Cybercrime is increasing at a fast rate. With all the legitimate opportunities the Internet offers, this can be a very positive thing, but unfortunately there is a significant percentage of illicit opportunities too.

As a result cyber crime is a significant problem in today's society. The two major types of cyber crime are cyber crimes against persons or property. No one is immune. There are dozens of kinds of incidents, but three kinds of incidents that appear to be continuously growing are malware, hacking and fraud.

*Malware

Malware such as viruses, trojans, worms and spyware can significantly disrupt information systems. This can be at home or in the workplace. For personal infections, the effects can be very problematic, especially if personal information is lost to the cyber thief.

For businesses the consequences can be devastatingly costly on many levels. In addition to the dollar amount attributed to resolving damaged computers or networks, there are also the concerns associated with potential breaches of information.

The consequences of malware infection may vary depending on the type of infection, but the end result is often not only disruption, but loss of data, stolen information or systems that become damaged.

In the case of trojans, the program can be misconstrued as a useful or interesting program by someone, either on a personal computer or a work one, and can either unintentionally or intentionally allow unauthorized access which if security is not monitored, this can go on for long periods of time leading to financial loss or data breach.

*Hacking

Hacking by definition is defined as an unauthorized entry to a system. This kind of cyber crime is also problematic in today's society. Each time a computer is connected online, chances are within minutes an attempt to infiltrate has been made.

Companies and individuals that do not invest resources into securing their systems are likely to get hacked which can lead to loss of data, stolen financial resources or damage to their systems. Unauthorized hacking with a malicious intent can bring down an entire organization if a business is not careful.

In addition this kind of cyber incident typically does not sit well with the public when they learn their information may have been exposed which can cause further issues for an organization. Hackers have different motives for engaging in hacking, but no matter what the reason for hacking, the end results usually are pretty damaging.

*Fraud

Fraud is another cyber crime which has been impacting both individuals and organizations. Using either technical tools or social engineer tactics, individuals or organized groups of cyber criminals are able to tap into different areas either stealing credit card numbers, pretending to be a legitimate entity, but in reality designed to commit fraud or through phishing methods.

Fraudulent businesses who do not deliver as promised are an issue as are those that pose as legitimate companies, but are completely rooted in a foundation that works to intentionally cheat and defraud people.

There are many problems associated with cyber crime and unfortunately these issues don't seem to be resolving any time soon. If anything it's likely statistics of cyber crime are going to continue to rise.

You can learn more about the increasingly difficulties associated with cyber crime on the IC3 website. This site is a great place to see cyber crime statistics in your home state (if you live in the US) and it is interesting to see the problematic cyber crime areas in different regions.

The key to combating the problems associated with cyber crime is to be proactive, educate yourself and learn about the many ways you can protect yourself and those you love.

Learn more about this author, Leigh Goessl.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about Problems associated with cyber crime?
We want to hear your view. Write now!