Cyber Crimes are increasing day by day. We need to keep ourselves updated with the new ways of cybercriminals. It has become the need of the hour to know about cyber crimes and the enforcement of laws to prevent them.

1. CYBER
AWARENESS
Dr. Shweta Singh
Assistant Professor
Dept. of English
KMGGPGC Badalpur

2. Overview
◦ Definition of cyber crime
◦ Difference between conventional crime and cyber crime
◦ Why should we know about cyber crime?
◦ Categories of cyber crime
◦ Detailed classification of cyber crimes
◦ How to prevent cyber crime?
◦ Cyber laws in India
◦ How to approach cyber cell?

3. Definition
◦ Cyber crime is a crime that involves a computer and a network. It is also known
as computer crimes.
◦ While most cyber crimes are carried out to generate profit for the cyber criminals,
some cyber crimes are carried out against devices directly to damage them.

4. DISTINCTION BETWEEN
CONVENTIONAL CRIME
AND CYBER CRIME

5. A major difference between conventional and cybercrime is length of
investigations. Since cybercrime involves perpetrators using falsified names and
working from remote locations, it usually takes longer to identify the real cyber
criminals and apprehend them. In most cases, cyber criminals escape from arrest
because the investigators cannot locate them. Conventional crimes take shorter
time period to investigate because the criminals usually leave evidence that can be
used to spot them.

6. WHY SHOULD WE KNOW
ABOUT CYBER CRIME?

7. Cyber crimes in India
spiked nearly nine times
since 2013
◦ India recorded 50,035 cases of cyber crime in 2020, with a
11.8% surge in such offences over the previous year, as 578
incidents of "fake news on social media" were also reported,
official data showed on September 15.
◦ The rate of cyber crime (incidents per lakh population) also
increased from 3.3% in 2019 to 3.7% in 2020 in the country,
according to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB)
data.
◦ Source-https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-
reported-118-rise-in-cyber-crime-in-2020-578-incidents-of-
fake-news-on-social-media-data/article36480525.ece
◦ https://www.news18.com/news/india/cyber-crimes-in-
india-spiked-nearly-nine-times-since-2013-up-topped-
chart-in-2020-data-4210703.html

8. Categories of Cyber Crime
Computer as a target Computer as a tool

9. Computer as a
target
◦ Computer Viruses
◦ Denial of service attacks
◦ Malware (malicious code)

10. Computer Viruses
◦ A computer virus is a type of computer program that, when, executed replicates
itself by modifying other computer programs and inserting its own code.
◦ I LOVE YOU- It is one of the most destructive viruses of all time. The virus
came in an email with a subject line that said “ I Love You”
◦ MyDoom
◦ Crytolocker
◦ Sharing music, files, downloading free games invite such viruses.
◦ These viruses cause system failure and corrupt data.

11. How to prevent computer viruses
◦ Use antivirus protection and a firewall as-McAfee,
Norton, AVG etc
• Always keep your antivirus protection up-to-date
• Update your operating system regularly
• Increase your browser security settings
• Avoid questionable Websites
• Only download software from sites you trust.
• Carefully evaluate free software and file-sharing
applications before downloading them.
• Don't open messages from unknown senders

12. Denial of service (DOS) attacks
◦ DOS attacks is a cyber attack in which the perpetrator seeks to make a machine
or network resource unavailable to its intended users by temporarily disrupting
services of a host connected to a network.
◦ Web servers such as banks and credit card gateways are often target of such
attacks.
◦ Prevention- Use of effective tools to block traffic that they identify as illegitimate.

13. Malware
◦ Malware is any software intentionally designed to cause damage to a computer.
◦ A wide variety of malware types exist including computer viruses, worms,
ransomware, spyware.
◦ Prevention- a range of antivirus software, firewalls should be used.

14. Computer as a
tool
Phishing
Spamming
Identity theft & Identity Fraud
Offensive content
Ad Fraud
Online harassment

15. Phishing
◦ Phishing is a type of social engineering where an
attacker sends a fraudulent (fake, deceptive)
messages to trick a human victim into revealing
sensitive information.
◦ Types- email phishing, voice phishing, SMS
phishing
◦ Technique- link manipulation
◦ Prevention- extra caution

16. Spamming
◦ Spamming is the use of messaging systems to send multiple unsolicited messages
(spam) to large numbers of recipients for the purpose of commercial advertising.
◦ Spam can be used to spread computer viruses and malicious software.
◦ Prevention- whenever you found any suspicious or unwanted emails or messages,
just unsubscribe them.

17. Identity Theft and identity Fraud
◦ Identity theft occurs when someone uses another person’s personal identifying
information, like their name, identifying number, credit number, without their
permissions to commit fraud or other crimes.
◦ Types of fraud and theft- Bank fraud, card fraud, identity document forgery
◦ Prevention-
◦ Use strong passwords
◦ Never divulge personal information data in response to an email, text or phone
call unless you are certain that the request is from a bona fide source.

18. Offensive Content
◦ Child Pornography
◦ The content of websites and other electronic communications may be distasteful,
offensive for a variety of reasons. In some instances, these communications may
be illegal.
◦ The extent to which these communications are unlawful varies greatly between
countries, and even within nations. It is a sensitive area in which the courts can
become involved in arbitrating between groups with strong beliefs.

19. Ad Fraud
◦ Ad fraud is the categorical term inclusive of all forms of online advertising
frauds.
◦ App install fraud
◦ Click spam

20. Online harassment
◦ Cyberbullying
◦ Online predator
◦ Cyberstalking
◦ Cyber racism
◦ Internet Troll

21. Organised Cyber crimes on Big scale
◦ Cyber Terrorism
◦ Cyber Extortion
◦ Cyber sex-trafficking
◦ Cyber warfare

23. ◦ Never accept friend requests from unknown persons on social media platforms.
◦ Be cautious while sharing personal information with virtual friends whom you don’t know in real
life.
◦ Never share your passwords/ credit/debit card PIN/OTP with anyone.
◦ Disable camera permission and keep the lens of your camera closed or covered when not in use.
◦ Always log out from online accounts when you are done.
◦ Never click on a link from an untrusted source.
◦ Don’t forward any rumour or message on social media platforms till your are sure about its
authenticity.
◦ Avoid using free or unsecured Wi-Fi for logging into your profiles.
◦ Avoid saving your credit/debit card information on websites.
◦ Don’t mail back to unknown senders.
◦ Use strong passwords.
◦ Report to law enforcement agencies if you fall a victim to any cyber trap.

25. Cyber Laws in India
◦ The Information Technology IT act came into force on 17th October,2000.
◦ Most of the cyber-crimes covered under the IT Act are punishable with imprisonment of
3 (three) years or less. The cyber-crimes which are punishable with imprisonment of
more than 3 (three) years are:
a.publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form under section 67 of the IT
Act;
b.publishing or transmitting of material containing sexually explicit act, etc., in electronic
form under section 67A of the IT Act;
c.publishing or transmitting of material depicting children in sexually explicit act, etc., in
electronic form under section 67B of the IT Act; and
d.cyber terrorism under section 66F of the IT Act.

28. References
◦ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cybercrime
◦ https://www.mondaq.com/india/it-and-internet/891738/cyber-crimes-under-the-ipc-and-it-act--an-uneasy-co-
existence