Chapter 3: The Cyber World
The cyber world or cyberspace is an online environment of computer networks through which you can communicate with other people.
It provides users with ways to conduct business and network with other people as easily as they do in the physical world. For example, online shopping has reduced trips to the market and social networking sites allow you to connect with friends staying thousands of miles away. In addition to all the benefits, there are some serious concerns too that the cyber world offers. Let’s learn more about the dangers of the cyber world so that we can keep ourselves safe.
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
• Explain the term cyberspace
• Identify various kinds of cyber crimes
• Explain …show more content…
Different Types of Cybercrimes
Just like there are many different types of activities you can perform on the Internet, there are different types of crimes too. Let’s have a look at the most commonly performed crimes.
1) Cyber bullying
According to the National Crime Prevention Council, cyber bullying takes place “when the Internet, cell phones or other devices are used to send or post text or images intended to hurt or embarrass another person.”
Cyber bullying involves acts that seek to control, manipulate, falsely dishonor, or humiliate a person or entity using the computer as a mode of communication. The actions are deliberate and done repeatedly on purpose with the sole intention of causing harm.
Cyber bullying is being increasingly used in schools. In a recent incident, a young school boy who was excellent in basketball had his jealous seniors bully him over the Internet as they could not prove themselves better at the basketball court. As a result, the young boy started to withdraw and his sport suffered.
This is an incident of cyber rime, and if reported, the accused may have to face serious legal consequences.
2) Cheating by …show more content…
They may also perform tests and exposure assessments.
• Cracker – Black hat
A cracker gains unauthorized access to computer systems for personal gains with unethical intentions, such as stealing corporate data, violate privacy rights, stealing funds, etc.
In the recent past, the official website of the government of Maharashtra was hacked on September 20, 2007. The state government took the help of the Cyber Crime Branch to investigate the case. The website contained detailed information about government departments, circulars, reports, and similar other important data. The hackers did not manage to destroy all the information on the website, only the home page was damaged, and the website was restored.
9) Skimming
Skimming is a cybercrime where scammers steal your credit / debit card details by fitting a skimmer device to an ATM machine. The device reads and records the card details from the magnetic strip on the card, resulting in misuse and frauds.
The information from the strip is ‘skimmed’ to create a fake or cloned card with the stolen details. The personal details and account numbers are used to borrow money or take loans in the victim’s
The cyber world or cyberspace is an online environment of computer networks through which you can communicate with other people.
It provides users with ways to conduct business and network with other people as easily as they do in the physical world. For example, online shopping has reduced trips to the market and social networking sites allow you to connect with friends staying thousands of miles away. In addition to all the benefits, there are some serious concerns too that the cyber world offers. Let’s learn more about the dangers of the cyber world so that we can keep ourselves safe.
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
• Explain the term cyberspace
• Identify various kinds of cyber crimes
• Explain …show more content…
Different Types of Cybercrimes
Just like there are many different types of activities you can perform on the Internet, there are different types of crimes too. Let’s have a look at the most commonly performed crimes.
1) Cyber bullying
According to the National Crime Prevention Council, cyber bullying takes place “when the Internet, cell phones or other devices are used to send or post text or images intended to hurt or embarrass another person.”
Cyber bullying involves acts that seek to control, manipulate, falsely dishonor, or humiliate a person or entity using the computer as a mode of communication. The actions are deliberate and done repeatedly on purpose with the sole intention of causing harm.
Cyber bullying is being increasingly used in schools. In a recent incident, a young school boy who was excellent in basketball had his jealous seniors bully him over the Internet as they could not prove themselves better at the basketball court. As a result, the young boy started to withdraw and his sport suffered.
This is an incident of cyber rime, and if reported, the accused may have to face serious legal consequences.
2) Cheating by …show more content…
They may also perform tests and exposure assessments.
• Cracker – Black hat
A cracker gains unauthorized access to computer systems for personal gains with unethical intentions, such as stealing corporate data, violate privacy rights, stealing funds, etc.
In the recent past, the official website of the government of Maharashtra was hacked on September 20, 2007. The state government took the help of the Cyber Crime Branch to investigate the case. The website contained detailed information about government departments, circulars, reports, and similar other important data. The hackers did not manage to destroy all the information on the website, only the home page was damaged, and the website was restored.
9) Skimming
Skimming is a cybercrime where scammers steal your credit / debit card details by fitting a skimmer device to an ATM machine. The device reads and records the card details from the magnetic strip on the card, resulting in misuse and frauds.
The information from the strip is ‘skimmed’ to create a fake or cloned card with the stolen details. The personal details and account numbers are used to borrow money or take loans in the victim’s