Internet Crimes: Types and Preventive Measures

There are many positive things that can be said about the Internet. It has opened up the world and made it a smaller place. People can connect from around the world and positive things happen from those connections. The Internet has a vast wealth of knowledge and resources that help make the world a better place.

Sadly, the Internet also has a negative side. The vast amount of information that flows through the Internet each moment often contains important personal, business, or financial information. This has allowed a new category of criminal activity to develop: Internet Crime. you can find a hundred types of internet crimes or to say types of cyber crime.

Cyber-crime or Internet crimes include several different problems. Some of the more common types of cyber crime are:

• Malicious Software or Viruses
• Computer Hijacking
• Hacking for Theft Purposes
• Hacking for Damage Purposes
• Identity Theft
• Corporate Theft
• Cyber Stalking
• Cyber Bullying
• Cyber Solicitation

These are the more common types of internet crimes and are very broad in terms. Many more direct forms of Internet-based crimes will fall into one of these categories.

Malicious software and viruses can be used for many different reasons. The intent may be to disrupt business, steal information, create false information, or simply cause chaos.

Computer hijacking is often done with malicious software and one of the bad types of internet crimes. A virus enters a computer or server and either destroy all of the data contained within or holds it for ransom. The criminal may make demands for money or other goods as a form of payment to release the hijacked computer.

Hacking can be done for many reasons. A hacker may want to steal business or personal information, change information or destroy information in the computers that they have entered.

Hacking may also be done to gain knowledge of information that is not meant for the public, such as business research and development, personal information, or government secrets. So this can be the worst types of internet crimes for you and your business.

Identity theft is the most common and largest of all cyber-crimes. Hackers intercept, steal, or otherwise find out personal and financial information and use it for their own purposes. Many hackers use or sell this information to the black market so that people can change their identity or establish credit and make purchases in someone else’s name. Identity theft has a serious impact on the person whose identity has been stolen.

Corporate theft also occurs a lot in the Cyber World. Less than desirable businesses seek out information on product development so that they can be the first to offer a product or to make clones of the original to sell at deeply discounted prices.

Cyberstalking and bullying are very similar and can cause a lot of problems. Unwanted attention or bullying can cause the person on the receiving end great harm both emotionally and physically. Using the Internet to do these things is not protected by the law.

Cyber solicitation can include offering to pay people for sexual encounters, looking to purchase illegal drugs or goods, or may even include soliciting minors for various reasons. All of these are serious cyber-crimes and anything to do with endangering a minor makes the crime worse.

Of course, the Internet is ever-developing and with the new developments that are seen each day is a potential for a new crime to develop. This is why everyone should take Internet security seriously.

Protecting Yourself On The Internet from different types of cyber crime.

The very first thing that everyone must understand is that you must be very aggressive about protecting yourself, your children, your personal information, your financial information and your equipment.

Start by making sure that you have incorporated a system for your computer that uses both hardware and software to protect your data. This will include programs and equipment that requires all information to be authenticated and that transmits your data using encryption.

You will want to have virus and malware protection installed on your computers and servers and you will want to keep them updated. New viruses and malware enter the Internet each day and you need a program that can keep up with this type of speed.

Change your passwords and usernames frequently and try to avoid using the same names and passwords over multiple accounts. The worst thing that you can do is give a hacker the ability to access everything because all your accounts have the same entrance codes.

Be careful who you communicate with on the Internet, even in social media. Predators are out there and they may seem as happy and secure as your best friend. Never give out personal data on social media – ever.

As a final type of personal protection, you should look into the settings of all your computer devices. All-too-often people forget to turn off the setting that allows remote access to your device. This setting has been turned on in your devices by the manufacturer to allow easy access to your device if you should call the help desk with any problems you are having. However, most hackers use this as an easy way to hack into your systems and steal your information.

Being Accused of Any Types of Cyber Crime Is Very Serious

Internet-based crimes are having a serious impact on society as a whole and because of this law enforcement takes these crimes very seriously. Crimes committed using the Internet often hold very serious sentences if convicted and are often accompanied by very large fines.

Many of these fines may even enter into Federal jurisdictions and have even more serious penalties attached to the charges. Cyber-crimes are handled very aggressively by law enforcement because the outcome of these crimes often impacts a large majority of people.

Having quality legal representation can make all the difference in your case when you are charged with any type of cyber-crime.

If you are being charged with any type of  Copyright Infringement in Wisconsin or Internet-based crime, you will need to consult a Pewaukee criminal attorney. Your attorney can review the facts of the charges and help you build a good defense for the charges against you.

While it would be unethical for your Pewaukee criminal attorney to promise you that they will have your charges dropped, they can promise you that with their help you will get the best possible outcome to your case.