CYBER CRIME INTRODUCTION Cyber-crime, once the domain of disaffected genius teenagers a sport rayed in the movies War

Games and Hackers, has grown into a mature and sophisticated threat to the open nature of the Internet. Cyber-criminals, like their non virtual traditional criminal counterparts, seek opportunity and are attracted to vacuums in law enforcement. The news media is filled with reports of debilitating denial of service attacks, defaced web sites, and new computer viruses worming their way through the nations computers. However, there are countless other cyber-crimes that are not made public due to private industrys security. The growing danger from crimes committed against computers, or against information oncomputers, is beginning to claim attention in national capitals. In most countries around the world, however, existing laws are likely to be unenforceable against such crimes. This lack of legal protection means that businesses and governments must rely solely on technical measures to protect themselves from those who would steal, deny access to, or destroy valuable information.

Cyber Crime is an evil having its origin in the growing dependence on computers in modern life. A simple yet sturdy definition of cyber crime would be unlawful acts wherein the computer is either a tool or a target or both. Defining cyber crimes, as acts that are punishable by the information Technology Act would be unsuitable as the Indian Penal Code also covers many cyber crimes, such as e-mail spoofing, cyber defamation etc.

TYPES OF CYBER CRIME Cyber Crime refers to all activities done with criminal intent in cyberspace. These fall into three slots. Those against persons. Against Business and Non-business organizations. Crime targeting the government. Let us examine the acts wherein the computer is a tool for anunlawful act. This kind of activity usually involves a modification of a conventional crime by using computer. Some examples are; Financial Claims: This would include cheating, credit card frauds, money laundering etc. Cyber Pornography: This would include pornographic websites; pornographic magazines produced using computer and the Internet (to

down load and transmit pornographic pictures, photos, writings etc.) Intellectual Property Crimes: These include software piracy, copyright infringement, trademarks violations etc. E-Mail spoofing: A spoofed email is one that appears to originate from one source but actually has been sent from another source. This can also be termed as E-Mail forging. Forgery: Counterfeit currency notes, postage and revenue stamps, mark sheets etc., can be forged using sophisticated computers, printers and scanners. Cyber Defamation: This occurs when defamation takes place with the help of computers and or the Internet e.g. someone published defamatory matter about someone on a websites or sends e-mail containing defamatory information to all of that persons friends. Cyber Stalking: Cyber stalking involves following a persons movements across the Internet by posting messages on the bulletin boards frequented by the victim, entering the chat-rooms frequented by the victim. PREVENTION PREVENTIVE STEPS FOR INDIVIDUALS CHILDREN: Children should not give out identifying information such as Name, Home address, School

Name or Telephone Number in a chat room. They should not give photographs to anyone on the Net without first checking or informing parents guardians. They should not respond to messages, which are suggestive, obscene, belligerent or threatening, and not to arrange a face-to face meeting without telling parents or guardians. They should remember that people online might not be who they seem. PARENTS: Parent should use content filtering software on PC to protect children from pornography, gambling, hate speech, drugs and alcohol. There is also software to establish time controls for use of limpets (for example blocking usage after a particulars time) and allowing parents to see which site item children have visited. Use this software to keep track of the type of activities of children. GENERAL INFORMATION: Dont delete harmful communications (emails, chats etc). They will provide vital information about system and address of the person behind these. 1-Try not to panic. 2-Avoid getting into huge arguments online during chat and discussions with other users. 3-Be extremely careful about how you share personal information about yourself online. 4-Be extremely cautious about meeting online introduced person. If you choose to meet, do so in a public place along with a friend.

ELEMENTARY PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH CYBER-CRIMES: One of the greatest lacunae in the field of Cyber Crime is the absence of comprehensive law any where in the World. The problem is further aggravated due to disproportional growth ratio of Internet and cyber laws. Though a beginning has been made by the enactment of 1-T. Act and amendments made to Indian Penal Code, problems associated with cyber crimes continue to persist. 2-Loss of evidence is a very common & expected problem as all the data are routinely destroyed. Further, collection of data outside the territorial extent also paralyses the system of crime investigation. 3-Cyber Army: There is also an imperative need to build a high technology crime & investigation infrastructure, with highly technical staff at the other end. 4- A law regulating the cyber-space, which India has done.

CONCLUSION: Capacity of human mind is unfathomable. It is not possible to eliminate cyber crime from the cyber space. It is quite possible to check them. History is the witness that no legislation has succeeded in totally eliminating crime from the globe. The only possible step is to make people aware of their rights and duties (to report crime as a collective duty towards the society) and further making the application of the laws more stringent to check crime. Undoubtedly the Act is a historical step in the cyber world. Further I all together do not deny that there is a need to bring changes in the Information Technology Act to make it more effective to combat cyber crime. I would conclude with a word of caution for the pro-legislation school that it should be kept in mind that the provisions of the cyber law are not made so stringent that it may retard the growth of the industry and prove to be counterproductive.