Cyber Security is the technique of protecting our systems, digital devices, networks, and all of the data stored in the devices from cyber attacks. By acquiring knowledge about cyber crimes and cyber security, we can recognize and protect our data from online scams. In the digital era, the importance of cyber security is immense. One reason of this is that internet has become an integral part of our lives. People are using internet for everything (shopping, interacting with family and friends and many more things). The drawback of this is that as one is using internet more and more, he is putting more of his personal information there, which can be used against us by cyber thieves. They may steal our identity, money, and data or damage our device. This is referred to as cyber threat.
In today’s world there are many people who don’t know about any of the cyber threats, how dangerous they are and what are their consequences. Common cyber threats include phishing, malware, and ransom ware. Phishing is a popular cybercrime in which fraudsters attempt to steal our personal information like passwords, bank account details and other details by sending spam emails and messages that may appear to be authentic and be from trusted sources, and therefore people fall prey to it. Another way through which people may fall victim to cyber crime is through malicious software, referred to as malware. It refers to any software designed intentionally to cause damage to a computer, server or a network. Malware cyber crime occurs through computer viruses, worms, Trojan horses, ransom ware, and spyware. The main goal of fraudsters behind this is to steal sensitive data from personal or corporate devices such as mobile phones and computers, and transfer that data to another device. This practice is referred to as Data exfiltration.
After discussing over these types of cyber threats, the main question arises that how should one protect himself/herself from these cyber threats and leads a secure life. According to recent reports, the numbers of cyber crime cases being filed are increasing rapidly year after year making this a serious concern. For this we should follow certain precautionary measures to safeguard our devices and breach of our data in the hands of fraudsters.
We should keep our software and operating systems up to date to ensure that the latest technology safeguards our devices. Using an anti-virus to scan, defeat and remove threats is really helpful to be safe from being victim of a cyber crime. While creating any type of account, always put a strong password to ensure its safety. Whenever you are online, ensure you don’t open spam messages or emails or see unauthorized links trusting them to be authentic. Never give them out your personal information or passwords unless they are fully secure. A slight bit of carelessness can lead to severe consequences here; therefore it is better to stay alert every time. Although nowadays, all social media platforms have responsibility to implement robust security, educate users about cyber threats, still people should be careful while browsing internet to ensure safety against cyber crimes.
In spite of all taking all these precautionary measures, if one falls victim to cyber crime, one should immediately contact the bank and query any unfamiliar transactions with the bank. The bank can investigate whether they are fraudulent.
Hope these small, important details about cyber security and cyber crime help people to protect their devices and data from fraudsters.
Author – Dev Agrawal
Brightlands School
