How Cybercrimes Happen

In the past few years, technology and computer use have grown massively. People use them both at homes and in offices for personal and commercial reasons. The increase of use of computers brings changes in most sectors in a nation such as banking and communication. Despite the growth bringing improvements in the activities in various sectors, it has brought some negative effects. Cyber-crime is a major problem in the world today due to the high number of computer users. It takes place through the internet where people use the computers to carry out criminal activities. The government and citizens of a nation need to work together to ensure rates of cybercrime are reduced or completely eradicated.

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One of the ways cybercrime takes place is through hacking. An unauthorized user accesses a person's computer without permit. The unauthorized user uses different software to access a person's computer regardless of the geographical location of the target computer. They steal the person's sensitive and personal information and use it for their benefit. Cyber criminals can hack a personal account especially social media one where they can deliver negative information of a person to defame him or her (Brenner, p. 121). Many famous people like politicians are the people who these kinds of hacks from their rivals to destroy their public images.

Another way is through copyrights theft. People download movies, music, eBooks, and software from different sites on the internet while others sell them after download. Most of this information is supposed to be bought by any user, and these products have copyrights to ensure all users use original material. People have however found an easy and cheaper way to get free access to have the products through sites that offer them without any fee. It is unfortunate as their developers or producers end up not getting enough profit as they had anticipated causing losses to their businesses.

The crime is practiced in banks too. The cybercriminal acquires data concerning a person's debit and credit card, personal bank account and any other important information linked to a person's financial account. With access to that data, one can manipulate his or her way to get money from the bank account leading to the victims financial losses that can cause a person's credit history be spoilt. People have lost their money through hacks of their bank accounts, and it is an ongoing activity, which needs to be solved as soon as it can be to avoid hackers tampering with peoples financial records and accounts.

Groups both individual and protest have hacked websites of large organizations. Some have even tampered with national defense information as a threat to the country, which is another form of cybercrime. Cyber criminals at times aim at web servers. They make many requests to that server, causing the server to use maximum bandwidth. The server might end up breaking down and slowing any processes in the websites. It brings losses to businesses, which rely mostly on their websites to make transactions or communication to any customer, supplier or shareholders. Another way cybercriminals attack computer users is sending web links to internet users, which have malware (Kirwan and Andrew, p. 79). Any person who ends up installing the malware into the system experiences difficulties with the computer as it does not function properly.

The best way to solve cybercrime is for people and the government to be proactive to these crimes to prevent them before they occur rather than reacting to a damage already done. Computer users need to have antivirus software installed on their computers to detect any malware that could affect the computer. Firewalls and intrusion detection systems are useful to prevent cyber-crimes. Use of constantly updated passwords and usernames restricts any unauthorized person from accessing the computer. It is also important to share the information with the society through training. If people get awareness on how to prevent these crimes, they will take precaution hence assisting in reducing the cyber-crime rates. People using public Wi-Fi hotspots need to be cautious and avoid making any transactions when using the networks. Employees in an organization need to be aware of any signs of cybercrime to prevent them from affecting their systems.

The law enforcement agencies need to recruit IT experts to assist in the fight against cybercrime. The government also needs to increase its fines and imprisonment on any person found guilty of the crime (Brenner, p.149). This will discourage any criminal to continue computer crimes. The laws should also be uniform in most countries to encourage coordination among the law enforcement authorities in different nations.

In conclusion, cybercrime is a menace in today's world. It has caused people to face defamation from their social media accounts. Others have lost their personal documents saved on their computers through hacks. Cyber criminals have gone further to hack bank accounts and withdrawn large sums of money that have left people bankrupt. Organizations' systems have been affected as well when threatened by groups such as terrorists. People need to be aware of the precautions to take to prevent the crimes from taking place by being proactive and not reactive. Computer users need antivirus and use of firewalls to detect malware and prevent its entry into their computers. The government also needs to recruit IT experts and coordinate with other nations to create uniform cybercrime regulations globally. It should be everyones duty to take part in the fight against this problem in the globe.

Works cited

Brenner, Susan W. Cybercrime: Criminal Threats from Cyberspace. Santa Barbara, Calif: Praeger, 2010. Print.

Kirwan, G., and Andrew Power. Cybercrime: The Psychology of Online Offenders., 2013. Print.