Cyber Ethics, Cyber Safety and Cybercrime

Let us imagine a man who bought an expensive mobile phone from a famous e-commerce website. He signed up on this website using a password that is easy to remember. He purchased this mobile phone and gave his ATM debit card initials. After receiving the parcel, he was unsatisfied and requested a refund. The money was refunded, but not in his bank account.

After investigation, it was found that someone else logged in to his account. After logging in, the person changed the ATM debit card details. Once the money was refunded, this unknown person deleted the details and took all his money. This unknown person is known as a cybercriminal and the fraud is termed as cybercrime.

Ever since the internet has grown, cybercrime has become one of the major issues. The increase in cybercrimes is proportional to the increasing internet usage by millions. Thus, several cyber ethics and cyber safety measures are being introduced.

In this article, we will focus on these.

What is Cybercrime?

Cybercrime is defined as an unlawful act involving a computer device and a network. The computer may be the target for the cybercriminals or a tool to commit the crime. It is a punishable offence under the Information Technology Act.

Between 2011 and 2014, the number of cybercrime cases has increased. In India, it has increased by approximately 300%. The intensity of these cyberattacks is getting more and more complex.

Earlier, a computer crime was only limited to the physical damage to a computer. It started malfunctioning the computers with viruses in the late 1980s. These viruses are defined as malicious codes. They affect the functioning of a computer.

Why do we call it ‘Cybercrime’?

Cybercrime is associated with the word ‘cyberspace’. Cyberspace is a virtual environment. It was mentally constructed by William Gibson in 1982. Many networked computer activities take place in cyberspace. The crime that occurs within cyberspace is termed cybercrime.

Cybercrime occurs when a criminal uses technology to intrude into others’ private space.

Types of Cybercrime

There are different types of cybercrime. It can be classified into four types:

• Insider attack
• External attack
• Structured attack
• Unstructured attack

Insider attack: An insider attack is a malicious act that comes from a person who is working inside the organisation. This person can identify the weakness and can perform the crime with no difficulty.

External attack: Suppose a cybercriminal is attacking the system from outside the organisation. This is called an external attack. An insider can also hire the attacker to attack from outside. Here, research is done on a deeper level after scanning. Several important pieces of information are gathered. After confirming, the attack is carried out.

Structured attack: In a structured attack, the attackers are professional and experienced. They have clear intentions and carry out their work with ease. They are skilled people with sophisticated hacking tools. Furthermore, they use these tools to break the security and get into the private network. All these are carried out, leaving no trace. They perform this work using Intrusion Detection Systems.

Unstructured attack: In an unstructured attack, the attackers are not experienced enough. They don’t have any clear intentions. 

Some common types of cybercrime include:

• Email spam
• Identity theft
• ATM card cloning
• Ransomware attacks
• Cyber Extortion
• Cryptojacking
• Cyber espionage
• Data breach
• Cyberbullying
• Drug trafficking

What is Cyber Safety?

Cyber safety is the security protocol that is curated by cyber security experts. Users must follow cyber safety rules to use the internet. Several organisations have their own cyber safety rules. These security protocols are used for:

• Carrying out work through a positive approach and benefitting from the internet with no threat.
• Encouraging users to stay alert and identify potential risks.
• Managing potential risks and working to minimise them.
• Conducting workshops for employees and other concerned people.

What is Cyber Ethics?

Cyber ethics is a set of morally correct rules. It is also a security protocol that decides a code of behaviour. It must be followed and taken care of while using the online environment. A responsible citizen must follow these rules while using the internet.

Cyber ethics helps to create a safe environment in cyberspace. People who don’t follow cyber ethics are considered threats by the government of any nation.

Some important rules include:

• Do not ask for, send, or store any offensive content.
• Do not access any network or system without permission.
• Do not store any data of users even if it is public.
• Do not bully, harass, abuse, or stalk anyone over the internet.
• Do not spread computer viruses even if it is for fun.
• Do not spam any internet user.
• Do not violate copyright laws.
• Say no to plagiarism. Watch or listen to any form of media only after lawfully purchasing it.

Conclusion

Cybercrime is the biggest threat in the recent era. You will find plenty of skilled hackers. These hackers can hack any device using advanced tools. They keep updating their hacking tools according to the security measures. Cybercriminals prefer carrying out this illegal activity. It is because of the huge returns for a low investment and risks in business.