The Internet has become a playground for cyber criminals claiming innocent victims each day. It is no longer safe to browse the Internet or use a computer on a network, connected to the Internet, without proper protection against viruses and spyware. But a total cyber security outfit consists of more than just having anti-virus and anti-spyware software installed on your computer. You also need protection against spam and hackers. With so many security software to choose from, it is not always easy choosing the right spam filter and firewall, not even to mention configuring them to provide adequate and effective protection against cyber criminals.
No security software can substitute for common sense. Software is there to assist us, not to take over our lives or think on our behalf. The human mind plays a vital role in the battle against cyber crime. It has the ability to reason, something that software cannot do very well. Software can only reason within the boundaries it was programmed to operate in. When something happens outside these boundaries, the software can no longer serve its cause. This is when you need to be able to identify threats before they claim you as a victim. The latest generation of browsers include anti-phishing filters to protect people against phishing scams. But this technology mainly relies on the Internet community to report phishing sites. This is a big disadvantage because a phishing site can claim several victims before it is reported and to make things even worse, people are afraid of reporting cyber crime.
Security software is not yet able to assist people in identifying phishing scams and advance free fraud (419 Nigerian scams) effectively. This is why it is of the utmost importance for Internet users to be able to identify online fraud without relying on incompetent software. The Internet community should stop trusting everything on the Internet and take on an attitude of questioning everything they encounter on the Internet. Cyber criminals constantly create new methods of deceiving people, new variants of viruses and spyware appear each day and security experts are always one step behind them. It is therefore important for every Internet user to be vigilant and aware of the threats threatening our online safety today. Take a stand against cyber crime, make your contribution to a safer Internet, REPORT CYBER CRIME!
Computer Crime Research News
Daily news from www.crime-research.org
EU cybercrime initiative is going to be expensive for ISPsFri, 04 Jul 2008 06:26:55 +0100
I was interested to see a report over on Betanews that European ISPs are more than a bit concerned about the cost if complying with EU cybercrime...
Gov't wants to include more provisions in cybercrime bill
Fri, 04 Jul 2008 06:22:39 +0100
MAKATI City, Philippines -- A technical working group (TWG) composed of various stakeholders in government and the private sector are including...
Three strokes of a bamboo cane for Singapore forum 'scammer'
Tue, 01 Jul 2008 22:08:01 +0100
A British man faces caning and a prison sentence for allegedly conning members of an IT forum in Singapore. Members of the VR-Zone forum used "mass...
Azerbaijan: joining European Convention on Cybercrime
Mon, 30 Jun 2008 20:32:23 +0100
Azerbaijan’s Minister of Communications and Information Technologies Ali Abbasov has today signed a document on his country’s joining...
Woman gets prison for 'Nigerian' scam
Fri, 27 Jun 2008 10:26:57 +0100
TACOMA, Wash., June 26 (UPI) -- An Olympia, Wash., woman who pleaded guilty in a $1 million "Nigerian check scam" has been sentenced to two years in...
