Citizens Crime Commission of New York City


A non-partisan non-profit organization working to make criminal justice
and public safety policies and practices more effective through innovation,
research, and education.

INITIATIVE: Cybercrime Prevention
FBI / Crime Commission Alliance on Cybercrime

How to Protect Your Organization from Cybercrime
There are precautions that can and should be taken by internet users in an attempt to secure any network.

Tips for Businesses and Large Organizations
Businesses have a substantial amount of confidential information in various aspects that must be protected. It is strongly suggested that businesses invest in an automated enterprise data protection solution. Many of the most well-known and effective of these solutions include:
  • Encryption
  • Data Loss Prevention solutions
  • Identity and access management solutions
  • Endpoint security solutions and other anti-malware tools
Businesses should also keep in mind the following practices for network security:
  • Portable devices (laptops, smart phones, USB memory sticks) holding company data should be encrypted, especially when extensive travel is a component
  • Using an intrusion detection system to identify network breaches if they occur
  • Companies should carefully evaluate the security structures of third parties before sharing confidential information
  • Sufficient employee training on web-security practices should be implemented
  • Proper disposing/shredding of papers and files that are no longer needed (these may contain valuable information for hackers)
  • Have a plan in place for responding to a security incident if one should occur
While no one is ever completely invulnerable to cyber crime, using these precautions will certainly lessen the chances of becoming a victim.



Cybersecurity For Organizations

Cybersecurity Tips Tutorials and Toolkits Protect Your Trade Secrets Cyber Planning and Information Sharing Cybersecurity for Non-Profits

Cybercrime Pages
» Overview
» What is Cybercrime?
» How to Protect Yourself from Ransomware
» How to Protect Your Organization from Cybercrime
» Secure Our Smartphones (S.O.S.)
» Predictive Prevention Lab
» Getting Your Feet Wet - Learning to Detect
Phishing Emails

Media & Resources
» New Report! How Human Behavior and Decision
Making Expose Users to Phishing Attacks


WHERE TO REPORT CYBERCRIME?
Visit the Internet Crime Complaint Center

Cybercrime Terms
Adware: A computer program used to track users' online activities and deliver targeted pop-up ads to users.

Bitcoins: Uninsured digital currency, also known as "cryptocurrency," which operates independently of central banks. It is used for peer-to-peer electronic transactions and transfers.

Botnet: A collection of private computers that have been infected with malware and are being controlled by a cyber criminal without the owner being aware. Criminals will likely use botnets to send out spam messages, spread viruses, and commit fraud.

Computer Worm: A malware that replicates itself over a computer network and usually performs malicious actions such as damaging data, or using up the computer's resources and possibly shutting the computer down.

Denial-of-service (DoS): An attacker attempts to prevent legitimate users from accessing information or services. Typically, a network server is bombarded with authentication requests; the attack overwhelms the resources of the target computers, causing them to deny server access to other computers making legitimate requests.

Encryption: The process of encoding data or confidential information so that it is not easily understood by those who are not permitted access to it.

Firewall: A computer security program that blocks incoming network traffic and screens for hackers, viruses and worms that try to reach your computer over the Internet. Users should make sure that firewalls are enabled on all their network devices.

Keylogger: A type of spyware that records every keystroke of the user and reports this information back to its source.

Malware: Short for "malicious software." It consists of viruses, worms, spyware, Trojan horses and botnets that become installed on computers, Internet of Things or mobile devices without consent. Malware is often used to steal private information, send spam messages, and commit online fraud.

Phishing: A type of cybercrime in which individuals deceive others by posing as legitimately established enterprises (your bank, government agencies, the FBI, employer) as to steal users' valuable personal information, such as account data and credit card information.

Proxy Server: A proxy server is an intermediary between your PC or device and the Internet. This server makes requests to websites, servers and services on the Internet for you. Cyber criminals use proxies to route their communications through several different locations or even countries. Because of this, it can be quite an exhausting challenge to track down cyber criminals.

Ransomware: A type of malware that prevents or limits users from accessing their system. This type of malware forces its victims to pay the ransom through certain online payment methods in order to grant access to their systems, or to get their data back.

Spyware: A type of malware that is self-installed on a computer and can be used to collect personal information about users without their knowledge.

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