Crime Using Internet

Cybercrime is a fast-growing area of crime. More and more criminals are exploiting the speed, convenience and anonymity of the Internet to commit a diverse range of criminal activities that know no borders, either physical or virtual.

These crimes can be divided into three broad areas:

• Attacks against computer hardware and software. For example botnets, malware and network intrusion.
• Financial crimes and corruption, such as online fraud, penetration of online financial services.
• Abuse, in the form of grooming or 'sexploitation', especially crimes against children.

The changing nature of cybercrime

In the past, cybercrime was committed mainly by individuals or small group. Today, we are seeing criminal organization working with criminally minded technology professionals to commit cybercrime, often to fund other illegal activities. Highly complex, these cybercriminal networks bring together individuals from across the globe in the real time to commit crimes on an unprecedented scale.

Criminal organization turning increasingly to the Internet to facilitate their activities and minimize their profit in the shortest time. The crime themselves are not necessarily new such as theft, fraud, illegal gambling, sale of fake medicines but they are evolving in line with the opportunities presented online and therefore becoming more widespread and damaging.