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What is Cyber Crime? How Am I At Risk?
South Africa’s New Traffic Laws – What You Need to Know
8th March 2017
Cyber Security and How To Be Safe Online
8th March 2017Norton.com defines Cyber Crime as a crime that involves a computer or network. As the number of connected devices (and people) continues to skyrocket, the risk is now bigger than ever.
The Statistics
- Cyber crime has now overtaken illegal drug trafficking as the top moneymaking crime.
- Every 3 seconds, someone has their identity stolen.
- Without protection, your device could become infected within 4 minutes of connecting to the Internet.
What Are the Risks?
Cyber crime can have a number of outcomes depending on the attacker’s end goal as well as their skillset. Your computer can also either be the target of the crime or even the facilitator of the crime. For this reason, cyber crime is classified into two segments.
Segment 1:
This usually begins with the victim downloading a Trojan horse of sorts. Viruses of this kind attach themselves to a downloaded file and install a keystroke monitor that tracks what you type. This is used to gather personal information like credit card details and passwords.
Included in this segment is also ‘phishing’. This is when the victim receives an email (often claiming to be a bank) with a link that, when clicked, leads to a dangerous web address. A virus will often infect the computer in this case.
This segment covers any cyber crime related to theft via viruses or hacking.
Segment 2:
This segment is much more serious and involves crimes such as terrorist activities, cyber stalking, harassment and blackmail. This is usually facilitated through extortion of a relationship that has been established online. Usually through chat rooms or instant messages. Members of terrorist groups can also use public forums to plan terrorist activities; using code words to go under the radar of monitoring systems.
Contact CC&A Insurance Brokers to protect your business. Our team of expert brokers will ensure that the future of your business is covered.
“The article should not be considered legal or financial advice and is for information purposes only. You should consult with a professional financial advisor to determine what may be best for your individual needs.”