MODULE 4

Lesson 2: Cybercrimes
WHAT IS CYBER?
„Itis relating to or characteristics of the culture of
computers, information, technology and virtual
reality—Oxford Languages
„Relatingto, or involving computers or computer
networks (such as the Internet)—Merriam-Webster
„Involving,using, or relating to computers,
especially the internet—Cambridge Dictionary
„Cybercrime is defined as a crime in which a
computer is the object of the crime (hacking,
phishing, spamming and child pornography)
is used as a tool to commit an offense.
„Cybercriminals may use computer
technology to access personal information,
business trade secrets or use the internet for
exploitative or malicious purposes.
„Republic Act No. 10175 Cybercrime
Prevention Act of 2012 is a law in the
Philippines approved on September
12,2012 which aims to address legal issues
concerning online interactions and
internet.
„Republic Act No. 10173 Data Privacy Act
of 2012 is an act protecting individual
personal information.
COMMON FORMS OF CYBERCRIMES:

„a. Copyright
The exclusive legal right, given to an originator or an
assignee to print, publish, perform, film, or record
literary, artistic, or musical material, and to authorize
others to do the same.
Copyright infringement is the violation, piracy or theft
of a copyright holder's exclusive rights through the
unauthorized use of a copyrighted material or work.
„b. Plagiarism An act or instance of using or closely
imitating the language and thoughts of another author
without authorization.
„c. Computer Addiction
„ Offline: generally used when speaking about excessive
gaming behavior, which can be practiced both offline and
online.
„ Online: Also known as “Internet Addiction”, gets more
attention in general from scientific research than offline
computer addiction, mainly because most cases of
computer addiction are related to the excessive use
of the Internet.
*Virtual Self -The persona you create about yourself virtually.
CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES
a. Hacking
„ Unauthorized access of or inter-
ference with computer systems,
servers, or other information and communication
systems
„ Unauthorized access to corrupt, alter, steal, or
destroy electronic data using computers or other
information and communication systems without the
computer or system owner’s knowledge and consent
„ The introduction of computer viruses resulting in the
corruption, alteration, theft, or loss of such data
„Illegal Access
„Illegal Interception
„Data Interference
„System Interference
„Misuse of Devices
„Infection of IT Systems with Malware – if the act
is committed against critical infrastructure of
the Philippines, the penalty is between 12-20
years reclusion temporal
„Six years up to twelve years of imprisonment
also known as prison mayor.
„b. Computer-related forgery, fraud and/or identity theft
• An attempt to obtain sensitive information such as
usernames, passwords, and credit card details and
(indirectly money), often for malicious reasons.
• Phishing
• Pharming
• Spam
• Maximum of Php 200,000 fine or prison mayor
„c. Electronic theft
„ Illegal Downloading
„ Obtaining files that you do not have the
right to use from the internet.
„ Digital Piracy
„ Practice of illegally copying and selling
digital music, video, computer software,
etc.
„ Copyright Infringement
„• Penalty of Php 50,000 – 500, 000 and or
prison mayor
d. Cyberbullying
„ The use of electronic communication to bully a person, typically
by sending a message of an intimidating or threatening nature.
„ The Anti-Bullying Act of 2013 (RA 10627)
e. Cybersex
„ Willful engagement, maintenance, control, or operation,
directly or indirectly of any lascivious exhibition of sexual organs
or sexual activity with the aid of a computer system for favor or
consideration.
• There is a discussion on this matter if it
involves “couples” or “people in
relationship” who engage in cybersex.
• Penalty at least Php 200,000 and or
prison mayor
f. Child Pornography
„ Is a form of child sexual exploitation
„ Unlawful or prohibited acts defined and punishable by
Republic Act No. 9775 or the AntiChild Pornography Act of
2009, committed through a computer system.
„ Penalty of 12-20 years of imprisonment or reclusion temporal
g. Cyber Defamation
„ Is an unprivileged false statement of fact which tends to
harm the reputation of a person or company.
„ Penalty of 6-12 years of imprisonment or prison mayor.
 LESSON 3:
INTERNET THREATS
„ Hacking

Hacking is a term used to describe actions taken by

someone to gain unauthorized access to a computer. The
availability of information online on the tools, techniques,
and malware makes it easier for even non-technical people
to undertake malicious activities. The process by which
cyber criminals gain access to your computer.
What it can do:
„ Find weaknesses (or pre-existing bugs) in your security
settings and exploit them in order to access your
information.
„ Install
a Trojan horse, providing a back door for hackers to
enter and search for your information.
Malware
Malware is one of the more common ways to infiltrate or damage
your computer. Malicious software that infects your computer,
such as computer viruses, worms, Trojan horses, spyware, and
adware.
What it can do:
• Intimidate you with scareware, which is usually a pop-up
message that tells you your computer has a security problem or
other false information.
• Reformat the hard drive of your computer causing you to lose all
your information.
• Alter or delete files.
• Steal sensitive information.
• Send emails on your behalf.
• Take control of your computer and all the software running on it.
Pharming
Pharming is a common type of online fraud. A means
to point you to a malicious and illegitimate website
by redirecting the legitimate URL. Even if the URL is
entered correctly, it can still be redirected to a fake
website.

What it can do:

• Convince you that the site is real and legitimate by
spoofing or looking almost identical to the actual site
down to the smallest details. You may enter your
personal information and unknowingly give it to
someone with malicious intent.
Phishing
Phishing is used most often by cyber criminals because it's easy to
execute and can produce the results they're looking for with very little
effort. Fake emails, text messages and websites created to look like
they're from authentic companies. They're sent by criminals to steal
personal and financial information from you. This is also known as
“spoofing”.

