Essay Sample on Internet Issues

Introduction

How safe do you think the personal information you share on online services is? Often we think that the platforms we trust our personal details with have the strongest techniques in place to protect it. However, that is not always possible. Although the internet is a useful instrument that can make people's lives much more convenient, the risk of one becoming a victim of cybercrime is very high. Imagine if someone hacks into your Facebook account and uses your profile to post insulting messages to your boss. How would you convince your boss that a hacker did that? Undeniably, that can be challenging and even lead to loss of your job. Cybercrime affects people negatively. Thus, in this presentation, I seek to enlighten you on ways to use the Internet safely and protect yourself from cybercrime. Hence, there is a need to use the Internet safely to protect oneself from cybercrime.

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The invention of the Internet has not come without drawbacks. It is hurled under the eclipse of threat from cybercrime. Mishra (2018) defines cybercrime as a criminal activity directly related to the use of computers, specifically illegal trespass into the computer system, manipulation or theft of stored or online data. The Internet space is growing very fast and so are cyber crimes. The different types of cyber crimes include hacking, cyberstalking, credit card fraud, online harassment, phishing, and child soliciting and abuse (Mishra, 2018). We should care about cybercrime because it has the potential to harm people, companies, society, and the country in general. This problem is serious. For example, in the United States, according to research from the 2018 Identity Fraud Study, approximately $16.8 billion was stolen from 16.7 million US consumers in 2017. This represented an 8% increase in the number of victims from 2016 (Lee & Lim, 2019). In addition to the loss of money, victims, who include individuals and companies, lose crucial private information and suffer from online harassment or abuse.

Undeniably, cybercriminals are ready and willing to exploit many human psychological needs and weaknesses (Nurse, 2018). Hence, we need to protect ourselves from them by using the Internet in safe ways. We can achieve this by enhancing cybersecurity while using information and communication technologies. Examples of real-world applications of enhancing cybersecurity include the use of encryption technology to safeguard online bank transaction, the advancement of authentication technology that uses password biometric devices in companies, and the use of blocking and filtering programs or antivirus software to detect and block computer virus (Mishra, 2018). Hence, the simple steps to implement this solution include updating the security software and operating system on one's computer and mobile devices regularly, thinking before opening attachments or clicking links on emails and using strong authentication especially for accounts with sensitive information such as bank details (Loukaka & Rahman, 2017).

If people and businesses enhance cybersecurity, then sensitive data such as confidential business materials and personal information will be safe from unauthorized persons (Goutam, 2015). Additionally, the amount of money lost through phishing, fraud, and swindles will reduce significantly (Goutam, 2015). Similarly, online businesses will thrive, as people will be more confident to transact virtually (Arcuri, Brogi & Gandolfi, 2017). Nevertheless, if this solution is not executed, then the number of victims and the economic consequences of cybercrime will continue to grow.

Conclusion

To conclude, it is irrefutable that people need to use the Internet safely to safeguard against cybercrime. Mainly, cybercrime affects people and businesses negatively, which calls for enhancing cybersecurity while using information and communication technologies. Thus, I need you to update the security software and operating system on your computers and mobile devices regularly, avoid opening suspicious links, and use strong authentication or passwords for accounts that contain sensitive information. Moreover, you would not want to lose your job over an insulting message a hacker sent to your boss through your Facebook profile.

References

Arcuri, M. C., Brogi, M., & Gandolfi, G. (2017). How Does Cyber Crime Affect Firms? The Effect of Information Security Breaches on Stock Returns. In ITASEC (pp. 175-193). http://ceur-ws.org/Vol-1816/paper-18.pdf

Goutam, R. K. (2015). Importance of cyber security. International Journal of Computer Applications, 111(7). DOI: 10.1.1.695.9225

Lee, H., & Lim, H. (2019). Awareness and Perception of Cybercrimes and Cybercriminals. International Journal of Cybersecurity Intelligence & Cybercrime, 2(1), 1-3. https://vc.bridgew.edu/ijcic/vol2/iss1/1/

Loukaka, A., & Rahman, S. (2017). Discovering new cyber protection approaches from a security professional prospective. International Journal of Computer Networks & Communications (IJCNC) Vol, 9. DOI: 10.5121/ijcnc.2017.9402

Mishra, J. (2018). Cyber Crime and Security. International Journal on Recent and Innovation Trends in Computing and Communication, 6(1), 47-48. http://www.ijritcc.org

Nurse, J. R. (2018). Cybercrime and you: How criminals attack and the human factors that they seek to exploit. arXiv preprint arXiv:1811.06624. https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198812746.013.35