History of Cyber Crime
When computers and networks came into being in the 1990s, hacking was done basically to get more information about the systems. Hackers even competed against one another to win the tag of the best hacker. As a result, many networks were affected; right from the military to commercial organizations. Initially, these hacking attempts were brushed off as mere nuisance as they did not pose a long-term threat.
Cyber Crime Definition
Cybercrime is a term for any illegal activity that uses a computer as its primary means of commission. The U.S. Department of Justice expands the definition of cybercrime to include any illegal activity that uses a computer for the storage of evidence.
Types of Cyber Crime
Cyberstalking – express or implied physical threats that creates fear through the use of computer technology such as email, phones, text messages, webcams, websites or videos.
Cybertheft is using a computer to steal. This includes activities related to: breaking and entering, DNS cache poisoning, embezzlement and unlawful appropriation, espionage, identity theft, fraud, malicious hacking, plagiarism, and piracy.
Hacking: This is a type of crime wherein a person’s computer is broken into so that his personal or sensitive information can be accessed. In the United States, hacking is classified as a felony and punishable as such.
Identity Theft: This has become a major problem with people using the Internet for cash transactions and banking services. It can result in major financial losses for the victim and even spoil the victim’s credit history.
Malicious Software: These are Internet-based software or programs that are used to disrupt a network. The software is used to gain access to a system to steal sensitive information or data or causing damage to software present in the system.
Child soliciting and Abuse: This is also a type of cyber crime wherein criminals solicit minors via chat rooms for the purpose of child pornography. The FBI has been spending a lot of time monitoring chat rooms frequented by children with the hopes of reducing and preventing child abuse and soliciting.
Categories of Cyber Crime
Cyber crimes are broadly categorized into three categories, namely crime against
- Individual: This type of cyber crime can be in the form of cyber stalking, distributing pornography, trafficking and “grooming”. Today, law enforcement agencies are taking this category of cyber crime very seriously and are joining forces internationally to reach and arrest the perpetrators.
- Property: Just like in the real world where a criminal can steal and rob, even in the cyber world criminals resort to stealing and robbing. In this case, they can steal a person’s bank details and siphon off money; misuse the credit card to make numerous purchases online.
- Government: Although not as common as the other two categories, crimes against a government are referred to as cyber terrorism. If successful, this category can wreak havoc and cause panic amongst the civilian population.
Cyber Crime In Pakistan
Cyber crimes of multiple kinds in Pakistan have increased by five times over the past four years, officials say. According to the Cyber Crime Unit (CCU), a branch of Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), 62 cases were reported to the unit in 2007, 287 cases in 2008 and while the ratio dropped in 2009, in 2010 more than 312 cases were registered in different categories of cyber crimes. It has increased much more in the years 2013 and 2014.
THURSDAY, 13 SEPTEMBER 2012 BAHAWALPUR: The district police claimed on Wednesday to have arrested two members of a gang allegedly involved in cyber crime and fraudulently drawing millions of rupees with the help of fake vouchers by hacking bank accounts, credit cards numbers and other related data. According to DPO SohailHabibTajik, two youngsters namely Kamran (under middle) and Waseem Ahmed (matriculate) ofMaqbool Colony allegedly hacked computerised data of the people and withdrew hundreds ofthousands of rupees with fictitious vouchers from the local branches of Bank of Punjab and National Bank of Pakistan and branches in Yazman near here. He claimed that it was police’s unique breakthrough in the cyber crime field here.
THURSDAY, 03 NOVEMBER 2011 ISLAMABAD: Senior Civil Judge Mahmood Haroon on Wednesday acquitted an accused of women stalking case and disposed of the case against him registered for alleged involvement in using 28 unregistered Subscriber Identity Module (SIMs) to threaten women by making obnoxious and vulgar SMS and calls.
