyber offender and victim characteristics, public and private responses to cybercrime, and the regulatory influences that impact upon behaviour online, among others. You’ll also have the chance to work with specialists in cybercrime via the University 's Cybercrime Awareness Clinic, and other affiliates.

If you’re passionate about combating cybercrime and making a difference, learn more about our online, part-time MSc in Cyber Security and Digital Forensics .

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What we learned from the indictment of LockBit’s mastermind

On Tuesday, U.S. and U.K. authorities revealed that the mastermind behind LockBit, one of the most prolific and damaging ransomware groups in history, is a 31-year-old Russian named Dmitry Yuryevich Khoroshev , aka “LockbitSupp.”

As it’s customary in these types of announcements, law enforcement published pictures of Khoroshev, as well as details of his group’s operation. The U.S. Department of Justice charged Khoroshev with several computer crimes, fraud, and extortion. And in the process, the feds also revealed some details about LockBit’s past operations.

Earlier this year, authorities seized LockBit’s infrastructure and the gang’s banks of data, revealing key details of how LockBit worked .

Today, we have more details of what the feds called “a massive criminal organization that has, at times, ranked as the most prolific and destructive ransomware group in the world.”

Here’s what we’ve learned from the Khoroshev indictment .

Khoroshev had a second nickname: putinkrab

LockBit’s leader was publicly known by the not-very-imaginative nickname LockBitSupp. But Khoroshev also had another online identity: putinkrab. The indictment doesn’t include any information about the online handle, though it appears to reference Russian President Vladimir Putin. On the internet, however, several profiles using the same moniker on Flickr , YouTube , and Reddit , though it’s unclear if these accounts were run by Khoroshev.

LockBit hit victims in Russia, too

In the world of Russian cybercrime, according to experts, there’s a sacred, unwritten rule: hack anyone outside of Russia, and the local authorities will leave you alone. Surprisingly, according to the feds, Khoroshev and his co-conspirators “also deployed LockBit against multiple Russian victims.”

It remains to be seen if this means Russian authorities will go after Khoroshev, but at least now they know who he is.

A leader of what was once the world’s most harmful cyber crime group has been unmasked and sanctioned by the UK, US and Australia, following an NCA-led international disruption campaign. #Cronos @FBI @Europol Full story ➡️ https://t.co/ECxlgOTH5E pic.twitter.com/iYz4w2jheK — National Crime Agency (NCA) (@NCA_UK) May 7, 2024

Khoroshev kept a close eye on his affiliates

Ransomware operations like LockBit are known as ransomware-as-a-service. That means there are developers who create the software and the infrastructure, like Khoroshev, and then there are affiliates who operate and deploy the software, infecting victims, and extorting ransoms. Affiliates paid Khoroshev around 20% of their proceedings, the feds claimed.

According to the indictment, this business model allowed Khoroshev to “closely” monitor his affiliates, including having access to victim negotiations and sometimes participating in them. Khoroshev even “demanded identification documents from his affiliate Coconspirators, which he also maintained on his infrastructure.” That’s probably how law enforcement was able to identify some of Lockbit’s affiliates.

Khoroshev also developed a tool called “StealBit” that complemented the main ransomware. This tool allowed affiliates to store data stolen from victims on Khoroshev’s servers, and sometimes publish it on LockBit’s official dark web leak site.

LockBit’s ransomware payments amounted to around $500 million

LockBit launched in 2020, and since then its affiliates have successfully extorted at least approximately $500 million from around 2,500 victims, which included “major multinational corporations to small businesses and individuals, and they included hospitals, schools, nonprofit organizations, critical infrastructure facilities, and government and law-enforcement agencies.”

Apart from the ransom payments, LockBit “caused damage around the world totaling billions in U.S. dollars,” because the gang disrupted victims’ operations and forced many to pay incident response and recovery services, the feds claimed.

Khoroshev got in touch with the authorities to identify some of his affiliates

Probably the most shocking of the latest revelations: In February, after the coalition of global law enforcement agencies took down LockBit’s website and infrastructure, Khoroshev “communicated with law enforcement and offered his services in exchange for information regarding the identity of his [ransomware-as-a-service] competitors.”

According to the indictment, Khoroshev asked law enforcement to “[g]ive me the names of my enemies.”

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Cyber security chief says MediSecure data breach is an 'isolated' attack but warns health data a prime target for cybercrime

Australia's Cyber Security Coordinator says the large-scale ransomware data breach of e-script provider MediSecure was an "isolated" attack, though she warns cyber criminals are likely to target the health industry again. 

The company, which facilitates electronic prescriptions and their dispensing, did not reveal how many Australians were affected.

Lieutenant General Michelle McGuinness confirmed that last week's "significant" data breach contained Australians' personal and health information. 

An investigation is underway to determine whether identity documents and Medicare cards were compromised.

