Cybercrime is one of the fastest growing criminal industries in the world today, surpassing the even the drugs trade in terms of profitability.

While many of the most widely publicized stories involve large well known institutions and governments, the fact is that the people most likely to fall victim to cybercrime are normal everyday working people like you and me.

There are many ways that you can become a victim to cybercrime, from falling for an online phishing scam to having your PC hacked and personal information stolen. Like all crime the best way to prevent it is to be fully aware of the dangers, so that you can take sensible precautions to reduce the chances of it happening.

The history of online crime

Crime on communications networks predates the advent of the internet and its beginnings can be traced to when a man named John Draper discovered how to make free phone calls using just a whistle. Cyber crime took to new levels in 1971 when Police discovered that a teller at New York’s Union Dime Savings Bank had made off with $1.5 million by the computerized shuffling of funds among little-used accounts.

1981 saw the first meeting of computer crime and the law when a hacker responsible for hacking into AT&T’s networks and changing the clocks, causing customers’ bills to become skewed, was subsequently arrested.

Cyber mafia became a keyword in the 80s and 90s after two rival hacker gangs engaged in a war with each other which would eventually lead to their downfalls. As if mimicking the plot of a gangster novel, the hacker who has been called the greatest of all time – Phiber Optik – became disgruntled with a hacker group called Legions of Doom (LOD) and went on to form Masters of Deception (MOD).

Fast-forwarding to 2009, hackers continue to rattle the cages of politicians.None more so than defeated Republican Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin, who’s personal emails were made readily available on Wikileaks during the Presidential election. The perpetrator allegedly spent 45 minutes researching Palin’s background and was then able to guess her password, splashing screenshots and her entire contact list all over the net.

Different kinds of Cybercrime

With so many words out there to describe different types of cybercrime it helps if you have an idea of what each one means. Here is a list of the most commonly used terms:

Worms -– So called because of their self-replicating nature. Worms are difficult to remove from your PC because they don’t need to use other files or software to duplicate themselves. They just feed off of networks.

Spyware – This malware installs itself on your PC and looks for valuable information which it then sends back to gangs of criminals. It’s primarily looking for passwords and account details.

Trojans –- These ones disguise themselves as legitimate software or files to trick you into downloading them onto your PC. Once clicked a wave of infected content will crash against your hard drive.

Adware -– This means advertising supported software – it instantly runs and downloads software onto your PC.

Phishing Scams – – One of the most common forms of identity theft. Emails are sent out that look like legitimate messages from your bank or credit card company asking you to verify key information.

Computer Viruses – A computer virus like a real virus. It tries to infect any cells, or bits of data in this case, which surround it. It often attaches itself to email, audio or video files and spreads through emails and instant messaging. It can also spread through portable hard drives, especially USB sticks.

Identity theft- Hackers are pretty sophisticated nowadays and can steal your identity simply by looking at your Facebook profile. All a fraudster needs is your date of birth, address and your full name in order to steal your identity. They can also access information as you enter into unsecure sites and use that to gain credit in your name.

Prevention is the best cure

Whilst even the biggest and most sophisticated technology companies in the world still fall victim to cybercrime there is still a lot that we can do to prevent it happening on a personal level.

• Always make sure that you factor in the cost of antivirus software when buying a new PC. The few dollars spent protecting yourself now will save you a lot of time and money in the future. Norton and McAfee are the biggest providers of online security.
• Keep it updated
• Never give out your personal information to anyone online. If an email claiming to be from your bank arrives in your inbox do not reply to the email. Phone your bank directly to ask what they want. Your bank should never need you to verify your private information this way.
• Keep you passwords complicated and even think about changing them on a regular basis.
• Don’t give out too much personal information on your social networking sites.
• Protect your children by installing antivirus software parental controls.