10 Cyber Crimes Every Computer User Should Know

We are living in the information age and information technology has become a part of our everyday lives. Aside from the good purposes it serves, there are a lot of drawbacks and one of them is the crimes people commit when they are online, we are specifically going to look at what computer crime is and the forms or examples of crimes users commit.

What is Computer Crime?

Alternatively referred to as Cyber-crime, e-crime, electronic crime, or hi-tech crime. Cyber crime is any criminal act performed with computer systems and networks. Additionally, cyber crime also includes conventional crimes performed with the help of the internet. Adversely, this person or group of individuals (crackers) may be malicious and destroy or otherwise corrupt the computer or data files.

Check Out: Difference Between Hacker and Cracker

Examples of Computer Crimes

Below is a list of the different types of computer crimes today. Now let’s take a look at them

• Child pornography - Making or distributing pornographic materials involving children under 18.
• Cyber bully – Harassing or making the lives of other internet users uncomfortable online.
• Malware Creation – This act is committed by programmers with ill intents (Hackers or Crackers). It involves writing, creating, or distributing malware (e.g. viruses and spyware) on the internet.
• Espionage - Spying on a person or business to gather information for unauthorized use.
• Fraud - Manipulating data, for instance, changing records at the bank to divert money to some accounts.
• Salami slicing - Stealing tiny amounts of customer’s money from each transaction they carry out.
• Harvesting - Gather account related information on other people.
• Identity theft - Feigning to be someone you are not for the purpose of deceiving systems.
• Intellectual property theft - Stealing another person’s or companies intellectual property.
• Phishing – deluding am individual to gain private or personal information about that person.
• Spamming - Distributing unsolicited e-mail to dozens or hundreds of different addresses through awkward means.
• Spoofing – Gaining unauthorized access by deceiving a system into thinking you are someone you really are not in reality.

Coming Soon: How to Protect Yourself Against Cyber Attacks

I hope you found this tutorial helpful. Let’s get interactive by dropping your questions and suggestions in the comments box below. Enjoy!!!

Level: Intermediate