Now-a-days, Internet has become the primary source for an individual to convert complex task into a simple task. But yes, since the excessive use of anything is harmful, the exploded adoption of the internet has also resulted into the rapid increase of Cyber Crime.
Assocham-Mahindra SSG study suggests that Cyber Crime is increasing at an alarming rate. According to the report, the number of Cyber Crimes in India may touch a humongous figure of 3,00,000 in 2015, almost double the level of last year.
The study revealed that in the past attacks have been mostly initiated from the countries such as US, Turkey, China, Brazil, Pakistan, Algeria, Turkey, Europe, and the UAE, and with the growing adoption of internet and smartphone India has emerged as one of the most favorite countries among cyber criminals.
Growth Of Cyber Crime Cases In India 2011 – 2015
The statistics that have been demonstrated and observed show the seriousness of Cyber Crimes in India. The country has registered 107% of CAGR (Common Anual Growth Rate) in the number of Cyber Crimes registered in last few years.
Nearly 13,301 Cyber Crime cases were registered in 2011. The number increased by almost 50 percent in the following year, reaching 22,601 . The statistics of 2013 stupor people as it shows the unexpected increase, making the count of cyber crime cases reach 71,708 . Surprisingly, in 2014 the number of cases registered under Cyber Crime laws increased by more than 100% to 1,49,254.
It further stated that mobile frauds have also become an area of concern for companies as 35-40 percent of financial transactions are done via mobile devices these days and this number is expected to grow to 55-60 percent by 2015.
The statistics are the illustration of the increasing misuse of internet over the years. Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra have seen the highest number of cyber crimes registered under the new IT Act in India. Surprisingly, these three states together contribute more than 70 per cent to India’s revenue from IT and IT related industries.
Activities Related To CyberCrime
There are crimes that are only committed on the Internet and are created exclusively because of the World Wide Web. The typical Cyber crimes are now being brought to a whole different level of innovation. This new crime devoted to the Internet are email phishing, hacking user’s Id including their personal information, virus imitation, and cyber vandalism.
Even some crimes are unknown to the people, consequently most of the people fall into the trap. The most common and popular one among all is email “phishing”. Such emails are covered by the illusion that the communication is legitimate and is from your bank or financial institution. These fake emails ask to surrender your sensitive information related to your bank account or credit/debit card. Once gained access, hackers make use of the information either to gain access into your account online and transfer money or make an online sale using the captured information of your debit/credit card.
Cause
The evolution of the internet and its diversity in the world are the sources of cyber crimes. The Internet crime has been committed in diverse fashion. Some criminals have grown up understanding the bulk of information present on the Internet with an objective of fetching the personal information of users on World Wide Web.
The increasing use of mobile/smartphones/tablets/Laptops for online banking has also increased the vulnerabilities to a great extent. The maximum offenders came from the 18-30 age group, the report added.
There is a risk that if the phone is hacked or stolen, then the information is compromised, the study said. The reason is smartphone users rarely check for security certificates while downloading apps (games, music and other software) from unsecured sites.
Another risk includes providing personal information by users to the suspicious emails generated by hackers in name of some bank.
“Growing internet penetration and rising popularity of online banking have made India a favorite among the cybercriminals, who target online financial transactions using malware,” it said. India ranks third after Japan and US in the list of countries most affected by online banking malware.
Steps Taken To Solve The Issue
According to DS Rawat, Secretary General , “The economic growth of any nation and its security whether internal or external and competitiveness depends on how well is its cyberspace secured and protected”.
The question about how to control these crimes has already been initiated but do not result into the effective result. Since the first computer crime law, the Counterfeit Access Device and Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1984, the government has been trying to track down and stop online criminals. Not only in India alone, other developed and developing countries are facing the similar challenges to counter growing number of cyber crime. In the US, the FBI has tried many programs and investigations in order to deter Internet crime, like creating an online crime registry for employers.
The reality is that Internet criminals are rarely caught.
- One reason is that hackers will use one computer in one country to hack another computer in another country.
- Another eluding technique used is the changing of the emails, which are involved in virus attacks and “phishing” emails so that a pattern cannot be recognized.
An individual can do their best to protect themselves simply by being cautious, knowledgeable and careful. Internet users need to watch suspicious emails, think twice before giving any personal information, use unique passwords, and run anti-virus and anti-spyware software. Do not open any email or run programs from unknown sources.
Cyber crime is one of the big and dangerous issue in the world. We can see that today most of people are doing all the transactions online like online banking,data transfer etc. We can stop all these hacking process by accepting above described steps.