500+ Words Essay on Cyber Crime
Our modern lifestyle is packed with so many different kinds of gadgets. We live in a technologically driven world where people use these devices. People all across the globe are connected through the internet. And its steadily increasing access has greatly affected our communication with each other. Though there are tons of benefits, the internet has some significant downsides to it as well. Throughout history, people have been victims of these downsides of the digital world. Cyber Crime is one such hazard.
What is Cyber Crime?
Cyber Crime involves digital devices (computer, hardware device, or network) as tools or targets. It can be defined as an unlawful act that is done to harm someone. It is one of the most complicated issues in the cyber world. Many people think cyber crime refers to targeting people and stealing their money. However, that is not the case.
Cybercrimes may include credit card frauds, voice phishing, distribution of viruses, cyber-stalking, child pornography, forgery, unauthorized access, etc. This is a fast-growing area of crime that happens over the internet. With the advancement in technology, we are leaning towards the internet all the more. It is needed for numerous activities like social networking, gaming, transaction, e-commerce, online studies, shopping, job seeking, etc.
The first case was recorded in 1820. It has been said that in these recent few years, at least 4000 cases have been filed in Malaysia. All of these cases consist of fraud, malware; file loss, hack threats, and denial of services. Major crime areas as per the government include piracy, cracking, and cyber-terrorism. Since more and more people are using computers, these types of cyber crimes will only keep increasing.
India and many other nations are dealing with the same crisis. An article reported China in itself has near about 300 million internet users. Criminals rely on computers as it is networked internationally. These criminals are organized and individual hackers. They mostly get involved for two reasons. The first one is that they want to prove themselves to be excellent at breaching computer software. The second reason is for monetary purposes. They mostly target big companies, organizations, or banks.
The increase in the speed of the internet has, in turn, increased the rate of circulation of data. The measures for investigation, control, and prevention of these illegal activities are very important to safeguard all the organizations. Highly skilled Cyber Crime expertise must be obtained by our Government. Doing so will help regulate this grave issue.
Types of Cyber Crimes
There is a range of activities that fall into the category of cyber crime. Let us take a look at them.
Hacking: It refers to breaking into a person’s computer system without his/her knowledge or consent. It is also known as unauthorized trespassing in the cyber world. Hackers can access sensitive information of the user (like identity details, passwords, and credit card information).
Cyber Stalking: This is one of the worst ways to harass a person. Victims of cyber-stalking are subjected to tons of messages and emails by the stalkers. Not responding to these often leads to grave outcomes.
Identity Theft: Here, the person’s identity gets stolen. This includes his/her name, bank details, social security number, birthday, credit or debit cards, etc. This information is misused by the criminals to commit fraudulent activities (like applying for new credit cards, getting medical services, collecting loans) which hamper the owner’s record.
Phishing: This is a kind of email fraud wherein various mails are sent to the people. The content of the mail mostly seeks financial information of the person. These emails might look like they are coming from an authentic source (but they are not).
Malware: It is Internet-based software that is programmed to damage a computer system.
Computer vandalism: This type of cyber crime destroys a computer’s data by transmitting viruses.
Theft: It occurs when a person violates copyrights regulation. This is mostly noticed while downloading music, movies, or even games.
Contribution of the Government
The Government has come up with several strict laws related to cyber crimes. These laws will help safeguard our interests. Also, they will be beneficial for controlling these crimes. Now, the police stations are equipped with cyber cells that quickly monitor the problem. In India, cyber crimes are usually registered under three categories. These are the IT Act, The Indian Penal Code, and The State Legislation’s.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has advised the State government to include facilities like technical infrastructure and skilled manpower to curb the cases of cyber crimes. Cyber Crime Police Officers can now receive training at the Forensic Lab of CBI.
Kerala, Tripura, Assam, and many other Indian states have started the training procedures. The Ministry of Home Affairs has also come up with an open platform (I4C) to fight against these crimes. I4C (Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre) helps victims to raise their complaints.
How can we prevent Cyber Crime?
Now that we have these cyber laws, it is our responsibility to take steps to prevent these crimes. Protection measures must be taken if we want to secure ourselves. First of all, we must be aware of our online transactions. We can lose important information if our computer has spyware (and we are unaware of it).
Thus, installing an updated anti-virus is very important. Secondly, half of the people are not even aware of these crimes. We must educate them regarding the usage of computers, the internet, credit card, etc. Moreover, they should know about the initiatives taken by the Government. Besides, the best way to curb this problem is to stay alert.
Conclusion
Cyber crime is a dangerous offense. It violates the law but more importantly, it violates a person’s rights. Considering, the increase in these types of crimes, we can see that these criminals are highly skilled. They are always one step ahead of the authorities. However, they often leave clues while committing these crimes.
This can be resolved in two ways. It is very important to have experts in the investigation teams. The second method is to utilize these criminals to catch other culprits. They are kept in prison for hardly 1-5 years. Their punishment can be changed to help the government in tracking down other criminals. This way, the number of cases will significantly decrease, and we will be able to stop it eventually.
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