With the development of information technology, so-called computer crimes have become widespread. No one is safe from them: neither ordinary users, nor even secret services. A computer connected to the Internet is a priori at risk. Sometimes even powerful antiviruses do not save.
Information can be considered as an intangible item, which, however, has a certain value. And it includes not only the work of the one who worked on its creation and implementation, but also the benefits that can be obtained by using it. That is why information offenses are so widespread - they are capable of bringing a considerable amount of money.
Computer crimes can be committed both in relation to the devices themselves (as tangible objects), and in relation to various programs and databases. By the way, this type of offense is not fixed by law. Today, the list of computer-related crimes is growing steadily. We list the main ones.
Types of Computer Crime
- unauthorized access to information resources and their interception. For example, hacking sites and the subsequent change of information on them;
- fraud. Often these are all sorts of ads, the main idea of which is that you need to send money to an unknown wallet. The arguments can be different, ranging from “and you will return a sum that is twice as large” and ending with “a person needs help”;
- removal of protection from software (on Internet slang - “cracking”). This computer crime is committed with the aim of further free use of certain objects. The same term refers to the situation when, at first, the licensed version of the program (film, book, etc.) was legitimately acquired, and then it began to spread in a pirated way on the network;
- Unauthorized distribution (mass character) of various kinds of messages - from advertising to viral. These computer crimes are popularly called "spam." Fortunately, today almost everyone knows what it is, and they do not fall for the bait of scammers;
- obtaining the credentials of third parties in an illegal manner for using the Internet. This also includes the seizure of pages in the social. networks and reading personal messages of the user. In some situations, such computer crimes may well entail criminal liability. And although there are no laws according to which a person should be punished for committing an offense in this area, such cases can be regarded as "invasion of personal space." Similarly, law enforcement agencies act in other situations related to computer crimes;
- committing all sorts of actions that on a remote computer entail a “denial of service”, a PC freeze, possibly even partial or complete loss of information. At the same time, the offender has administrator rights on the “hacked” computer.
Reducing to zero the likelihood that you will become a victim of computer scams is impossible. However, it is completely possible to protect yourself as completely as possible - you just need to choose a good anti-virus system, not follow unknown links and not believe dubious promises about a possible enrichment.