CRIMINAL THREATS FROM CYBER SPACE

The internet is seen as a part of the globalization process that is supposedly sweeping away old realities, creating new opportunities and challenges associated with living in a 'shrinking' world. Yet awareness about these changes has come with the fears that the internet brings with it new threats. A simple reading of history shows that the relationship between crime and technology is by no means new and that the potential of creating harm never seems to be faraway from apparently beneficial technological development. 'Cyberspace', the realm of computerized exchanges seem to have opened routes for criminal and deviant activities, which are called Cyber crimes. Most detrimental are malicious and exploit codes that interrupt computer operations on a global scale and along with other cyber-crimes threaten e-commerce.

Discussions of cybercrime are plagued by stereotypes. On the one hand, the image of the lone hacker believes the collective nature of much cybercrime. On the other hand, conventional definitions of organized crime tend to be out of date, having been overtaken by the evolution of the phenomenon itself.

Active targeting of underground fora to disrupt the circulation of powerful and easy-to-use cybercriminal tools is important to ensure cyber security.

- Jyotismita Khataniar


THE CONUNDRUM OF ILL-EFFECTS OF CYBER CRIMES

The ubiquity of internet connectivity and the fast emerging digitalization of the most mundane and basic activities in our life has an expensive undertaking as its downside. Greater the amount of information put on the media, greater are the risks posed by small groups and individuals who sit behind glaring screens and carry out computer based criminal activities. An umbrella term used for the said activities is cybercrime, combining motive, opportunity and digital data and committing crimes of the sort, that can create a stir in the lives of common people.

Cyber criminals often rely on other agents to operate, and they act aa parasitic forces of cyber extortion, crypto jacking, identity theft, credit card frauds, cyber espionage and scams that are often unheard of but they culminate in maximum damage, sabotage the reputation of the users and end up embezzling all the e-cash available. In order to contain the ill-effects of the dark web, we must always remain apprehensive of the kind of data we let others access and also put a smorgasbord of security alerts that help us detect breach of protocols and privacy.

- Sharanya Jha