Cybercrime blog
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According to statistics, over 556 million people worldwide were victims of cybercrime in 2013, with motivations including political gain, revenge, and espionage. Terrorist groups like ISIS are recruiting hackers to wage cyberwar on intelligence agencies, targeting systems like telecommunications, energy grids, and air-gapped military networks. Cybercriminals are also stealing personal and financial information to commit fraud and cripple the economy. The FBI reported over 6,800 cybercrime complaints totaling over $20 million from 2009-2014. To help prevent becoming victims, people should limit personal information shared online, use strong passwords, avoid clicking suspicious links, and learn about how cybercriminals operate through malware and spyware.
Cybercrime blog
- 1. Cybercriminals Are Lurking According to Go-Gulf.com, more than 556 million people were victims of cybercrime worldwide in 2013. That equals 1.5 million victims per day and 18 victims per second. Motivational factors behind cybercrime include political gain, revenge, and cyber espionage or cyber warfare. These faceless cybercriminals are either members of terrorist groups, disgruntled employees, someone seeking serious pay days or people without a conscious. Terrorist groups such as Isis are recruiting young computer hackers with top level security clearances to wage cyberwar on U.S. intelligence agencies. Vulnerable targets include telecommunications systems, energy grids, and air gapped military networks that are not directly connected to the Internet. Criminal Intent An April 2015 article published by the New Zeland Herald, states that Islamic cyber groups used laptops to hack the New York Times, the Financial Times, and other websites critical to the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Hiding under a bed of buried online data, these dangerous, yet unknown faceless creatures of mass destruction are waging a new kind of war on terror. Cybercriminals are collecting your social security numbers, healthcare records, security codes, pin numbers and financial records in an attempt to line their pockets, while crippling our nation’s economy. Financial institutions are one of the most vulnerable operations to potential a cyberattack. Savvy hackers knows as “crackers” are capable of breaking into a banking network without authorization. They’re intent? Financial gain and determination to wreak havoc and cause chaos. Customers’ financial records are potentially suspect to fraudulent actively and banks would be fiscally responsible for reimbursing their customers. This could put a monetary strain on larger financial institutions directly affecting the way business is conducted on Wall Street and potentially crippling our nation’s economy. Victimized According to a November 2014 Federal Bureau of Investigation report, more than 6,800 complaints of cybercrime where reported by the Internet Crime Complaint Center totaling more than $20 million dollars from 2009 to 2014. Victims are often enticed by an e-mail offering or banner advertisements from a cybercriminal that peaks the interest of the consumer. E-mails usually contain viruses also known as malware, logic bombs, adware, or ransomeware, which directly attack your computer making it inoperable until you pay the cybercriminals a fee. Safe and Secure So how do Americans protect themselves from becoming a victim of cybercrime? According to a WHBF News, a TV station?? in Davenport Iowa, those of us who use the Internet on a regular basis should limit what personal information we share with others, password protect their mobile phones, and refrain from sharing too much information on social sites.
- 2. While on the surface this sounds like reasonable sound advice, cybercriminals are finding ways to remain one step ahead of the curve. Crafty and sneaky tactics make it almost impossible to prevent cybercriminals from accessing information from just about anywhere in the world. Wikihow.com offers two basic tips for helping you to protect yourself from a cybercrime beyond just limiting what information is shared with others online. 1. Type all links directly into your web browser instead of directly clicking on an e-mail link. Clicking on links, either in e-mails or on social sites can be a trap to obtain your username and password. 2. Take the time to learn how cyber criminals work through e-mail, malware, and spyware operating systems. It is your responsibility to make sure that there are necessary security measures in place to help prevent a cybercrime from occurring. Think about incorporating a strategic plan that calls for security passwords to be guarded and protected. Write them down some where and keep them OFF line. Your employees’ access to work related material should be restricted or encrypted and inaccessible from Wi-Fi hot spots. If possible, have a team of security experts continually monitor all online activity that prevents malware from spreading viruses throughout your company databases. Aliah Wright, an expert on digital communications and author of the book, “A Necessary Evil: Managing Employee Activity on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn … and the Hundreds of Other Social Media Sites,” says employers should “train their employees to think before they click. Consider the source. For example, ask them to consider first why someone may send them information they did not request and to Google news items that sound outrageous before clicking on them from a Facebook page. “Malware lives across the Internet—not just on social sites or in e-mails,” she said. “Be savvy about the things you share online and the items you click on as well.” While we are all potential victims of cybercrime, it make sense to take the precautionary measures to protect ourselves from the possibilities of it happening to you and your company.