The exponential growth of cybercrimes

Cybercrime is defined as any illegal activity carried out using a computer device or in cyberspace, to the detriment of a third party, a company, an organization or an institution.

Increasingly, we encounter cybercrimes commited through electronic devices or computer networks. The growth of this type of crime is exponential, and as a result, the population or users of cyberspace can become victims of a cyberattack or a high-tech crime at any time.

If these actions achieve their objective, they can result in crimes such as fraud, misappropriation of business data or commercial information in digital or blockchain environments, identify theft, or other types of crimes that are becoming increasingly common in our society. Examples of the above can include cyberbullying, grooming (for instance, sexual harassment of a teenager through social networks) or phishing (for example, when we receive an email impersonating a public or private organization, with the intent to obtain a user's bank details).

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From our firm, we recommend a series of preventive measures to avoid becoming a victim of cybercrime. Below, we outline our recommendations:

1. Never open an attachment in a spam email, as it can infect the computer device through a malware attack (which is any software designed to infiltrate the device and cause damage, disrupt the system or steal data, among other things);

2. Keep the software and operating system updated, as tihis creats more security barriers for the computer device;

3. Use antivirus, which allows  you to scan, detect and eliminate possible threats;

4. Use strong passwords, especially those that cannot be easily guessed;

5. Never share personal information, by phone, email or networks, unless it is a trusted cyberspace.

In the event of being a victim of a cybercrime, our recommendations are as follows:

1. Do not delete any communication, image or document;

2. Do not delete the device's history (mobile phone, computer, tablet, ...);

3. It is important to save digital evidence: emails or chats;

4. Take screenshots of your device, to prevent the cybercriminal from deleting evidence.

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It is always necessary to report the incident to the relevant authorities and seek legal advice if you have been a victim of a cybercrime.

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Tània Dos Santos Bento

lawyer

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