Demystifying cybercrime

July 14, 2022

The world of cybercrime is not a homogenous landscape where mouth-breathing thugs use unsubtle cues to take advantage of gullible half-wits. This world is complex, sophisticated and dangerous for even the most discerning among us. When your network security is at stake, better to be prepared than to be caught with your guard down. CNSS are specialist network consultants who know how to protect you and your digital assets. Today, we will take a deep dive into the seedy underworld of cybercrime and differentiate between the varieties of criminal behaviours that play out there. 

Social Engineering

We’ve all been there. A text from an unrecognised number informing you that you’ve won $3 000 000, and all that stands between you and your fortune is to contact someone with a confusing Gmail address. That’s never happened to you? Well, what about the following scenario: an unsolicited email notification from an unrecognised source that your perfect partner has viewed your dating profile and can’t wait to get in touch - even though you’ve never signed up for a dating profile in the first place. 

If you’ve ever wondered what this nonsense is about, you were probably being baited by a cybercriminal trying to ascertain personal information they could use against you or sell online to the highest bidder. The more legitimate crooks might pose as a customer service agent offering to ‘help’ you restore your account. Rest assured, they’re after your passwords or any other information they could leverage against you.

Phishing

This is by far the most common type of cybercrime committed today. The offender impersonates a bank, streaming service or other reputable institution and tries to elicit sensitive data from users. Usually, these emails claim that users need to change their passwords or update their billing information. Once the delinquent has these details in hand, they have an easy time gaining access to your online accounts and may max out your credit card before you even know you’ve been had.  

Identity Theft

Once a criminal has secured the details needed to log in to your private accounts through hacking, phishing emails or social media mining, this is one of the outcomes we’d like to help you avoid at all costs. Things can get pretty dark here: stolen funds, insurance fraud committed in your name, criminal activity linked to your ID, or accounts opened with service providers using your personal information.   

PUPs

PUPS (Potentially Unwanted Programs) are a type of malware that can be mostly avoided by proper internet vigilance and standard cyber-hygiene practices, such as installing a high-quality antivirus software suite. Once these little buggers find their way onto your hard drive, they can uninstall core software on your device or act as spyware and hyper-annoying adware.  

Cyberstalking

It’s easy to seem brave when you’re acting anonymously. Cyberstalkers harass victims from behind the cloak of their online avatars or fraudulent email accounts. More often than not, the cyberstalker knows the victim IRL and has enough personal information to sufficiently scare them into submission.  

Botnets

Botnets are the soldiers sneaking out of the Trojan horse once it is already inside the fortress. Hackers control these remotely and do their bidding whilst utilising the host network’s resources. They can be deployed to act as malware and to perform malicious tasks.

DDoS Attacks

This particular approach of cybercriminals involves overwhelming a network with unmanageable traffic volumes from multiple sources. Once the network is down and basically defenceless, the pickings are pretty easy for any sneaky reprobates waiting for the walls to come crashing down before sneaking in and taking whatever takes their fancy. 

Exploit Kits

The bad news is that it’s not only hackers one must protect against. Exploit kits, for sale on dark web hacking forums, are ready-to-use tools that can be purchased online to be used by almost anyone to carry out malicious attacks on computers or networks. They operate by identifying vulnerabilities in the code of software and thereby gaining control of a user’s computer.

It’s a new world out there, and your cyber security is key to protecting your digital assets and personal information. We'll ensure you're safe from threats and keep the bad guys at bay while taking care of your business.


Our Cyber Security Consulting Services Include:



When Checksum Network Security Services consults on your cyber security needs, we take a measured and detailed approach to your network’s touchpoints. We know where the gremlins like to get in and where things are bottlenecking. We ensure no back doors are open and that there is always a digital watchman on guard. 


Contact our leading network security experts and book your cyber security consultation with us today. 

Back to Blogs
Book your cyber security consultation.
 Let's make it safe together.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.