Identity theft is a prevalent and deeply troubling factor that affects most people online, with many falling victim to identity theft at least once in their lifetime. It is important to research the question of why hackers steal important personal information, and how they can get away with this crime. Additionally, the question of how to prevent this from happening needs to be answered. Different methods of cyber-crimes such as phishing and ransomware must be researched to answer these questions of how hackers can steal information and identities. These questions are fundamentally important to answer because as society become more dependent on technology in this internet age, more and more people will fall victim to this crime.
In 2016, there were at 3,050,374 confirmed cases of fraud, consumer, and identity theft complaints in the United States alone. This number has grown more and more each year and will most likely will continue to grow exponentially as more and more people convert to the digital world through online shopping, social media networking, and increased dependence on smartphones. So, what exactly does identity theft entail? It typically involves the appropriation of a person’s identity through various cyber-crimes and the use of this data to steal important information. Identity theft is considered a crime and is very serious, but because on the anonymity of the digital age it is extremely difficult to trace and subsequently, nearly impossible to charge anyone with this crime.
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Ransomware is a type of cyber-attack that has affected a huge number of individuals and businesses, with over 100,000 reported attacks in 2016. Ransomware is activated through a type of computer code called malware that is usually hidden inside a seemingly harmless link, typically sent through email. Ransomware is related to identity theft because hackers can steal user’s information and coerce money and other personal information. After this link is clicked by the user, the malware will encrypt the data on the computer, and eventually render it inaccessible and useless to the owner. The reason these attacks are so successful, especially among businesses, is because the hacker can access and destroy sensitive, personal information. After the hacker obtains access to the user’s files, they must then pay money to the hacker to receive a key to decrypt the data.
Another type of cyber-attack is called phishing. This is like ransomware, but instead of destroying information, the hacker will steal logins and other personal information (usually through a fake email again) and will use this information to gain access to the person’s social security number, banking information, social media accounts, email, and any other kind of personal information. The hacker can then steal the person’s identity if they want to. Through phishing in the past, information has been stolen from several corporations such as Equifax and Sony, with even the White House reportedly being hacked.
With different types of identity theft and cyber-crimes, it seems almost impossible to avoid falling victim to identity theft. There are however, several steps that can be taken to lessen the chance of these crimes occurring. The first step to take is making sure that all security on the user’s computer is up to date. Also, any important files saved to sites such as Dropbox or Google Drive should require passwords with two-factor authentication. The main way that hackers send malware and ransomware is through emails, so users always need to be wary of emails from unfamiliar addresses, and remember that any official business will not ask for personal information such as credit card numbers or social security numbers over email. Most businesses that want to avoid compromising important information or files should always have multiple backup security through extra passwords as well. Identity theft is a troubling problem that is becoming more common every year. If necessary precautions are taken, users will be less likely to have information stolen or destroyed. It is important to always stay vigilant in the digital age.
- Abawajy, Jemal. “User preference of cyber security awareness delivery methods.” Behaviour & Information Technology 33, no. 3 (March 2014): 236-247. EBSCOhost (accessed March 30, 2018)
- “Facts+Statistics: Identity Theft and Cybercrime.” Insurance Information Institute, Inc. 2018. https://www.iii.org/fact-statistic/facts-statistics-identity-theft-and-cybercrime.
- Jensen, Matthew L., Michael Dinger, Ryan T. Wright, and Jason Bennett Thatcher. 2017. “Training to Mitigate Phishing Attacks Using Mindfulness Techniques.” Journal of Management Information Systems. EBSCOhost (accessed March 30, 2018)
- Sheikh, Khizar A. 2017. “Ransomware, Social Engineering and Organization Liability.” Computer & Internet Lawyer 34, no. 8: 14-17. EBSCOhost (accessed March 30, 2018)
- Sullivan, Clare. 2009. “Is identity theft really theft?” International Review of Law, Computers & Technology 23, no. 2: 77-87. EBSCOhost (accessed March 30, 2018)
