Demystifying Cyber Crime: Types and Defense

In an increasingly digital world, crimes are also growing increasingly digital. Because of this, finding ways to defend against these crimes is more important than ever. Doing so requires demystifying these cyber crimes.

This article will explore some of the most common types of cyber crime. Then, we’ll cover defenses for those crimes so you can protect your business from these ever-present threats.

Common Types of Cyber Crime

While many types of cyber crime exist online, a few are more common than others. These are things that everyone online should be aware of, as knowledge of them is the first step in staying safe.

1. Data Breaches

Data breaches typically happen to companies or other organizations that hold data. In these instances, cybercriminals are able to gain access to much or all of the data held by that company, leading to disastrous fallout. In many cases, a data breach is immediately followed by a ransomware attack, worsening an already bad situation. In 2022, there were an estimated 1,802 data breaches.

2. Fraud

The anonymous nature of the internet makes fraud relatively easy. Criminals steal information and use it to take money or trick people into handing over their money through other means. Because of this, banking fraud, e-commerce fraud, social media fraud, and more types of fraud all plague the web. In fact, $1.2 billion was lost on social media fraud in 2022 alone.

3. Blackmail Stemming from Stolen or Hijacked Digital Identity

In some cases, when a cybercriminal is able to access someone’s personal information, they gain access to sensitive information. This can result from stealing cloud tokens or passwords, which can then be used to access email, files, pictures, and anything else the individual thinks is safe and secure behind a previously locked account. They will then use this sensitive information to blackmail that person for money or even for access to their work materials.

4. Cyber Espionage

Cyber espionage is a new form of corporate and government espionage. It is when cyber criminals use any number of cyber crimes to find information about a company or government. They then sell this information to competing companies or governments. In some cases, the entities perpetrating the espionage are competing companies or governments.

5. Ransomware

Ransomware attacks involve a criminal stealing important data from a company or individual and encrypting it. They then threaten to withhold access to this data until the entity they stole it from pays for it. This can cripple some companies’ ability to function, which is why more and more companies are using ransomware protection to prevent this.

6. Software Piracy

When software is distributed illegally, it is software piracy. Criminals will make the software available for everyone and, thus, prevent these people from paying to download the software. This eats into a software company’s profits and makes it harder for them to do business.

Looking to learn more about how Cyber Crucible’s software can help protect your business? Schedule a call with our sales team to discuss your needs and answer your questions.

A person using a VPN on a laptop at a table

Common Types of Defenses

While there are many types of cyber crimes, there are just as many defense methods. These include both robust and limited approaches.

1. Cybersecurity Systems

A cybersecurity system, like the advanced program offered by Cyber Crucible, is one of the most robust and effective approaches to cybersecurity. This highly technical approach to cybersecurity involves programs like antivirus systems, firewall programs, and intrusion detection systems. Some companies even use artificial intelligence (AI) as an advanced tool for managing cybersecurity.

2. Virtual Private Networks

Virtual private networks (VPNs) essentially tunnel all internet traffic through a more secure source. In doing this, they keep all browsing anonymous, making the traffic harder to read and harder for criminals to access the user’s IP address or location.

3. Proper Security Training for Employees

One of the surprisingly effective forms of cyber defense is training employees properly. Teaching them how to manage their personal information and watch out for cyber crimes prevents their accounts from being compromised. This, in turn, keeps the entire company safer.

4. Encryption Solutions on Emails

Email encryption prevents emails from being intercepted and used for malicious purposes. When the email is sent, it is scrambled to be indecipherable. Then, when the right person receives it, the email is automatically put back together in a legible format. This allows communication without worry.

5. Advanced Behavioral Analysis

Employees act in a way that is entirely different from cyber criminals. Advanced behavioral analysis scans for these differences and gives a warning when abnormal activity is detected. This lets the security team know there is an issue or allows problems to be filtered out automatically. For example, Cyber Crucible’s Data Loss Prevention program uses behavioral analysis to secure data by locking down access to the data when criminals are detected and, thus, preventing a data breach.

6. Data Backup and Recovery Plans

While having an intense cybersecurity plan is great, every plan should also come with a backup plan. Having a protocol in place for data backup and recovery prevents crucial data from being lost entirely if the worst-case scenario strikes. However, there also needs to be a program in place for if these backups are also deleted, as many criminals aim to do this simultaneously. For this to work, robust security and backup processes are required.

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How Cyber Crucible Can Help You

Cyber Crucible has created a robust solution for data protection. Our program helps keep your company’s data safe through protocols that prevent criminals from accessing it in the first place. Our Zero Trust approach provides kernel-level protection in a way that most other programs do not.

Even when an attack occurs, our program determines what happened in minutes. It then provides information on what went wrong and what, if anything, was accessed. This information is accessible alongside all of the other security data we provide.

Our solutions even work alongside other solutions. This way, you can use a combination of services to keep your network safe. We even watch out for these alternative solutions and alert you if they let anything slip past them.

The Importance of Protecting Against Cyber Crime

Every business and every individual within that business must protect themselves against cyber crime. Otherwise, it can have disastrous economic consequences. Cyber crimes cost companies a total of $1.8 billion each year just through compromised emails. So, it isn’t hard to see how some security can help prevent a business from suffering a major loss.

This protection starts with knowing and understanding the threats that exist. It then continues with creating a defense against these threats. With a properly designed security system, companies can avoid the sting of cyber crimes and the financial losses that go along with them.

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