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Types of cyber security 
As Internet usage continues to rise throughout the 
            world, the threat of cyber crime also grows. While some of these 
            crimes are relatively harmless and commonplace, others are very 
            serious and carry with them felony charges. Here are a few of the 
            more common forms of cyber crime. 
  
             
Spam The most common type of cyber 
            crime is spam. While email spam laws are fairly new, there have been 
            laws on the books regarding "unsolicited electronic communications" 
            for many years. 
  
             
Fraud Credit fraud is another 
            common form of cyber crime. Certain computer viruses can log 
            keystrokes on your keyboard and send them to hackers, who can then 
            take your Social Security number, credit card number and home 
            address. This information will be used by the hacker for his own 
            means. 
  
             
Cyber Bullying Harassment, or 
            cyber bullying, is a growing problem among teenagers. Many countries 
            in Europe and several states in the United States have laws to 
            punish those who consistently harass somebody over the Internet. 
            
  
             
Drug Trafficking Believe it or 
            not, drug trafficking is happening over the Internet. Many 
            traffickers use encrypted email or password-protected message boards 
            to arrange drug deals. 
  
             
Cyberterrorism There are many 
            forms of cyberterrorism. Sometimes it's a rather smart hacker 
            breaking into a government website, other times it's just a group of 
            like-minded Internet users who crash a website by flooding it with 
            traffic. No matter how harmless it may seem, it is still illegal. 
            
  
             
Identity Theft Identity theft can 
            happen online when another person takes a person's Social Security 
            number and/ or other personal information and uses it to pretend to 
            be somebody else. Some ways that these individuals try to steal 
            personal information are sending out "phishing" emails (emails that 
            look like they are from a person's bank, place of business or 
            legitimate organization), and ask for credit card information, 
            Social Security numbers, and other identifying information. Most 
            banks and credit card companies will never ask for such information 
            via email. Beware of these popular tactics. 
  
             
Credit Card Fraud According to a 
            Gartner survey of 100 retailers, credit card fraud is the No. 1 
            problem in e-commerce. Ninety-three percent of purchases that are 
            made online use credit cards as a form of payment. Credit card fraud 
            happens when others use someone else's credit card to make purchases 
            online. Credit card numbers can be stolen with false online forms or 
            emails. Some red flags of a purchase made with a stolen credit card 
            include the shipping address being different from the billing 
            address, requesting leaving orders at the door, and ordering 
            expensive items or many items of the same product. 
  
             
Cyber-Stalking Cyber-stalking is 
            when another individual harasses their victim by any means online 
            such as constant emails and messaging. After several attempts at 
            online pursuit, they will often attempt offline stalking as well. 
            Most stalkers know who their victims are in real life. Often these 
            involve ex-spouses, disgruntled co-workers or bosses, or perhaps 
            someone who they may have gone on a few dates with. If you feel you 
            have been a victim of cyber-stalking, contact your local police to 
            file a complaint. 
  
             
Software Piracy With the growing 
            popularity of computer-sharing programs such as Bear-Share, torrents 
            and LimeWire, piracy is becoming a growing problem. People can 
            download or "share" programs instead of purchasing them or getting a 
            license for them. Any time a friend copies software, downloads 
            software from a sharing website or program, or a business doesn't 
            report the numbers of computers using software, it is a form of 
            software piracy. Being convicted of software piracy often involves 
            jail time and large fines. 
  
             
Pornography The Internet has 
            introduced a growing number of pornography sites that sadly include 
            children. Pornography is a growing crime among Internet users. 
            According to Internet Filter Review, there are 4.2 million 
            pornographic websites. Thirty-four percent of computer users have 
            received unwanted pornographic material on the Internet. Eighty-nine 
            percent of youth in Internet chat rooms have received sexual 
            solicitations. The punishment for child pornography is different in 
            each state. Some states only require that offenders be jailed for 
            one year, while others can impose a 15-year term.  
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