Different Types of Computer Crimes

The computer crimes can broadly be grouped into three types. This includes the use of computer either as a subject, object or instrument to commit the crime. Use of computer viruses to commit crime comes under the category in which the computer forms the subject for the computer crime.

Most common way of committing the computer crime is using the computer as an instrument for crime. Crimes such as child pornography, online harassment and cyberstalking come under this category of computer crimes.

The different types of crimes under above mentioned categories are phishing, hacking, designing computer viruses, identity theft, cyber stalking and misusing the computer time. Let's discuss them one by one.

Phishing
This is the type of computer crime in which the data related to the personal information is stolen. This is done by tempting the users to submit their personal data on the illegal sites designed for this purpose which appear similar to some popular sites. This is also committed through e-mails. The user is tempted to enter the personal information such as credit card number, password and bank account details.

Identity theft
It can be financial identity theft or identity cloning. This is the most serious crime where the financial information of the user is stolen and is used by the fraud to steal the money from the account of the user. In identity cloning the fraud steals the personal details of the user and uses the details as false user. In commercial identity theft, the thief uses the credit card information of the user to commit frauds and crimes.

Viruses
These are the one which slow down the computer operations and processing. The computer viruses are the computer programs that are designed to harm the computer and destroy the information on the system. They spread through the network or different removable disks, drives and CDs.

Hacking
In this a person gains an unauthorized access into another system by breaking the security barriers. The criminal finds out the information about the password and gain an access into the private information and communication of the user.

Cyberstalking
In this type of crime the criminal uses the internet and other computer based communication ways to threaten or post obscene mails or damage data of the user. Such crime is usually committed through discussion forums, chat rooms or similar places of common meeting on the internet.

Misusing the computer time is also a type of computer crime commonly committed everywhere in the organizations and offices. The employee on the company time and money commit this crime by checking personal mails, playing games without the authorization of the company officials.