"The Impact of Cyber Crime Amongst Students: Understanding the Risks and Prevention Strategies"

Disha Sikder,

The University of Burdwan

INTRODUCTION:-

In this era in the world of networks and computers likewise we can say in this network world where everyone and everything is based upon internet it’s not that much impossible to fraud someone. It’s possible in many ways. Although there are many securities and many companies are giving protection to the systems and to the cyber threats which comes across in the way of many organizations governmental or non- governmental. But there are many problems or types of lacking in awareness with the cyber protection. Like opening mails or accounts from unknown people’s system or laptop mobiles, having weak credentials, having access to everything, not updating antivirus software and many more.

The result of lacking in cyber protection can lead to huge loss in the matter of  organization or a company and to a individual can lead to defamation or money information loss. Cyber crime is gaining huge and huge popularity with it easily accessibility from anywhere to anyone to anything of its personal information. Financial losses are far reaching. Every year many people losses their hard earned monies to the cyber fraud. Many older people don’t have a single clue what cyber crime is and which information is private, not to share with anyone.

Not only the financial losses but also the personal loss ratio is getting higher day by day. As days go by as more people are getting exposure to the digital world, cyber crime is increasing. Despite all of this there are ethical hackers who called ‘White Hat Hackers’ also are helps to regain the  stolen money or relocate the hackers information and many more.  

WHAT IS CYBER CRIME:-

Cyber crime is mainly a computer related crime. Cyber crime includes computer, network and internal computer data’s. Cyber crime includes illegal activities of cyber-bullying, hacking, fraud, identity theft, information leak, ransomware etc. Cybercrime do not have any boundaries or territory. Anyone sitting in USA can hack anyone’s account in India. This days people are getting more aware of cyber crime but lack of awareness in sharing personal information to the world of social can lead to the problems. Cyber crime is an international issue now. Nowadays a common type of cyber crime is hacking. Hackers hack computers, mobile phones and take personal information, messages, photos, videos, passwords, financial data’s and steal many types of personal details and misuse this types of data that can harm people. Also sometimes they spread viruses for malware to the systems and to harassment to the public. The cyber crime is a unlawfull act conducted by computer with unauthorized access to systems and devices is called cyber crime. It refers to an electronic device to stealing someone’s data to harm them using their data.       

TYPES OF CYBER CRIMES:-

Cyber crime is a con of new era internet. Where you can have the advantages of internet starting from easy communication, easy access to social media, entertainment, earnings, having update of information just sitting at your home at your comfort zone. Likewise there are many disadvantages are also their those are – cyber defamation, cyber stalking, sale of illegal articles, online gambling, e-mail bombing, cyber pornography, identity theft, phising, vishing, pharming, phreaking, rootkits, mobile malware, etc. Some are also included in the list of cyber crimes which the new generation tends to attracted to cyber stalking, cyber bullying, cyber pornography.

CYBER CRIME AMONGST THE YOUTH:-

According to the research 63.8% of young generation or can say students are involved in cyber crime as they are using internet networks and devices to study. As they have easy access to the internet and can indulge thereselves to cyber crimes rather then studies. The new generation while exposed to the digital world more than the earlier generations they are tends to do more type of criminal offences related to internet. Like cyber stalking is a common thing to the students.

 As the new era have information in their hand through social media and many types of apps they can easily access to other persons account and stole their personal photos and videos and misuse that without their permission. Students are mentally physically emotionally encumbered with this personal information when it got leaked by other offenders of cyber crime they got emotionally and mentally got stuck and a huge loss of morality can seen amongst them. They often use the network as the threat distributor as they hacked personal photos videos they share it with others or give threats to the victims to do so.

This days sexting is also increasing and from that many youngsters are often got stuck into the trap of criminal offenders and this damage sometimes leads to self harm or suicide in some cases. The incidents of cyberbullying and adolescent suicides rates are increasing day by day in United States. With recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention fiving data of 14.9% of adolescents have been cyberbullied and 13.6% of adolescents are making serious decision to suicide attempt.

Indecent pictures of child uploaded by their parents to the internet and the use of many kind of apps can lead to harassment to the parents and to the child also. This days people are tends to share their every little information to internet to show off their lifestyle status and it makes easy to the cyber criminals to attack them easily. When an adolescent includes themselves into this kind of crimes entertain themselves then they don’t know what to do next and how they can redeem themselves from that hell.

