Introduction
Cybercrime is becoming more common every year, posing a threat to public safety. The article Target to Pay $18.5M for 2013 Data Breach that Affected 41 Million Consumers is about the biggest customers’ data captured by intruders in the US (McCoy, 2017). A cybercrime that occurred in 2013 involved a hacker attack on the computer gateway of a retail giant, which led to the leakage of customer data (McCoy, 2017). The incident showed how important it is to maintain cybersecurity.
Impact on Business and Individuals
Target has lost huge budget funds and customer confidence; cybercrime can significantly undermine the reputation of any organization. The global cost of cybercrime is estimated at 6 million US dollars, while in 2015, the amount was half as much (Khiralla, 2020). Cybercrime poses a significant threat to entrepreneurs in a rapidly evolving technological society. Cybercrime deprives people of a sense of security and increases anxiety (Furnell, 2020). However, users have become more attentive due to the increased incidence of cyber-attacks. Many people use two-factor identification on their accounts and do not disclose personal information on the Internet. However, online scammers use new methods of crime, so people experience the negative effect of not being able to protect themselves fully.
Personal Experience
Unfortunately, my friend had to deal with cybercrime; it was hacking a page on a social network. Hackers took possession of personal information: photographs and history of correspondence and blackmailed, demanding money for non-dissemination of this data. My friend did not agree to their terms and went to the police. Internet blackmail is a terrible phenomenon of our time, greatly spoiling the lives of victims. The only correct course of action would be to contact law enforcement and refuse to cooperate with the blackmailers. Because of the cybercrimes described, I changed my behavior: now I am careful on the Internet, do not enter my data on suspicious sites and put additional protection on my accounts.
Conclusion
Cybercrime is one of the significant dangers in today’s society. The fraudsters’ actions negatively affect businesses and people, forcing them to bear losses and depriving them of a sense of security. To fight cybercrime, people must consider their safety and take measures to protect themselves. Two-factor account protection, avoiding clicking on suspicious links, and a reasonable amount of secrecy on the Internet can protect against scammers.
References
Furnell, S. (2020). Technology Use, Abuse, and Public Perceptions of Cybercrime. In The Palgrave Handbook of International Cybercrime and Cyberdeviance (pp. 45-66). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.
Khiralla, F. A. M. (2020). Statistics of cybercrime from 2016 to the first half of 2020.Int. J. Comput. Sci. Netw., 9(5), 252-261.
McCoy, K. (2017). Target to pay $18.5M for 2013 data breach that affected 41 million consumers.