Defending Against Cyber Crime: Strategies to Keep Your Online Presence Secure

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The resolution of the General Assembly of united nation dated 30th January 1997 gave to the information technology Act which leads to the adoption of Modern law on Electronic commerce

 

Cyber CrimeCyber Crime is an unlawful act where the computer is used as a tool or target on both. These days cyber crime is a fast – growing area of crime. As , the technology is advancing man is becoming dependent on internet for all his needs as it gives easy access to do shopping , gaming , online , studying , social networking , online jobs etc. Everything is one place . Do you know that over the last 10 years cyber crime rose 19 times and cyber crime arrests are 9 time india according to NCRB data. After , U.S.A and china India ranked third in malicious activity.

Cyber Crime can be categories into two parts.

  1. That crime in which the computer is the target like-Hacking, Virus attacks etc.
    2. When the computer is used as a weapon. Like –cyber terrorism fraud of credit card IPR.

    HISTORY OF LAWS IN INDIA
    The resolution of the General Assembly of united nation dated 30th January 1997 gave to the information technology Act which leads to the adoption of Modern law on Electronic commerce on international Trade Law, .the Department of electronic in july 1998 drafted the bill. However , it could only introduced in the house on december16, 1999 when the new IT Ministry was formed. However it underwent some alternation with the commerce industry due to some suggestions related to e-commerce and matters about the World Trade organization (WTO) obligation. After the bill was introduced in the parliament , the bill was referred to the 42-member parliamentary standing committee following demands the suggestions from the members.One of the suggestions that was highly debated upon was that a cyber café owner must maintain a register to record the names and addresses of all people visiting his café and also a list of the websites that they surfed . A person is a social human being living in the group, called society. He has to do various activities for his livelihood. Some activities are good or some are bad. In other are harmful to the society. To regulate the activities of human behavior a group of set activities is introduced by regulatory authorities so that no one could harm the other one, this set of rules is called law. Let us take a look at the meaning of law and a brief introduction of Indian Law.

    RULE OF LAW UNDER INDIAN CONSTITUTION:
    The most important application of the rule of law is the principle that government authority is legitimately exercised only in accordance with written , publicly disclosed laws adopted and enforced in accordance with established procedural steps that are referred to as due process. The principle is intended to be a safeguard against arbitrary governance, whether by a totalitarian leader or by mob rule. Thus, the rule of law is hustle both of dictatorship and to anarchy. As per Prof.A.V.Dicey,”the rule of law means the absolute supremacy or predominance of the regular law as opposed to the influence of arbitrary power and excludes the existence of arbitrariness or even of wide discretionary authority on the part of the government.

    LATEST CASES IN INDIA:
    According to the latest data published by the National Crime Records Bureau, Cyber Crimes have nearly doubled in the country with in a span of just two years-2015 to 2017. The total number of cases in the country is set at 21,796 in 2017 as compared to 11,592 in 2015 and 12,317 in 2016, as per the data was released on Monday. In terms of the states that had the most number of reports on cyber crimes, Uttar Pradesh tops the list as the state that received the highest number of cyber crime in 2017. With 4,971 reports originating in the state alone out of the total 21,796 accounted cases of cyber crime .In, second place, Maharashtra had 3,174 cases. In the North – East , Assam was found to have been recorded a sharply higher number of cyber crimes in comparison to other states, with the total of 1,120 reported cases in 2007.
    Across the union Territories, Delhi has highest with the number being at 162.While email is still a common mode to commit internet crime, fraud are also being committed through text messages, a crime called phishing, or even fake websites using a tactic called pharming.

    HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF AGAINST CYBERCRIME: Anyone using the internet should exercise some basic precautions. Here are 11 tips you can use to help protect yourself against the range of cybercrime out there.
    1. Use a full service internet Security suit: For instance, Norton Security provides real time protection against existing and emerging malware including ransomware and viruses, and helps protect your private and financial information when you go online.

2 .Use strong password: Don’t repeat your password on different sites, and change your password regularly .Make them complex. That means using a combination of at least 10 letters, Numbers, and symbols. A password management application can help you to keep your password lockdown.

  1. Keep your software updated: This is especially important with your operating system and internet security software. Cybercriminals frequently use known exploits, or flaws, in your software to gain access to your system. Patching those exploits and flows can make it less likely that you will become a cyber crime target.
  2. Manage your social media settings: Keep your personal and private information locked down. Social engineering cybercriminals can often get your personal information with just a few data points.

5.Strengthen your home network: It’s a good idea to start with a strong encryption password as well as a virtual private network. A VPN will encrypt all traffic leaving your devices until it arrives at it destination. If cybercriminal do manage to hack your communication line, they wont intercept anything but encrypted data . It is a good idea to use a VPN whenever its in a library, café, hotel, or airport.

  1. Talk to your children about the internet: You van tech your kids about acceptable use of the internet without shutting down communication channels. Make sure they know that they can come to you if they are experiencing any kind of online harassment, stalking, or bullying.
  2. Keep up to date on major security breaches: If you do business with a merchant or have an account on a website that been impacted by a security breach, find out what information the hackers accessed the change your password immediately.
  3. Take measures to help protect yourself against identity theft: Identity theft occurs when someone wrongfully obtains your personal data in a way that involves fraud or deception, typically for economic gain. How? You might be tricked into giving personal information over the internet, for instance, or a thief might steal your mail to access account information. That’s why its important to guard your personal data.
  4. Know that identity theft can happen anywhere: Its smart to know how to protect identity even when travelling. There are a lot of things you can do to help criminals from getting your private information on the road. These include keeping your travels plans off social media and being using a VPN when accessing the internet over your Hotels WI-FI network.
  5. Keep an eye on the kids: Just like you will want to talk to your kids about the internet, you will also want to help protect them against identity theft. Identity thieves often target children because their social security number and credit histories frequently represent a clean state. You can help guard against identity theft by being careful when sharing your child personal information. It’s also smart to know what to look for that might suggest your child identity has been compromised.
  6. Know what to do if you become a victim: If you believe that you have become a victim of a cybercrime, you need to alert the local police and , in some cases, the FBI and the Federal Trade Commission. This is important even if the crime seems minor. Your report may assist authorities in their investigation or may help to thwart criminals from talking advantage of other people in the future. If you think cybercriminals have stolen your identity. These are among the Steps You Should Consider contact the companies and bank where you know fraud occurred, place fraud alerts and get your credit reports. Report identity theft to the FTC.
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