Cybercrime: In Disguise Crimes

Cybercrime is commonly defined as any criminal act in which a perpetrator breaks or hacks into a computer or computer network in order to illegally obtain sensitive information or disseminate destructive computer software. Common examples include Internet fraud, identity theft, credit card account theft, or access to information that can cause harm to an individual or corporation. Web technology has played an important role in giving rise to such crimes. Hacking into a computer these days is like taking snapshots or x-rays of someone’s body – there is vast amount of personal information stored in the computer. A person may have actual research or potential ideas for it (the brain), memorable pictures (the heart), work files (making a living) and some additional information stored on the computer. On the surface the hacker is not physically hurting anyone in this scenario, but this is not true in general. The damage caused by these crimes cannot be easily measured. Physical violence is a visible form of crime but cybercrimes are committed in the ‘unseen’ world of Internet that may be ‘accessible’ by the world. In this case we could say that this is not physical violence because nobody is physically hurt; however this is no an encompassing definition of violence. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), violence can be defined as “the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, which either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, mal-development, or deprivation.” In addition to these, violence can also include exposure to ridicule or defamation of character. In this sense, cybercrimes can cause more psychological harm and deprivation than any other crime committed against a person. The trauma caused by cybercrime can have a long term effects on a person’s mental, physical health, and financial affairs. In this paper the authors consider some aspects of how the computer can be used as a tool to commit violent and criminal acts and some key factors to mitigate these risks.