The personal impact of cybercrime

People are known to share their passwords with friends, access financial information via unsecured Wi-Fi connections and click on suspicious links which increases the vulnerability of their connected devices. Eighty percent of the consumers who took a compromising action in response to a potential phishing incident experienced negative consequences, including identify theft, money stolen from bank accounts, credit cards opened in their name and unauthorized apps installed on their device.

Halloween is full of ghouls and ghosts! Don't let your personal information get in the hands of the wrong people. Here are some ways cybercrime can have a personal impact on you and affect your daily life.

 1.    Getting hacked through public Wi-Fi

When connecting to a public wi-fi connection you always run the risk of having information stolen from an outside source. When you're connected to public wi-fi anyone else on the network can access your devices to get to your personal information. This can range from attacks known as a "man in the middle" attack to creating fake wi-fi connections to steal data.

Cybercriminals use generic names for the wi-fi network that look like something a business would use. For example they may use a name such as "LiHo Guest" when the actual name for the network is "LiHo Guest." The hacker can then use this connection to steal information from a user.

To avoid this problem, do not use unsecured public wi-fi connections. If you must, never go to websites that include personal information such as banking or medical records.

 2.    Webcam Hackers

Many of us feel safe when we're in our own home but in reality, one of the fastest growing cybercrimes are people hacking into the cameras of home computers.

Some ways to avoid this from happening are to disable your external webcam while you're not using it. Make sure your passwords are secure and be careful of any attachments that may come in through email. If you do not feel that is safe enough you can always cover the camera with a piece of tape for extra security.

 3.    Compromising CCTVs in your house

With many kinds of monitors now able to connect to your smartphone and by extension your personal network, it has become more common for hackers to connect to your monitors like a baby monitor and cause all sorts of trouble for you. In one example a hacker even played music through the monitor to scare a family.

To avoid hacks like these: first, be sure that your password for your CCTV monitors you are using follows best practices. Also, make sure your wi-fi is password protected. In addition, keep your monitoring system up-to-date with any security patches the manufacturer may release, including antivirus and firewall.

 4.    Password promiscuity

Protect your accounts with strong, unique passwords that use a combination of at least 10 upper and lowercase letters, symbols and numbers to help keep the bad guys at bay. Make it difficult for attackers to access your information by changing your passwords every three months and not reusing passwords for multiple accounts. That way, if a cybercriminal gets your password, they can’t compromise all of your accounts. And if it’s too overwhelming to keep up this practice, use a password manager to help.

 5.    Psychological effect on mental health.

The Covid 19 pandemic has rendered almost every individual vulnerable in a lot of aspects. In order to combat the crisis, from work front to personal life, people rely on e- usage which is inevitable.

Exposure to the fraudsters and misinformation are creating a mental turbulence and is one of the biggest hindrances in our daily chores.

This causes victims to experience emotional, physical and financial trauma. People are experiencing more panic and depression. It is becoming increasingly difficult for people to trust others online. The experience of helplessness makes them feel annoyed and angry. The victim explains “ I was unprepared. I never thought I would be a victim of such a crime. I feel I am violated.” The emotional impact is more long lasting in instances where the data of the victim are breached. They wrestle with their feeling of failure and vulnerability, disruption in sleep and low energy levels and find alcohol and drugs as the best thing to confine themselves and free from thoughts.

Curious about Digital Forensics and Cyber Security? Aventis School of Management offers working professionals a Graduate Diploma in Digital Forensics and Cyber Security. This practical-oriented programme is suitable for candidates from a wide range of professional and educational backgrounds who want to develop a deeper understanding of both the theory and application of Digital Forensics and Cyber Security or are exploring career transition into new sectors.

Find out more today on our website. Download the brochure now!