What is cybercrime? How can you protect yourself against cybercrime?

What Is Cybercrime? How to Protect Yourself from Cybercrime

What is cybercrime? How can we protect ourselves from it? These seemingly simple questions are not easy to answer. Even when people know the answers, they may not apply them correctly, leading to unfortunate consequences. More than a decade ago, the term “cybercrime” was unfamiliar to many people, but over time, it has become a common part of everyday life. This article aims to clarify this issue.

What Is Cybercrime?

Cybercrime, also known as computer crime, refers to illegal activities in which criminals use computers as tools to carry out unlawful acts such as fraud, intellectual property theft, identity theft, and privacy violations. As computers have become essential in commerce, services, government, and entertainment, cybercriminals have found more opportunities to operate.

While most cybercrimes are committed for financial gain, some attacks directly target computers or devices to damage or disable them for personal or political purposes.

Due to the early and widespread use of computers and the Internet in the United States, many early victims of cybercrime were Americans. However, by the 21st century, almost no place in the world has been untouched by cybercrime.

How Cybercriminals Operate

Cyberattacks can originate anywhere as long as digital data, opportunities, and motives exist. Cybercriminals range from individual users to state-sponsored organizations. They use various attack methods and continuously seek new techniques to achieve their goals while avoiding detection and arrest.

Cybercriminals often rely on malware and other malicious software. Social media is also a key tool in many cyberattacks. Phishing emails are another major method, especially in targeted attacks such as Business Email Compromise (BEC), where attackers impersonate business owners to trick employees into paying fake invoices.

Types of Cybercrime

• Identity theft and privacy violations
• Internet fraud
• ATM fraud
• Wire transfer fraud
• File sharing and copyright infringement
• Counterfeiting and forgery
• Child pornography
• Hacking
• Computer viruses
• Denial-of-service attacks
• Spam, steganography, and email hacking
• Exploitation of security vulnerabilities

How to Protect Yourself from Cybercrime

Keep your software and operating system updated
Regular updates ensure you receive the latest security patches.

Use antivirus software and keep it updated
This helps detect and remove threats before they become serious problems.

Use strong passwords
Create passwords that are hard to guess and never write them down. Consider using a trusted password manager.

Never open attachments in spam emails
Although this method may seem outdated, it is still effective. Do not open attachments or click links from unknown senders. This is sincere advice from NSV.

Do not share personal information unless it is secure
Many accounts are compromised through just a phone call or message. Always verify the identity of the person contacting you.

Contact companies directly about suspicious requests
If you receive a request for personal data, hang up and call the company using the official number on its website. Use a different phone if possible to avoid call spoofing.

Pay attention to website URLs
Avoid clicking suspicious links. When making online transactions, ensure all security measures are enabled.

Monitor your bank statements regularly
Report any unusual transactions to your bank so they can investigate possible fraud.

Conclusion

Cybercrime is evolving at an extremely rapid pace, with new trends emerging constantly. Cybercriminals are becoming more agile, quickly adopting new technologies, refining their attack methods, and collaborating in unprecedented ways. Complex criminal networks operate worldwide, coordinating sophisticated attacks in just minutes.

Therefore, everyone must remain vigilant and improve their cybersecurity knowledge to protect themselves. Using reliable security solutions is essential to avoid becoming a victim of cybercrime.