Most people can name the latest big headline in gun-related violence, but do you know what the latest cyber crime was? Probably not, although that is nothing to be ashamed of. Cyber crime is a relatively new form of crime, and like the mode in which it is committed, it tends to be reported under the radar. A recent cyber crime article reported that a British man was hacking both NASA and United States military computers. He stole confidential data, and worked with others to bring havoc to a number of security systems. Cyber crime is bigger than you might think, and it doesn’t just affect big organizations or governments. Here is what you need to know.

What are cyber crimes?

A cyber crime is, in its most general sense, any crime committed with the aid of the internet, or via a computer network. More often than not, it involves stealing information. Examples of cyber crime include the security breach that Zappos.com suffered in 2012. More than 24 million customers had their personal and financial information compromised. Also in 2012, 65 million passwords were compromised on LinkedIn and eHarmony sites, and more than 30,000 of those passwords were cracked by the perpetrators. If you search for cyber crime articles, you are bound to find hundreds of more examples.

What are the cyber crime types?

Cyber crime is not just about stealing passwords. Different types of crime involve stealing identities, distributing images of child sexual abuse, fraud, creating and releasing viruses, email scams, and breaking into financial services online. Fortunately, the same cyber crime technology that is used to commit the crimes can be used to solve them. There are courses that can teach people who wish to investigate computer crimes how to use the internet and software to recover evidence and prosecute criminals.

Is there anything for cyber crime prevention?

As an everyday internet user, you can start by being suspicious, and reporting suspicious activity. If you find a strange email that looks fake, or requests a lot of personal and financial information from you, do not open any links or respond to the email. If you find a site that looks like it might be your banking site, but it is not, report the incident to your bank. You can take steps to protect your computer from malware, spyware, and viruses, with firewalls and anti-virus software.

You can keep track of the latest cyber crime articles to see which businesses have been affected, and keep abreast of any new advancements in cyber crime that might target internet users such as yourself. Approximately 25% of cyber crimes are unsolved, so the best thing you can do is take preventative measures and keep informed.