Acts Constituting Cybercrime: Safeguarding Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability of Computer Data and Systems

Acts Constituting Cybercrime: Safeguarding Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability of Computer Data and Systems

In the digital age, cybercrime poses significant threats to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of computer data and systems. Various acts of cybercrime can severely impact individuals, organizations, and society at large. Understanding these acts and their classifications is crucial for effective prevention and response.

Acts Constituting Cybercrime:

1.Illegal Access: Unauthorized access to a computer system or computer data.

2. Illegal Interception: Unauthorized interception or acquisition of computer data.

3. Illegal Interference: Interfering with computer systems or data without permission.

4. Computer Misuse Tools: Production, distribution, or possession of tools designed for computer misuse.

5. Privacy Breaches: Breach of privacy or data protection measures.

6. Financial or Personal Gain: Computer-related acts aimed at financial or personal gain or causing harm.

Specific Cybercrime Acts:

Fraud and Forgery: Computer-related fraud and forgery.

Identity Offences: Offences related to computer identity theft.

Intellectual Property Offences: Copyright and trademark infringements.

Spam: Sending or controlling the sending of spam.

Personal Harm: Computer-related acts causing personal harm.

Child Solicitation: Online solicitation or grooming of children.

Hate Speech: Computer-related acts involving hate speech.

Child Pornography: Production, distribution, or possession of child pornography.

Terrorism Support: Computer-related acts supporting terrorism.

Classification of Cybercrimes:

Cybercrimes can be broadly classified into three groups based on their targets:

1. Against Individuals:

   - Personal: Harassment via email, cyberstalking, dissemination of obscene material, defamation, unauthorized access, indecent exposure, email spoofing, cheating, and fraud.

   - Property: Computer vandalism, virus transmission, net trespass, unauthorized access, intellectual property crimes, internet thefts.

2. Against Organizations:

   - Government and Firms: Unauthorized access, possession of unauthorized information, cyberterrorism, distribution of pirated software.

3. Against Society at Large:

   - Society: Child pornography, indecent exposure, trafficking, financial crimes, sale of illegal articles, online gambling, forgery.

Classification of Computer-Related Crimes:

1. Computer as a Target:

   - Sabotage of systems or networks, data theft, intellectual property theft, blackmail, unlawful access to records.

2. Computer as an Instrument:

   - ATM frauds, credit card frauds, electronic fund transfers, stock transfer frauds, e-commerce frauds, telecommunication frauds.

3. Computer as Incidental:

   - Hacking, password theft, malicious programs, espionage, spamming, website-related frauds, gambling, pornography distribution, email-based threats, and extortion.

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