What's a Cyber Crime

Computer crime, or cybercrime, refers to any crime that involves a computer and a network.The computer may have been used in the commission of a crime, or it may be the target. Netcrimerefers to criminal exploitation of the Internet. Such crimes may threaten a nation’s security and financial health Issues surrounding this type of crime have become high-profile, particularly those surrounding cracking, copyright infringement, child pornography, and child grooming. There are also problems of privacy when confidential information is lost or intercepted, lawfully or otherwise.

Internationally, both governmental and non-state actors engage in cybercrimes, including espionage, financial theft, and other cross-border crimes. Activity crossing international borders and involving the interests of at least one nationstate is sometimes referred to as cyber warfare. The international legal system is attempting to hold actors accountable for their actions through the International Criminal Court.

Punishment:

Cybercrime must be dealt with very seriously because it causes a lot of damage to businesses and the actual punishment should depend on the type of fraud used.

ÞThe penalty for illegally accessing a computer system ranges from 6 months to 5 years. The penalty for the unofficial modification on a computer ranges from 5 to 10 years. Other penalties are listed below:

®Telecommunication service theft: The theft of telecommunication services is a very common theft and is punished with a heavy fine and imprisonment.

®Communications intercept crime: This is a Class-D crime which is followed by a severe punishment of 1 to 5 years of imprisonment with a fine. Other cyber crimes like telecommunication piracy, offensive material dissemination, and other cyber frauds also belong to this category.

ÞInformation Technology Act-2000: According to this act, different penalties are available for different crimes. Some of the penalties are as follows:

®Computer source document tampering: The person who changes the source code on the website or any computer program will get a punishment up to 3 years of imprisonment or fine.

Computer hacking: The individual who hacks the computer or computer devices will get an imprisonment up to 3 years or a fine.

®Government protected system: An act of trying to gain access to a system which is a protected system by the government, will result in imprisonment for 10 years and a heavy fine.

®The introduction of such penalties have lead to a drastic reduction in the cyber crime rates as more and more criminals are becoming aware of the penalties related to them. Spreading the word about the penalties of cyber crime can serve as a deterrent against such crime.

Penalties relating to cyber crime will vary depending on the country and legislation in place.