Techjav: Threats to Your Online Safety You Need to Know About

In my previous post, you were introduced to some of the most important weapons used by cybercriminals to bring their imagination to reality. In this post I'll talk about yet more ways that cybercriminals use to get their way.

1. Email Bombing and Spamming

An abuser sending huge volumes of email to a target address resulting in victim’s email account or mail servers crashing characterizes email bombing. If an attacker targets multiple accounts of a mail server, it may have a denial-of-service impact. Email bombing is commonly carried out using botnets as a DDoS attack. Botnets are private internet connected computers whose security has been compromised by malware and are under the attacker’s control. This type of attack is more difficult to control due to multiple source address. Also the bots are programed to send different messages to defeat spam filters.

“Spamming” is a variant of email bombing. Here unsolicited bulk messages are sent to a large number of users, indiscriminately. Email spamming worsens when the recipient replies to the email. This causes all the original addresses to receive the reply. Spammers collect email addresses from customer lists, newsgroup, chat-rooms, websites and viruses which harvest users’ address books, and sell them to other spammers as well.

2. Web Jacking

Here, the hacker takes control of a website fraudulently. The owner of the website has no more control and the attacker may use the website for his own selfish interest. He may change the content of the original site or even redirect the user to another fake similar looking page controlled by him.

3. Cyber Stalking

Cyber stalking is a new form of Internet crime in our society when a person is pursued or followed online. It’s an invasion of one’s online privacy. Cyber stalking uses the internet or any other electronic means to harvest information about the stalkee and harass him or her.

The availability of free email/web-site space and the anonymity provided by chat rooms and forums has contributed to the increase of cyber stalking incidents. Everyone has an online presence nowadays. It’s really easy to do a Google search and get one’s name, alias, contact number and address, contributing to the menace that is cyber stalking.

4. Data Diddling

Data Diddling is unauthorized altering of data before or during entry into a computer system, and then changing it back after processing is done. Using this technique, the attacker may change the expected output and is difficult to track.

5. Identity Theft and Credit Card Fraud

Identity theft occurs when someone steals your identity and pretends to be you to access resources such as credit cards, bank accounts and other benefits in your name. The imposter may also use your identity to commit other crimes.

6. Salami Slicing attack

A “salami slicing attack” or a “salami fraud” is a technique by which cyber-criminals steal money or resources a bit at a time. This is done in such a way that there is no noticeable difference in overall size. The perpetrator gets away with these little pieces from a large number of resources. He thus accumulates a considerable amount over a period of time. The essence of this method is the failure to detect the misappropriation.

7. Software Piracy

Thanks to internet and torrents, you can find almost any movie, software or song from any origin for free. Internet piracy is an integral part of our lives which knowingly or unknowingly we all contribute to. The following constitute software piracy:

Loading unlicensed software on your PC
Using single-licensed software on many computers
Using a key generator to circumvent copy protection
Distributing a licensed or unlicensed (“cracked”) version of software over the internet and offline

8. A Word on Porn

The internet is a huge breading ground of pornography. It has often been subject to censorship on grounds of obscenity. But what may be considered obscene in India might not be considered so in other countries. Since every country has a different legal stand on this subject matter, pornography is rampant online. Yet, according to the Indian Constitution, largely, pornography falls under the category of obscenity and is punishable by law. Child pornography is a serious offence, and can attract the harshest punishment provided for by the law.

Being aware can help you stay away from cybercrime. After all, the internet can be full of good experience if you take preventive measures and keep cyber criminals at bay. Have you ever been a victim or witness of a cyber-crime? Tell us in the comments.