BE SMART & CREATIVE IN CYBER WORLD

D3PAK KUMAR | D3pak@protonmail.com

CYBER CRIME

Cyber-Crime is a fast-growing area of crime. More and more criminals are exploiting the speed,

convenience and anonymity of the Internet to commit a diverse range of criminal activities that

know no borders, either physical or virtual.

Cyber Crime describes criminal activities committed through the use of electronic

communications media, with regard to cyber-fraud and identity theft through such methods as

phishing, spoofing. There are also many other forms of criminal behaviour through the use of

information Technology such as Harassment, defamation pornography. Cyber terrorism

industrial espionage and some regulatory offences.

or

Cybercrime is a type of crime done by the help of computer and internet

Any violations of criminal law that involve knowledge of computer technology

Unlawful acts wherein the computer is either a tool or a target or both

TYPES OF CYBER CRIME

Cyber Crime refers to all activities done with criminal intent in cyberspace. These fall into three

slots.

Against Persons- On-Line harassment, Cyber stalking, Obscenity, Identity Theft

Against Property- Financial crimes, Cheating on lines, Forgery, Illegal Funds Transfer

Against Nation- Damaging critical information infrastructures, Cyber Terrorism

Let us examine the acts wherein the computer is a tool for an unlawful act. This kind of activity

usually involves a modification of a conventional crime by using computer. Some examples are;

Financial Claims:

This would include cheating, credit card frauds, money laundering etc.

Identity Theft:

Identity theft and identity fraud are terms used to refer to all types of crime in which someone

wrongfully obtains and uses another person's personal data in some way that involves fraud or

deception, typically for economic gain.

BE SMART & CREATIVE IN CYBER WORLD

D3PAK KUMAR | D3pak@protonmail.com

Cyber Pornography:

This would include pornographic websites; pornographic magazines produced using computer

and the Internet (to down load and transmit pornographic pictures, photos, writings etc.)

Sale of illegal articles:

This would include sale of narcotics, weapons and wildlife etc., by posting information on

websites, bulletin boards or simply by using e-mail communications.

Online gambling:

There are millions of websites, all hosted on servers abroad, that offer online gambling. In fact,

it is believed that many of these websites are actually fronts for money laundering.

Intellectual Property Crimes:

These include software piracy, copyright infringement, trademarks violations etc.

E-Mail spoofing/Phishing:

A spoofed email is one that appears to originate from one source but actually has been sent

from another source. This can also be termed as E-Mail forging.

Phishing is the attempt to obtain sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and credit

card details (and sometimes, indirectly, money), often for malicious reasons, by masquerading

as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication

Forgery:

Counterfeit currency notes, postage and revenue stamps, mark sheets etc., can be forged using

sophisticated computers, printers and scanners.

Cyber Defamation:

This occurs when defamation takes place with the help of computers and or the Internet e.g.

someone published defamatory matter about someone on a websites or sends e-mail containing

defamatory information to all of that person’s friends.

BE SMART & CREATIVE IN CYBER WORLD

D3PAK KUMAR | D3pak@protonmail.com

Cyber Stalking:

Cyber stalking involves following a person’s movements across the Internet by posting

messages on the bulletin boards frequented by the victim, entering the chat-rooms frequented

by the victim.

Let us examine some of the acts wherein the computer or computer Network is the target for an

unlawful act. It may be noted that in these activities the computer may also be a tool. This kind

of activity is usually out of the purview of conventional criminal law. Some examples are:

Unauthorized access to computer system or network:

This activity is commonly referred to as hacking. The Indian Law has however given a different

connotation to the term hacking.

Theft of information contained in electronic from:

This includes information stored in computer hard disks, removable storage media etc.

E-Mail bombing:

Email bombing refers to sending a large amount of e-mails to the victim resulting in the victims’

e-mail account or mail servers.

Data diddling:

This kind of an attack involves altering the raw data just before it is processed by a computer

and then changing it back after the processing is completed.

Salami attacks:

Those attacks are used for the commission of financial crimes. The key here is to make the

alteration so insignificant that in a single case it would go completely unnoticed e.g. A bank

employee inserts a program into bank’s servers, that deducts a small amount from the account

of every customer.

Denial of Service:

BE SMART & CREATIVE IN CYBER WORLD

D3PAK KUMAR | D3pak@protonmail.com

This involves flooding computer resources with more requests than it can handle. This causes

the resources to crash thereby denying authorized users the service offered by the resources.

