Neeraj Dubey
Everyone who works on a computer must be familiar with the term “Cyber Crime”. Cyber crime is the most critical issue now days for all developed & developing countries, because it harms govt. confidential data as well as people in daily life transactions. Initially, when man invented computer and then the technology for communicating between computers was evolved, he would have never thought that the cyber space he is creating could be flooded with any crime i.e. cyber crime. But now almost all of us might have heard the term computer crime, cyber crime, e-crime, hi-tech crime or electronic crime which is nothing but an activity done with a criminal intent in cyber space. Such crime involves an information technology infrastructure, including illegal access (unauthorized access), illegal interception (by technical means of non-public transmissions of computer data to, from or within a computer system), data interference (unauthorized damaging, deletion, deterioration, alteration or suppression of computer data), systems interference (interfering with the functioning of a computer system by inputting, transmitting, damaging, deleting, deteriorating, altering or suppressing computer data), misuse of devices, forgery (ID theft), and electronic fraud. In today’s E-Age, ‘Crime’ has extended itself beyond physical assault or mental torture; now it also affects our e-life. E-Life means our existence & living in the cyber world. Every one of us is a part of this cyber world, directly or indirectly, since computers & internet are now an integral part of our personal & professional life. Just like any other invention, computers & internet are a boon to human kind if used in a right way and to the advantage of the society. However, as we all know, everything has its pros and cons and so computers & internet are not an exception. If we consider ‘Cyber Crime’ as virus then it won’t be untrue to say this virus is corrupting man’s significant development (computers and internet) which is responsible for developing civilized society for men. Cyber Crime is a menace all over the world and is the one of the most difficult & challenging to detect & investigate. You will find it interesting to note that even the official website of the Cyber Crime Investigation Cell of Crime Branch Mumbai quotes “The invisible criminal is dangerous than the visible one”. You may be wondering why one should know about Cyber Crime? Most of us are using internet and computers for online transactions where we transmit personal information and possibly do monetary transactions. If your personal information goes in wrong hands and you become bankrupt or you start receiving absurd mails or your e-mail account gets flooded with unwanted mails; means you have become a victim of Cyber Crime.
Cyber Crime has various forms which may include hacking (illegal intrusion into a computer system without the permission of owner), phishing (pulling out the confidential information from the bank / financial institutional account holders by deceptive means), spoofing (getting one computer on a network to pretend to have the identity of another computer in order to gain access to the network), cyber stalking (following the victim by sending e-mails or entering the chat rooms frequently), cyber defamation (sending e-mails to all concerned / posting on website the text containing defamatory matters about the victim), threatening (sending threatening e-mails to victim), net extortion, pornography (transmitting lascivious material), software piracy (illegal copying of the genuine software / programs), email bombing, virus dissemination (sending malicious software which attaches itself to other software), IPR theft, identity theft, data theft, etc.
Hacking, destroying files and data through spreading virus are the largest number of offences in the cyber world. “Russia, China and Brazil are world leaders in cyber crime. India is fast emerging as a major hub of cyber crime, however our legal system is already in place to tackle this menace of cyber crime and to control it and punish the guilty. So let’s talk about the remedies available against such crimes. In India, the offence of Cyber Crime is covered under Information Technology Act 2000 and under the Indian Penal Code. Cyber Crime Cells have been established by law in major cities. These Cells function directly under the Commissioner of Police of respective cities. The Government has established “The Cyber Regulations Appellate Tribunal” under the Information Technology Act, 2000. The Tribunal has the same powers as are vested in a Civil Court for requiring the discovery and production of documents, receiving evidence on affidavits. But the decisions of the Tribunal can be contested by the High Court. The Information Technology Act not only applies to the offence committed in India, but it can also be used to bring offenders from foreign countries to India for trial. A person found guilty of cyber crime shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years or with fine or with both. Cyber attacks are showing no signs of abating. India was ranked among the top five countries to be affected by cyber crime, according to a 22 October report by online security firm Symantec Corp. On 18 November, The Times of India newspaper said 4,191 Indian websites were defaced or hacked into in August alone, much higher than the 2,380 attacks recorded in July, 2,858 in June and 1,808 in May, citing confidential reports by the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team, or CERT-In, part of the government’s department of electronics and information technology. According to the 2013 Norton Report, the average cost per cyber crime victim in India is up at $207 during August 2012 to July 2013 from $192 in the year-ago period. The report reveals that cyber crimes cost India $4 billion in the August 2012-July 2013 period, which is up by 8 per cent from corresponding year-ago period. It is based on self-reported experiences of more than 13,000 adults across 24 countries, including 1,000 adults in India. Today cyber criminals use more sophisticated attacks, like ransom ware and spear-phishing, which yield them more money per attack than ever before, he added. The Ministry of HRD & IT has taken a keen initiative in this regard by introducing a subject title “Information Security & Cyber Crimes” in various technical institutes of the country for the benefit of the students. The Cyber Crime wings of Police Deptt have also been in forefront by organizing various seminars & workshops from time to time regarding this menace and thus creating mass awareness about the negative impact of cyber crimes in the society. Everybody should want to make sure that we have the cyber tools necessary to investigate cyber crimes and to be prepared to defend against them and to bring people to justice who commit it.
(The author is Asstt Professor in Computer Engg Deptt GCET Jammu)
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