What is Cybercrime and How to Protect Yourself from it?
Published: 2019-12-10 10:32:51

<h3>What is Cybercrime?</h3>
As the name suggests, cybercrime is a criminal offence conducted by using computer-oriented programmes and digital devices. The growing use of technology has made many of us susceptible to this crime, and we often remain unaware until the attackers have compromised our information. With millions of websites, it is getting increasingly difficult to judge the authenticity and therefore, you need to devise a foolproof plan to protect sensitive information from hackers. 

On a large scale, cybercrime is used to violate the classified information of business corporations and multinational companies and today; it is one of the leading methods of stealing money. However, that doesn't mean common people are safe. Recently, reports of cybercrime for online manipulation, child porn, human trafficking, revenge, and blackmail have noticed a sharp increase. 

Therefore, you should always take special precautions when browsing through the internet and updating personal information. Here are some ways to ensure that your data remains secure online. 

<h3>Use Strong Passwords</h3>
One of the easiest ways of hacking into your account is to guess your password. Most attackers target older people and children who usually employ simple passcodes like the name of their pets or date of birth. According to a list released by CNN in 2019, the most used password for protecting the identity was the word password itself. Other vulnerable combinations included the numbers 123456 and the name of music bands like blink182. 

Hence, it is important to secure your information with random and unique sequences of characters and digits. Try to design a new password for each activity, so even if your account gets compromised, other data remains safe.

<h3>Dangers of Social media</h3>
The use of social media has seen the sharpest increase in the last decade and with multiple connecting websites, today one in every three people is available online. Cybercriminals are experts at collecting personal information from your social media, so make sure you are not updating private data online. For example, the most common form of security questions includes the names of siblings and pets and posting their pictures on your account can easily make your data accessible. Therefore ensure that your bio is private and security questions are unique. 

<h3>Warn your Children</h3> 
Attackers usually target young children as they are most likely to use websites recklessly without caring about security. Thus, it is necessary to warn your kids about the dangers of online activities and supervise their internet time. For instance, if they are using your credit card for <a href="https://www.britishessayshelp.co.uk/assignment-writing-service.php">assignment writing service UK</a>, you must check the website or application for security. Link addresses that include “https” are usually safe as the s in the link stands for secure. 

Moreover, cyberbullying among kids is also rising rapidly and sometimes, out of fear, children do not report the incident. However, as their guardians, it is your responsibility to appear approachable and to discuss the side effects of online harassment with them. Instead of blaming the kids, report the incident immediately no matter how minor so that the information is not misused. 

<h3>Identity Theft</h3>
This kind of fraud can usually occur when hackers falsely pose as banks or communication services to obtain classified information. This gives them access to your data, and they can further use your account for economic gains or even severe crimes. Therefore, never share your personal information with anyone without confirmation. Your social security number, phone pins, social media passwords and bank account information should not be easily accessible, so do not throw away bank receipts in the garbage or leave your phones unlocked. 

Avoid posting about your travel details on social media as identity theft can occur to anyone anywhere so it is better to employ measures that would ensure your safety. Moreover, be careful when accessing the public Wi-Fi and use Virtual Private Network (VPN) to encrypt your data so even if your line is intercepted, the information proves to be useless for the hackers.

<h3>Update Your Software</h3>
Many people delay software updates just because it requires you to cut down your online time by a few minutes. However, those minutes are worth your security. Most hackers find ways to breach the safety of software and decrypt the data for economic advantages. Therefore applications and websites are always upgrading their policies to make the platforms a safe place for the users. Hence, take out the time and do so before your information is violated. 


There is no 100% sure-fire plan of guarding yourself against cybercrime. However, it is important to ensure maximum security as anyone is prone to damage during this age. If you notice some unusual activity in your bank account or social media, immediately report it even if it is not something big. This will prevent other people from falling prey to hackers and help the companies make their systems more confidential.