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
Cyber crimes cost organizations $3.8 million per yearWed, 28 Jul 2010 06:58:33 +0100
The study, sponsored by IT security vendor ArcSight, surveyed 45 US companies for a window of four weeks, over the course of nine months. While the...
Cybercrime: one in 10 computers vulnerable to attack
Mon, 26 Jul 2010 05:59:20 +0100
Cybercriminals are increasingly focussing on money, a new report suggests, and improved organisation means that “toolkits” have been...
Anti-fraud coalition lauded as 'useful' in cybercrime fight
Wed, 14 Jul 2010 07:32:55 +0100
According to Tan Wei Ming, senior manager of government relations for Symantec Asia-Pacific and Japan, the underground economy for stolen data "remain...
America to help Nigeria tackle cyber crime
Mon, 12 Jul 2010 14:11:33 +0100
Cyber crime and scam mails have done a lot of damage to Nigeria’s image. Therefore, the Nigeria Communications Commission, NCC, is partnering...
Space crunch puts GRP cyber crime cell on hold
Thu, 08 Jul 2010 16:39:48 +0100
The Government Railway Police (GRP) want to build a cyber crime cell of their own, but are unable to commence the functioning of the cell in the GRP...
