Cyber Crimes — Common Types

The main forms of cyber crime

A cyber crime is any unlawful act in which a computer, a computer network, or the internet is the tool, the target, or the scene of the crime. Broadly, cyber crimes fall into three groups: crimes against individuals (identity theft, cyber stalking), crimes against property (hacking, virus attacks, software piracy), and crimes against the government or society (cyber terrorism). The most common types are described below.

• Hacking — gaining unauthorised access to a computer system or network, usually to steal, alter, or destroy data.
• Phishing — tricking a person into revealing confidential information (passwords, card numbers) through fake emails or websites that pretend to be genuine.
• Identity theft — stealing someone's personal identifiers (name, password, card details) to impersonate them or commit fraud.
• Spamming — sending large volumes of unwanted, unsolicited messages, often carrying advertisements or malicious links.
• Malware attacks — spreading harmful software such as viruses, worms, Trojan horses, spyware, and ransomware that damage systems, steal data, or lock files until a ransom is paid.
• Denial-of-Service (DoS) attack — flooding a website or server with so much traffic that genuine users can no longer access it.
• Cyber stalking and cyber bullying — repeatedly harassing, threatening, or humiliating a person online.
• Credit-card / online financial fraud — stealing card or banking details to make unauthorised payments.
• Software piracy — illegally copying, distributing, or using software in breach of copyright. …