Cyber Crime

What is Cyber Crime?

Cyber crime is an umbrella term used to describe two linked, but distinct ranges of criminal activity. 

The Government’s National Cyber Security Strategy defines these as:

Cyber dependent crimes – crimes that can be committed only through the use of Information and Communications Technology (‘ICT’) devices, where the devices are both the tool for committing the crime, and the target of the crime (e.g. developing and propagating malware for financial gain, hacking to steal, damage, distort or destroy data and/or network or activity).

Cyber enabled crimes – traditional crimes which can be increased in scale or reach by the use of computers, computer networks or other forms of ICT (such as cyber-enabled fraud and data theft).

Cyber crime is a global threat. Cyber criminals seek to exploit human or security vulnerabilities in order to steal passwords, data or money directly, on your home and mobile devices. According to the National Crime Agency, the most common cyber threats include:

• Hacking – including of social media and email passwords
• Phishing – bogus emails asking for security information and personal details
• Malicious software – including ransomware through which criminals hijack files and hold them to ransom
• Distributed denial of service (DDOS) attacks against websites – often accompanied by extortion.

Cyber Aware recommends that you improve your cyber security by taking six actions:

• Use a strong and separate password for your email
• Create strong passwords using 3 random words
• Save your passwords in your browser
• Turn on two-factor authentication (2FA)
• Update your devices
• Back up your data.

You may wish to consider IT security on all mobile devices including mobile phones and tablets. See useful links and resources below for more tips.