JOIN USThere will always be crime, and criminals – of various kinds. One rule to remember about crime and detection is “Sutton’s law”. In the 1920s, when the British police caught the notorious William Francis Sutton and asked him why he robbed only banks, his answer was simple and logical — “Because that’s where the money is!” Sutton’s law, therefore, simply means that when a crime occurs and you want to catch the criminal, first look in the most obvious places. That way not only do you have a greater chance of catching the criminal, your investigation will also be cost and time-effective.
But crime evolves as much as science and technology do. Between Arthur Conan Doyle’s fictional Sherlock Holmes to today, the world of crime has become a lot more complex. Cybercrime, for instance, is a complicated affair.
Cybercrime detection is not easy, especially in India, where hundreds of millions now wield electronic gadgets, but few understand how to use them securely and without allowing cybercriminals to hack into them.
Cybercrime detection is not easy, too. Cybercrimes can be plotted in total privacy, executed from a secluded place, the ‘footprint’ can be hard to detect. Therefore, when a cybercrime does occur, one will need technical expertise to track the hacker.
Worse, cybercriminals have now grown into syndicates, with far more reach and power than a single hacker. A majority of internet and net-banking users are not aware of these complexities.
Firstly, a simple definition of cybercrime: it’s any illicit activity through electronic operation which targets the security of a computer system and accesses data. So, helping oneself to any secured information without the requisite permission is a crime.
There are government files, sensitive military files, business data, or even an individual’s identity, personal and financial data — all of it needs to be protected. The hacker’s crime per se need not cause a financial loss, but stealing files and guarded information can damage and debilitate the working process of an institution.
Cybersecurity is, therefore, a necessity. Security includes protection from viruses and malware, which may destroy files, to the advantage of the hacker. We need to remember that cybercrime is an everchanging phenomenon. With technology being dynamic, new viruses and malware is developed all the time to beat existing security systems. Which is why, we need technical wizards who are constantly on the alert for new malware.
Some hacker tricks
Fake online shopping websites — these pages love your credit card information. Once you part with those, they will siphon off money in one shot, or in small doses periodically, unnoticeable if you are too busy to pay attention. This happens most often with add-on cards, or if you have initiated automated bill payments.
Software piracy: by infringing on intellectual property rights, trademark violations and theft of computer code. This causes monetary loss to the original developer
E-mail spoofin: is the forgery of an email header so that the message appears to have originated from someone or somewhere other than the actual source. It is usually designed to elicit information from you that will help the hacker send out mails from your email account to your contacts, usually saying that you are in some sort of trouble and want some money transferred to an account.
Baiter website: floods your computer offering contraband substances and services. If you fall for it and make a purchase, the hacker will have your credit card details and bleed the card in no time.
Protecting yourself
Given all this, preventive cyberpolicing is the need of the hour, although we do not currently have the personnel and expertise for it. When they do become available, we may have to pay through our nose for their services — to be able to prevent or detect cybersecurity breaches, data loss and damage isn’t your run-of-the-mill policing.
Consider the case of Abhinav Srivastava: until he was caught peering into the Aadhaar database illegally, the world only knew him as one of those wonderful whizkids who had co-founded a technology start-up.
But you can be alert and protect yourself from cybercrimes, just like you stay alert against real-world crimes. Be watchful. Second, precaution is the mantra. Change passwords of your computer, email and apps and services that you use often. Do not keep all details pertaining to a credit card or other banking details in one place. The password is always safest when it is only in your memory, not in the browser’s.
Make sure your computer is malware-protected. This will help you secure your files. When the anti-virus software warns you about certain webpages, please heed.
On a larger scale, it is important to understand the benefit of proper training and tools to prevent cybercrime. We need the best IT brains to keep government and defence records and data protected.