What it does:
„ Trick you into giving them information by asking you to update, validate
or confirm your account. It is often presented in a manner that seems
official and intimidating, to encourage you to take action.
„ Providescyber criminals with your username and passwords so that
they can access your accounts (your online bank account, shopping
accounts, etc.) and steal your credit card numbers.
Ransomware
„ Ransomware is a type of malware that restricts access to your
computer or your files and displays a message that demands
payment in order for the restriction to be removed. The two most
common means of infection appear to be phishing emails that
contain malicious attachments and website pop-up advertisements.
What it can do:
„ There are two common types of ransomware:
„ Lockscreenransomware: displays an image that prevents you from
accessing your computer
„ Encryption
ransomware: encrypts files on your system's hard drive and
sometimes on shared network drives, USB drives, external hard drives,
and even some cloud storage drives, preventing you from opening
them
„ Ransomware will display a notification stating that your computer or data
have been locked and demanding a payment be made for you to regain
access. Sometimes the notification states that authorities have detected
illegal activity on your computer, and that the payment is a fine to avoid
prosecution.
„ What you can do:
„ Do not pay the ransom. These threats are meant to scare and intimidate you,
and they do not come from a law enforcement agency. Even if you submit
payment, there is no guarantee that you will regain access to your system.
„ If your computer has been infected (i.e. you are unable to access your
computer or your files have been encrypted), contact a reputable computer
technician or specialist to find out whether your computer can be repaired
and your data retrieved.
„ In order to lessen the impact of a ransomware infection, be sure to regularly
back-up your data with a removable external storage drive. It's possible that
your files might be irretrievable; having an up-to-date backup could be
invaluable.
Spam
„ Spam is one of the more common methods of both sending
information out and collecting it from unsuspecting people. The mass
distribution of unsolicited messages, advertising or pornography to
addresses which can be easily found on the Internet through things
like social networking sites, company websites and personal blogs.
What it can do:
• Annoy you with unwanted junk mail.
• Create a burden for communications service providers and
businesses to filter electronic messages.
• Phish for your information by tricking you into following links or
entering details with too-good to-be-true offers and promotions.
• Provide a vehicle for malware, scams, fraud and threats to your
privacy.
Spyware (Spyware & Adware)
„ Spyware and adware are often used by third parties to infiltrate your
computer. What it is: Software that collects personal information about
you without you knowing. They often come in the form of a ‘free'
download and are installed automatically with or without your consent.
These are difficult to remove and can infect your computer with viruses.
What it can do:
• Collect information about you without you knowing about it and give it
to third parties.
• Send your usernames, passwords, surfing habits, list of applications
you've downloaded, settings, and even the version of your operating
system to third parties.
• Change the way your computer runs without your knowledge.
• Take you to unwanted sites or inundate you with uncontrollable pop-up
ads.
Trojan Horses
A Trojan horse may not be a term you're familiar with, but there's
a good chance you or someone you know has been affected by
one. A malicious program that is disguised as, or embedded
within, legitimate software. It is an executable file that will install
itself and run automatically once it's downloaded.

What it can do:

• Delete your files.
• Use your computer to hack other computers.
• Watch you through your web cam.
• Log your keystrokes (such as a credit card number you entered
in an online purchase).
• Record usernames, passwords and other personal information.
Viruses
„ Most people have heard of computer viruses, but not many
know exactly what they are or what they do. Malicious
computer programs that are often sent as an email attachment
or a download with the intent of infecting your computer, as
well as the computers of everyone in your contact list. Just
visiting a site can start an automatic download of a virus.
What they can do:
• Send spam.
• Provide criminals with access to your computer and contact
lists.
• Scan and find personal information like passwords on your
computer.
„ Hijack your web browser.
„ Disable your security settings.
„ Display unwanted ads.
„ When a program is running, the virus attached to it could
infiltrate your hard drive and also spread to USB keys and
external hard drives. Any attachment you create using this
program and send to someone else could also infect them with
the virus.
How will you know if your computer is infected? Here are a few
things to check for:
„ It takes longer than usual for your computer to start up, it
restarts on its own or doesn't start up at all.
„ It takes a long time to launch a program.
„ Files and data have disappeared.
„ Your system and programs crash constantly.
„ The homepage you set on your web browser is different
(note that this could be caused by Adware that has
been installed on your computer).
„ Web pages are slow to load.
„ Your computer screen looks distorted.
„ Programs are running without your control.
„ Ifyou suspect a problem, make sure your security
software is up to date and run it to check for infection. If
nothing is found, or if you are unsure of what to do, seek
technical help.
Wi-Fi Eavesdropping
„ WiFi eavesdropping is another method used by cyber
criminals to capture personal information. Virtual
“listening in” on information that's shared over an
unsecure (not encrypted) WiFi network.

What it can do:

• Potentially access your computer with the right
equipment.
• Steal your personal information including logins and
passwords.
Worms
„ Worms are a common threat to computers and the
Internet as a whole. A worm, unlike a virus, goes to work on
its own without attaching itself to files or programs. It lives in
your computer memory, doesn't damage or alter the hard
drive and propagates by sending itself to other computers
in a network – whether within a company or the Internet
itself.
What they can do:
„ Spread to everyone in your contact list.
„ Cause a tremendous amount of damage by shutting down
parts of the Internet, wreaking havoc on an internal
network and costing companies’ enormous amounts of lost
revenue.