"We believe it's an isolated incident, and that no other entities are impacted," she told ABC News Breakfast on Friday morning.

When asked who was behind the ransomware attack, the lieutenant general said she would not provide further detail on that matter.

MediSecure pulled its website on Tuesday, saying it was gathering more information and that "early indicators suggest the incident originated from one of our third-party vendors".

Lieutenant General McGuinness said there was no indication that any information from the data breach had been shared or published yet.

"We have not seen evidence so far to suggest that anyone needs to replace their Medicare card," she said in a statement.

"If our investigation turns up any evidence to suggest Australians' identities are at risk and they need to replace their documents, we will let them know."

Lieutenant General McGuinness said authorities were working closely with MediSecure to be "prepared and best postured" to support anyone whose information was compromised. 

However, president of the Australian Medical Association Steve Robson said he attended a briefing on Friday and the scale of the cyber breach is not yet fully known. 

"It is early days," he said. 

"It's not clear exactly what data have either been accessed stolen, blocked or whatever and these things can be complex.

"I think the scale of what's happened is going to take time to fully be revealed."

He said e-prescriptions went through a massive explosion over the last few years.

"Certainly MediSecure were a large part of that group," he said. 

"So we would anticipate that many doctors and many patients around the country will have data in the database ."

Lieutenant General McGuinness said those affected by the breach did not have to take any action right now and would be contacted by MediSecure if their personal information is released.

"We do not recommend that anyone pays ransom — that just builds a cycle with the criminals," she said.

"It provides financing for further ransoms and there is no guarantee that we get the data back or that the data is shared anyway."

Health data will 'continue to be targeted'

The cyber security chief said authorities at the state and federal level were continuing to investigate the breach and were monitoring the situation to reduce harm.

"MediSecure has been incredibly transparent and working very closely with all stakeholders to ensure we get the best outcome for Australians," she said.

But the lieutenant general warned the latest data breach will probably not be the last.

"We'd be naive to think we won't continue to be targeted, particularly the health industry," she said.

"It [has] data rich information, particularly sensitive data, and criminals will continue to respond."

She said some basic precautionary measures that every Australian could take to prevent data breaches include updating software, applying multi-factor authentication and using unique and complex passwords.

"These are things that will lift our cybersecurity posture as a nation and make us more secure," she said. 

She said the government was also working to build its cyber "resilience" against attacks and to ensure its ready to rapidly respond to any data breaches. 

Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind told the ABC this incident is a reminder privacy protections across the Australian economy are not where they should be. 

"For me, this is a reminder that this is a live issue and that the Australian community are deeply affected through these kinds of incidents, and that we need legislative reform to meet the challenges of this new era."

She said the Privacy Act needs to be expanded to cover small businesses as currently 95 per cent of Australian businesses don't have any privacy obligations. 

"That needs to change, and my office requires more powers to investigate and to enforce privacy infringements," she said. 

"Currently, we're limited to seeking civil penalties from the federal court in specific incidents where there's serious and repeated interferences with privacy.

"And we'd like to see the scope of those powers expanded to enable us to enforce lower-tier penalties."

She said that privacy reform is urgent. 

"This is now a feature of our day to day lives, and we need to make sure that protections for personal information are commensurate with that new threat."

Associate Professor in Law and Justice for the University of New South Wales, Katharine Kemp, says it is concerning that there is not more funding to combat privacy breaches. 

"It is concerning that in this latest budget, the funding for the OAIC has been cut, by about $11 million at a time when privacy risks and harms are only increasing."

'All kinds of risks'

Given the ongoing investigation, it is not yet clear what the impact from the MediSecure data breach will be on affected Australians.

The chief executive officer at the Consumer Policy Research Centre, Erin Turner, said a medical data breach can put people "at all kinds of risks if it is available to bad actors". 

"That can be everything from identity theft. If there's enough information there they could, for example, take out loans in your name," she said.

"Or in other quite terrifying situations, your information may be used against you or to manipulate you, to scam you, to be held against you."

Ms Turner said all Australian companies needed to make better plans for communicating data breaches with customers. 

She said "vague and unclear" statements from companies were not enough.

"This is yet another large-scale data breach where the people affected don't yet know. They don't know what data of theirs might be captured," she said.

"They're just left in an anxious, horrible state waiting for this to be confirmed."

According to the centre's research, half of Australians did not know what to do when their data was breached.

"If you're caught up by this, you can go to the company and if you're unhappy, you can go to the OAIC [Office of the Australian Information Commissioner], the regulator for this issue," Ms Turner said.

She added it was "really disappointing" that Australian laws around data breaches did not address what customer care operations needed to take place after an incident.

"We've seen again and again, whether it's Qantas, Optus, now MediSecure, there's very little information about what affected customers can do or should know."

The ABC has sent MediSecure detailed questions but has been directed to its website for updates.

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