Cybercrime: What is it?

If we were to imagine the internet and technology as a place where we live and go about our lives, doing our day-to-day tasks as we went along, then cybercriminals are essentially your muggers and burglars, stealing your information and selling it, or forcing you to hand over money and the threat of data being leaked, or your device being held hostage.

Cybercrime is no stranger who’s been on the internet. Anyone who’s ever owned a computer has probably already been warned about the threat of viruses or malware which may be used against them and possibly hold their devices hostage. Some may have probably had to even have dealt with Malware and cyberattacks on their devices, or have had their websites hacked by cybercriminals.

It’s an incredibly stressful situation for all who have to deal with it, and as a result, this risk should be minimised, as the threat revolving around cybercrime and hacking is a very real one which can happen to anyone, anywhere at any time. Within this article, I will be going over some of the main areas targeted by cybercriminals and how to properly safeguard yourself from these Cyberattacks.

Areas Targeted By Cybercriminals

When it comes to cybercrime, there is a certain number of technological niches which are heavily targeted by cybercriminals and hackers to be able to infect the computers of unsuspecting people. Below are some of these niches and methods which cybercriminals use in a bid to be able to infect one’s computer for their own nefarious deeds.

Scams in Online Casinos & How to Avoid Them

Online casinos have been quite a target for cybercriminals nowadays, especially those which are either unlicensed, as those have no recourse, or those with low security. Informational websites like Casino Rider offer choices for good online casinos which are safe and secure, being able to protect your data to the best of their abilities, and when it comes to cybersecurity, one should always choose high fidelity online casinos with good security.

Phishing Scams

Phishing has been the age-old way for hackers to be able to get access to people’s personal information. It essentially involves the hackers sending their victim a link to a site they probably have an account to, such as facebook, paypal, or their email. This link however, is not to the legitimate site and has been made to look like it, to lull the victim into a false sense of security.

The Victim inputs their details and voila, the hacker has their information. The trick to beating these phishing links is to essentially look for any inconsistencies and differences that the link may have to the real thing. Misspellings, extra punctuation, dashes or differences in the subdomain name.

Visa Scams

These are becoming a widespread problem all around the web. Visa scams essentially trick the user with promises of gifts, exclusive deals or otherwise, and are similar to phishing, lulling you into a false sense of security while you unknowingly give hackers your own personal data. Like Phishing these are done by impersonating legitimate sites, webpages or email addresses, and can either steal your money, or even worse, input ransomware or spyware onto your pc, holding it hostage or even spying on your every digital move.

How Does One Protect Themselves?

If cybercriminals are like thieves and muggers, then the measures you take to protect yourself are your home defences, your security systems, and your weapons. Below are some great ways in which one can protect themselves from cybercriminals and Hackers.

Using a Good Antivirus

Using a high quality antivirus is the key to keeping cybercriminals at bay. A good antivirus such as norton or avast has the capacity to not only detect viruses when they enter your pc, but they also quash them as soon as they come into contact with your software. It’s the paramount piece that everyone should have on their pc.

Using a Password Manager

Using a password manager allows you to fortify the strength and fidelity of your passwords without needing to worry about forgetting them. A password is something which hackers can easily get into or guess, using AI which essentially utilises RNG to guess your password. If your password is strong enough it circumvents this, and that’s why a password manager is key to keeping your data safe.