29 Oct 2022  |   05:14am IST

Cybercrime is emerging a big threat as technology grows

With the increasing numbers of computers and smart phones which are being used almost like a moving bank in one’s palm, cybercrime has become a major issue.

The advancement of technology has made man dependent on Internet for all his needs. Social networking, online shopping, online studying, online jobs, every possible thing that one can think of can be done through the medium of Internet. It surged during the Covid-19 when online payment became the norm to avoid physical contact.

The cybercrime is different from any other crime happening in the society. The reason being, it has no geographical boundaries and the cyber criminals are ‘unknown’. It is affecting all the stakeholders from government, business to citizens alike. In India cybercrime is increasing with the increased use of information and communication technology (ICT).

Cybercrime is a broad term that is used to define criminal activity in which computers or computer networks are a tool, a target, or a place of criminal activity and includes everything from electronic wracking to denial of service attacks. It is a general term that covers crimes like phishing, credit card frauds, bank robbery, illegal downloading, industrial espionage, kidnapping children via chat rooms, scams, cyber terrorism, creation and or distribution of viruses, spam and so on. The scope is vast and the ‘gangs’ which operate are smart enough to use the technology to dupe the unsuspecting simpletons. The most vulnerable to such crimes are the senior citizens and those who are not too well read or attuned to the every moving technology.

In fact, India is the second largest online market in the world with over 560 million Internet users, ranked only behind China. It is also estimated that by next year, there would be over 650 million Internet users in the country. According to the latest national crime records bureau NCRB data, a total of 27,248 cases of cybercrime were registered in India in 2018. The figure on cybercrimes is ever growing and several cases are been seen every day and hence the government is issuing several advertisements on radio and television to make people aware and how to safeguard themselves from cybercrimes.

Some of the simplest way to safeguard against such crimes, are by not sharing personal data with any ‘unauthorised’ and suspicious phone caller. One should also be very careful when on Internet and should always keep an eye on the URLs. Do they look legitimate? If not, better stay away from it as it could be used for phishing. With so many UPI payments apps, one needs to have a very close watch over bank statements. Spotting that one has become a victim of cybercrime quickly is important.

Cybercrimes against persons like harassment occur in cyberspace or through the use of cyberspace. Harassment can be sexual, racial, religious, etc. Cybercrimes against property like computer wreckage (destruction of others' property) evidences, transmission of harmful programmes, unauthorised trespassing, unauthorised possession of computer information and also crimes against government like cyber terrorism. All these are serious issues and to pace for the resolving such issues it is actually a nightmare for the cybercrime police as there is no boundary and it can happen anytime of the day.

Cybercrime is criminal activity that either targets or uses a computer, a computer network or a networked device. Most cybercrime is committed by cybercriminals or hackers who want to make quick money by duping unsuspecting simple persons who may be challenged by the technology. In fact technology can be a boon and a bane too. What is required that laws made for committing cybercrimes should be very stringent and manpower in the cybercrime police must be increased multi-fold not only to resolve issues faster but also coordinate better among their offices in different  parts of the country or world. The action by cybercrime police needs to be fast as the criminals are smart enough to dodge after creating a crime.

IDhar UDHAR

Idhar Udhar