Cybercrime

Cybercrime

Cybercrime (pronunciation: /ˈsaɪbərˌkraɪm/), also known as computer crime, refers to any crime that involves a computer and a network. The computer may have been used in the commission of a crime, or it may be the target.

Etymology

The term "cybercrime" is a portmanteau of "cybernetics" and "crime". The prefix "cyber-" comes from "cybernetics", a term coined by Norbert Wiener in his book Cybernetics: Or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine (1948). The word "crime" comes from the Latin crimen, which means "charge, indictment, offense".

Types of Cybercrime

There are many types of cybercrime, including but not limited to:

• Phishing: This is a method of trying to gather personal information using deceptive e-mails and websites.
• Hacking: This involves unauthorized intrusion into a computer or a network. The individuals who perform this activity are known as hackers.
• Cyberstalking: This is a form of harassment where the perpetrator uses electronic communications to stalk a victim.
• Identity theft: This involves the misuse of another individual's personal information through fraud or deception, typically for economic gain.

Related Terms

• Cybersecurity: This is the practice of protecting computers, servers, mobile devices, electronic systems, networks, and data from digital attacks.
• Malware: This is any software intentionally designed to cause damage to a computer, server, client, or computer network.
• Ransomware: This is a type of malicious software designed to block access to a computer system until a sum of money is paid.
• Botnet: This is a number of Internet-connected devices, each of which is running one or more bots.

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