They spend most of their times in the hell and have weird happiness from that and got addicted to that it can hamper their time as well as future. As a teenager they have limited time to study to learn to grow for future. As they are teenagers at the age of fourteen to sixteen their time is very

 precious to loose then it engages the youth into bad works and the rate of productivity amongst the new generation get reduced.

CYBER CRIMES UNDER LAWS RELATED TO THE NEW GENERATION:-

1)For sending threatening messages by e-mail a person is punishable under section 506 of IPC.

2) For sending defamatory message by e-mail, a person is punishable under section 499 of IPC.

3) For e-mail spoofing, a person is punishable under section 420 of IPC.

4) For any hate speech, statements which are offensive and aims to promote enmity between different groups on ground of religion, race, domicile or like factors which are posted in a blog is punishable under Section 153A of the IPC.

4) For cyber pornography cases, a person is punishable under section 292 of the IPC.

5) For criminal intimidation through anonymous communications such as through a fake e-mail account of anonymously sent e-mails a person is punishable under section 503 of the IPC.

6) For falsification of accounts, a person is punishable under section 477A of the IPC

PREVENTIONS FROM CYBER CRIME:-

1) Monitoring child what they are doing on internet while using the devices. While you are giving access to internet to your child you have to choose between those apps can harm your child and not to use that kind of apps and not to open that. Need to be clear with the consequences n using that apps to your child. If possible then establish rules related to using internets at your home.

2) The first rule to avoid from cyber crime to be clear with your child with the pros and cons of using the internet. Share information related to harmfulness of the apps and websites while using the internet. Avoid sharing personal photos, videos with unknown people in unknown social media platforms. Not to open, download or use any kind of files, documents coming from unknown sources.

3) Do conversation regularly with your child. They are new to the internet but they are the most knowlegable about the internet that’s why sometimes they think that they know better then their parents. But parents need to give guidance to them to how to deal with the fraudsters.

4) Parental controls are the key to be safe. This days the devices mobile phones are comes with the feature of parental controls. It can limit the timings to use the internet. It can also limit the apps to be used by the child with safe password systems. If parents think that anything can happen to their child in contact with a particular person they can simply block them. Yes, there is privacy needed but while they are adolescents it’s their parents duty to track them in a good path.

5) Make your child self dependent while dealing with any bad timings or any negative words in the social media. Teach them how to protect their personal information like phone no, address, full name ,other sensitive information to not show or share with anyone unknown people. Help them to protect their social media accounts providing strong passwords avoid using the same passwords for multiple accounts.

6) Take immediate action if your child us a victim of cyber bullying or any kind of cyber crime related issues. Take necessary action to be taken as a parents if your child. Seek professional if needed, support mentally as by this a child’s mind can be affected severally as parent need to support their mental health and let know people to be aware of that kind of cyber crimes.  

STATISTICS OF CYBER CRIME:-

According to the NCRB report 1,832 cases of cyber crimes against children in 2022 got registered up from 1,376 the previous year. These crimes include 1,171 cases of cyber pornography or the dissemination of inappropriate content, 158 cases of cyberstalking and bullying and 146 cyber related offences. 

CONCLUSION:-

Just as the internet has brought many advantages, it has also brought many disadvantages. In this days children are prone to cyber crimes it’s not total responsibility to their to protect themselves from exposing it’s their parents and as citizen we also have some responsibilities to guide them with as much as you can. Educate your child about the damages can harm anyone with the use of internet. If needed take proper steps for providing assuarance to the new generation while using the internet. The cyber crimes are governed with IT ACT 2000, IPC 1860, when the IT ACT is unable to provide justice. However cyber laws are not competent still now with the modern cyber crimes need to be more updated like the criminal are getting more and more advance day by day. The ‘Digital India’ movement the cyber crimes are evolving constantly need to be set the new regimes for the modern advance cyber crimes.

REFERENCES:-

• https://edubirdie.com/examples/cyber-crimes-and-its-effects-on-youth/
  

• https://prakasampolice.ap.gov.in/CyberCrimes.html

• https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/definition/cybercrime

• https://delinea.com/blog/7-steps-recognizing-combating-cybercrime

• https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/india-saw-129-cybercrimes-per-lakh-population-in-2023/articleshow/106524847.cms#:~:text=Cybercrime%20rate%20in%20India%20(reported,%2C%20and%20Telangana%20(261).

• https://online.norwich.edu/online/about/resource-library/5-types-cyber-crime-how-cybersecurity-professionals-prevent-attacks
  

• Dr. S. R .Myneni written book Information Technology Law (Cyber Laws)