Virus/worm:

Viruses are programs that attach themselves to a computer or a file and then circulate

themselves to other files and to other computers on a network. They usually affect the data on

a computer, either by altering or deleting it. Worms, unlike viruses don not need the host to

attach themselves to.

Trojan Horse:

A Trojan as this program is aptly called, is an unauthorized program which functions from inside

what seems to be an authorized program, thereby concealing what it is actually doing.

Physically damaging a computer system:

This crime is committed by physically damaging a computer or its peripherals.

Illegal Downloads, Copyright, File Sharing & Piracy

Theft of software through the illegal copying of genuine programs or the counterfeiting and

distribution of products intended to pass for the original.

Cyber Terrorism

FBI defines it as, “premeditated, politically motivated attack against information, computer

systems, computer programs, and data which results in violence against non-combatant targets

by subnational groups or clandestine agents.

Counterfeit Cashier's Check, Escrow Services Fraud, Nigerian Letter or "419"

CASE STUDIES RESOURCES

http://gurgaon.haryanapolice.gov.in/case-studies.htm

http://www.cyberralegalservices.com/detail-casestudies.php

http://www.cyberlawsindia.net/cases1.html

http://prateek-paranjpe.blogspot.in/p/cyber-forensics-case-studies.html

BE SMART & CREATIVE IN CYBER WORLD

D3PAK KUMAR | D3pak@protonmail.com

CYBERCRIME PREVENTION TIPS

Use strong passwords

Use different user ID / password combinations for different accounts and avoid writing them

down. Make the passwords more complicated by combining letters, numbers, special characters

(minimum 10 characters in total) and change them on a regular basis.

Secure your computer

Activate your firewall

Firewalls are the first line of cyber defense; they block connections to unknown or bogus sites

and will keep out some types of viruses and hackers.

Use anti-virus/malware software

Prevent viruses from infecting your computer by installing and regularly updating anti-virus

software.

Block spyware attacks

Prevent spyware from infiltrating your computer by installing and updating anti-spyware

software.

Be social-media savvy

Make sure your social networking profiles (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+, etc.) are

set to private. Check your security settings. Be careful what information you post online. Once it

is on the Internet, it is there forever!

Secure your mobile devices

Be aware that your mobile device is vulnerable to viruses and hackers. Download applications

from trusted sources.

Install the latest operating system updates

Keep your applications and operating system (e.g. Windows, Mac, Linux) current with the latest

system updates. Turn on automatic updates to prevent potential attacks on older software.

Protect your data

Use encryption for your most sensitive files such as tax returns or financial records, make regular

back-ups of all your important data, and store it in another location.

BE SMART & CREATIVE IN CYBER WORLD

D3PAK KUMAR | D3pak@protonmail.com

Secure your wireless network

Wi-Fi (wireless) networks at home are vulnerable to intrusion if they are not properly secured.

Review and modify default settings. Public Wi-Fi, a.k.a. “Hot Spots”, are also vulnerable. Avoid

conducting financial or corporate transactions on these networks.

Protect your e-identity

Be cautious when giving out personal information such as your name, address, phone number

or financial information on the Internet. Make sure that websites are secure (e.g. when making

online purchases or online banking) or that you’ve enabled privacy settings (e.g. when

accessing/using social networking sites). A shopping, banking, or any other website that requires

your sensitive information should begin with “https:” (i.e. https://www.yourbank.com). The “s”

stands for secure and should appear when you are in an area requesting you to login or provide

other sensitive data. Another sign that you have a secure connection is the small lock icon in the

bottom of your Web browser (usually the right-hand corner).

Avoid being scammed

Always think before you click on a link or file of unknown origin. Don’t click on the links in these

messages as they may take you to a fraudulent, malicious website and don’t feel pressured by

any emails. Check the source of the message. Legitimate companies will not use email

messages to ask for your personal information. When in doubt, verify the source (e.g. contact

the company by phone). Never reply to emails that ask you to verify your information or confirm

your user ID or password.

Call the right person for help

Don’t panic! If you are a victim, if you encounter illegal Internet content (e.g. child exploitation)

or if you suspect a computer crime, identity theft or a commercial scam, report this to your local

police. If you need help with maintenance or software installation on your computer, consult with

your service provider or a certified computer technician.

More Tips:

http://gurgaon.haryanapolice.gov.in/crime-prevention-tips.htm

https://www.ic3.gov/preventiontips.aspx

https://www.police.uk/crime-prevention-advice/

http://www.police.gov.hk/ppp_en/04_crime_matters/tcd/tips.html

https://in.norton.com/cybercrime-prevention

https://www.acorn.gov.au/protect-and-prevent