The internet has become part of our lives as an indispensable tool when it comes to communicating, interacting, informing ourselves, working, studying or buying, today we could say that it is a necessity and it would be difficult to imagine a world without it. Internet, without computers and cell phones . And just as the entire cyber network and the users who make use of it grow day by day, so do cybercriminals or hackers who are attracted by the amount of information and data that is exposed on the web.
Index
- What is a computer crime
- scams
- Extortion
- Identity theft or impersonation
- Abusive illegal hacking
- How to avoid being a victim of a computer crime?
What is a computer crime?
Computer crimes are illegal or unauthorized actions that are carried out through digital mechanisms and the Internet for criminal purposes that violate the integrity and physical or intellectual assets of a person.
Recent studies show that economic losses in the world due to scams and cybercrime are around 12,000 million dollars each year where in Latin America we find an index of 6,600,000 attacks or attempted attacks per day and in Colombia alone in 2019 they were 28,827 cases of people or companies that were victims of an attack by hackers or computer criminals were reported to the national authorities . It could be said that today cybercrime is a more profitable “business” than drug trafficking. In this article we will see some of the most common mechanisms used to commit crimes on the web.
scams
This is the most common computer crime, generally criminals use phishing , identity theft or spam emails and fake websites in order to obtain personal data such as passwords, bank accounts, credit cards and other information that they use to loot the money or in some cases offer our data and sell it.
Identity theft or impersonation
This modality is also widely reported by victims around the world, usually occurs when the cybercriminal obtains access to your personal information and with this data makes purchases, empties your bank accounts, sends emails or requests and accesses and modifies your social networks.
Extortion
This cyber crime is also quite common, it occurs when a pirate or hacker obtains private information from you or your company and then blackmails or extorts you in order to return it or not make it public, they can also initiate a personal or business hack and demand money to stop.
Abusive illegal hacking
This crime is one of the most serious or delicate and normally those who suffer the most are companies. It occurs when the hacker makes use of equipment and tools such as computers and strategies such as brute force attacks or others, in order to access private data, accounts, records or relevant information. What can you do with this later? Sell it, ask for a reward, discredit the company, make projects or confidential information of the organization public, among many other options.
How to avoid being a victim of a computer crime?
There are several alternatives when it comes to preventing computer attacks and crimes. Some of the main recommendations focus on the use of robust and complex passwords that you must change regularly, on avoiding exposing all your personal data on social networks and web pages, and on constantly updating computer and mobile software. However, in most cases these strategies are not enough to be totally safe from cybercriminals, this is where the use of encrypted applications and cell phones that keep information safe without the fear that third parties can access it is recommended. .
In encryptados.io you find different alternatives with encrypted applications and encrypted cell phones that will allow you to protect all your data and prevent you or your company from being victims of cybercrime.
Do not wait to suffer one of these crimes to start protecting your information.
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