You often hear the word ‘cybercrime’ discussed nowadays. Due to the high number of connected devices and people, cybercrime is very common. But what is it exactly?
Cybercrime is a crime that involves a network and a computer. The computer may be the target, or it may be used in a commission of a crime. Cybercrime can also be defined as an offense that is committed against an individual or a group of individuals with a motive to intentionally cause mental or physical harm, using modern telecommunication networks such as mobile phones and the internet.
Cybercrimes may threaten a nation or person’s financial health and security. Types of cybercrimes include hacking, unwarranted mass-surveillance, copyright infringement, child grooming, and child pornography. Other common types of cybercrime are online scams and fraud, attacks on computer systems, identity theft and prohibited or illegal online content. Globally, both government and non-state actors are involved in cybercrimes, including financial theft, espionage, and other cross-border crimes. Sometimes, an activity that involves the interest of at least one country and cross-international borders is referred to as cyber warfare.
In the past, computer-related crimes were committed mainly by individuals. Nowadays, we are seeing very complex cybercriminal networks bringing together people from various parts of the world in real time to commit offenses on an unprecedented scale.
References
https://www.interpol.int/Crime-areas/Cybercrime/Cybercrime
https://www.acorn.gov.au/learn-about-cybercrime
https://us.norton.com/cybercrime-definition
