UPSC » Internal Security Notes » Types of Cybercrime

Types of Cybercrime

Check out more details regarding Types of Cybercrime below.

Identity Theft 

  • It is the act of wrongfully acquiring someone’s personal information (that defines one’s identity) without their consent. 
  • The personal information may consist of their name, address, bank account number, phone number, Aadhaar number or debit/credit card number etc.

Psychological Tricks 

  • Psychological tricks are when enemies manipulate the user’s psyche to lure them in with enticing promises. 
  • Once the victim is trapped, the attackers can either steal money or sensitive personal information (name, Aadhaar number, bank account number, etc.) or hurt the victim in any other way. 
  • The goal of this type of assault is to lure the victim into their trap by sending false emails, phone calls, or text messages.

Social Media Frauds 

  • Social media has evolved into a necessary and fundamental component of our everyday life. 
  • Unauthorised access to social media profiles, on the other hand, can result in the loss of information, defamation, or even worse consequences such as physical/sexual assault, robbery, and so on.

Cyber Stalking 

  • It’s a crime in which an assailant uses electronic communication to harass a victim, such as e-mail, instant messaging (IM), messages posted on a website, or messages in a discussion group. 
  • In the digital world, a cyberstalker relies on the fact that his or her genuine identity is unknown.

Cyber Bullying 

  • Bullying that occurs through the use of digital technology is known as cyberbullying. People can see, participate in, or share content using SMS, social media, forums, or game apps. 
  • Sending, uploading, or spreading nasty, harmful, or inaccurate content about someone else is considered cyber bullying. 
  • The goal is to make someone feel embarrassed or humiliated.

Mobile Applications Fraud 

  • With the surge in the application of smartphones and the resulting rise in the use of mobile applications, associated security risks have also increased. 
  • Fraudsters utilise this to attack the victim by penetrating through such popular mobile applications. 
  • They infect the applications with malicious software, called Trojan; they can get entry to your messages, OTP, e-mails, camera, contacts, photos etc., for malicious activities.

Online Banking Frauds 

  • As banking services are shifting towards online platforms, cyber frauds related to banking are also increasing. 
  • Examples of online banking fraud are digital payments application related attacks, hacking of bank accounts due to weak passwords etc.

Virus Attack on Personal Computers/Laptops 

  • Personal Computers or laptops play a very significant role in our lives. We store our critical information such as bank account numbers etc. 
  • Therefore, the safety of all this data is highly essential. 
  • Examples of how our personal computer can get affected by viruses are virus attacks through external devices, virus attacks by downloading files from untrusted websites, virus attacks by the installation of malicious software etc.