A History Of Cyber Crime

We have learnt to place a great deal of faith in computer systems since they have become a vital part of the everyday operations of corporations, organisations, governments, and people. As a result, we've entrusted them with extremely essential and valuable information. Things of value have always been a target for criminals, as history has proved.

Cyber Crime is no exception. As consumers fill their personal computers, phones, and other devices with valuable information, they provide a target for criminals to aim at in order to profit from the activity.

In the past, a criminal would have to commit a robbery in some form or another in order to acquire access to a person's goods. In the instance of data theft, the thief would need to break into a facility and sift through files in search of the most valuable and profitable information. In today's society, criminals may attack their victims from afar, and because of the nature of the internet, these actions are unlikely to be punished.

Cyber Crime in the 70s and 80s

Criminals took advantage of the tone mechanism employed on phone networks in the 1970s. The assault was known as phreaking, and it involved the attacker reverse-engineering the telephone companies' long-distance call tones.

The first computer worm appeared on the internet in 1988, wreaking havoc on businesses. The Morris worm, named after its inventor Robert Morris, was the first worm. Despite the fact that this worm was not designed to be malevolent, it nonetheless did a lot of damage. In 1980, the United States Government Accountability Office assessed that the cost of the damage may have been as much as $10,000,000.00.

The first recorded ransomware assault, which targeted the healthcare business, occurred in 1989. Ransomware is a sort of malicious software that encrypts a user's data and locks it until a tiny ransom is paid, after which a cryptographic unlock key is sent. 20,000 floppy discs were delivered across 90 nations by an evolutionary researcher named Joseph Popp, who claimed the discs contained software that could be used to analyse an individual's risk factors for developing the AIDS virus. The disc, on the other hand, included malware that, when run, presented a message requesting payment for a software licence. Ransomware assaults have developed significantly over time, with the healthcare industry continuing to be a major target.

The birth of the web and a new dawn for Cyber Crime

The web browser and email were widely available in the 1990s, providing new tools for cybercriminals to exploit. The cybercriminal was able to dramatically increase their reach as a result of this. Until the cybercriminal had to carry out a physical transaction, such as handing over a floppy disc. Cybercriminals might now use these new, very susceptible web browsers to send virus code around the internet. Cybercriminals adapted what they'd learnt in the past to operate via the internet, with disastrous repercussions.

With phishing assaults, cybercriminals were also able to reach out and scam individuals from afar. It was no longer required to interact with folks on a one-on-one basis. You could attempt to trick millions of users simultaneously. Even if only a small percentage of people took the bait you stood to make a lot of money as a cybercriminal.

The decade of the 2000s saw the emergence of social media as well as identity theft. Identity theft has become the new financial piggy bank for criminal groups all over the world, thanks to the emergence of databases storing millions of users' personal identifying information (PII).

Because of this information and the general public's lack of cybersecurity knowledge, hackers were able to perpetrate a variety of financial frauds, including creating bank accounts and credit cards in the names of others.

Cyber Crime in a fast-paced technology landscape

Cybercriminal behaviour has only become worse in recent years. We've seen the cybercriminal grow more adept and difficult to apprehend as computer systems have gotten quicker and more complicated. Botnets, which are a network of private computers infected with malicious software and used by criminals to manage millions of infected computer systems throughout the world, are already commonplace.

These botnets allow hackers to overburden organisational networks while concealing their origins:

• We see constant ransomware attacks across all sectors of the economy
• People are constantly on the lookout for identity theft and financial fraud
• Continuous news reports regarding the latest point of sale attack against major retailers and hospitality organizations

Conclusion
Organizations all throughout the globe are working to find a way to thwart such attacks. Hackers, on the other hand, are one step ahead of the game thanks to their ever expanding and innovating ways. However, future information security professionals will safeguard us and assist us in making the cyber world a safer place.

To be prepared for the next wave of Cyber Crime, internet users must provide a few essentials. Keeping computers safe with antivirus software is a good beginning step, but understanding current threat trends may also assist prevent your data from being read by outside parties.