Cyber crime is running rampant, says Fred Mitchell, Symantec business unit manager at Drive Control Corporation, who is believes that the lack of justice faced by these criminals comes as a result of a number of factors.
“Because of the international nature of the Internet, the criminals are a faceless menace, and international cyber crime is difficult to uncover and to successfully prosecute, so justice in many cases is not being done.”
Cyber crime, Mitchell explains, ranges from annoying spam e-mails to more sinister fraud and identity theft matters and sometimes even to cyber terrorism. Due to what he calls its indiscriminate nature affects young and old Internet users, including children, regardless of race, gender, nationality, social standing and so on.
According to a recent Norton Cyber crime report, 65% of adults worldwide have been victims of some form of cyber crime, and only 3% of respondents indicated that they did not expect to be victims of cyber crime at some point.
Some of the most common forms of cyber crime, Mitchell points out, include computer viruses and malware, online scams, phishing, social networking profile hacking, online credit card fraud and sexual predation.
“While several forms of cyber crime are simply an irritation for many people, for those who fall victim to more serious crimes online, it can be a traumatic event,” he says, adding that sexual predation is of great concern for parents with children online, and many people, the world over, have lost time and money through online scams and credit card fraud.
“The dangers of cyber crime are real, yet just over half of respondents would not change way they behave online even if they became a victim of cyber crime,” Mitchell says.
“Even though nine out of 10 people, according to the Norton report, do not feel very safe online, the prevalence of this type of crime continues to grow as more and more people join the online community and the perpetrators continue to evade justice.”
Mitchell reckons one of the reasons for the spread of cyber crime is that there is a pervasive culture among people to feel that they are to blame for falling victim to cyber crime, which in turn has a knock on effect to the number of online crimes that are reported.
“Failing to report cyber crime not only hinders the justice process, it also means that more people will pay for the crime, as financial institutions will often pass on the cost of any losses incurred to the clients of the bank.”
Besides hitting the wallets of those affected, it also causes major hassles, he notes. This includes the amount of time it takes and the cost associated with resolving a cyber crime incident and also invokes emotional stress in victims, who may feel powerless, angry, embarrassed, violated, upset and frustrated.
Cyber crime rings are often run by organised crime syndicates, Mitchell says, adding that as much as 90% of the time, a fact which most of the public seems unaware, with only 21% of respondents in the report indicating they felt organised crime was to blame.
Who is to blame?
Mitchell begs the question of who is to blame for cyber crime. “The practices and behaviours of many people online are morally grey, and many users have been tempted into unethical behaviours at some point,” he muses.
One problem, he points out, is downloading music, movies and other digital content online. He says this is one area where people commonly fall into unethical practices, seeing nothing wrong with downloading this content without paying for it.
“This opens people up to crime, as cyber criminals will inevitably be aware of the channels people use to illegally download digital content, and will use this content as a means of distributing malicious tools and other threats.”
The rise of social networking has also aided the spread of cyber crime, according to the report. “Many people feel it is acceptable to fictionalise online profiles of themselves, which they feel may protect them by giving a shield of anonymity,” Mitchell comments.
However, he adds, people also fail to realise that the same holds true for cyber criminals, who may mask their identity behind false information.
“This makes it difficult for anyone to know who they are really talking to, which can open people up to dangers online.”
Common sense practices
When it comes to protecting ourselves from online crime, there are several common sense rules Mitchell outlines.
Never give out passwords, don't give out personal information unnecessarily, don't open attachments or links from strangers, watch out for offers that seem too good to be true and always keep financial details safe and secure, he notes.
He says the majority of Internet users are aware of these ground rules, and yet still fall victim to cyber crime.
“Why?” he asks. “Because we have been socially engineered to 'click here' and we make it too easy for online criminals.”
Other precautions the report notes users can take to make the lives of cyber criminals more difficult include: using a separate e-mail address for online purchases, never use a debit card online, back up files regularly, change passwords often and use complex passwords. It also adds that users should use a browser search advisor to prevent entry onto fake Web site.
Mitchell says: “Criminals are always looking for ways to get around security software, so make sure you have the best tools available and keep them up to date.
“Combining these common sense practices with the right computer software to protect a machine from malicious software can make a massive difference when it comes to fighting cybercrime.”
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