How to protect cybercrime victims  | #cybercrime | #infosec

Cybercrime has increased at an alarming rate in Bangladesh in recent times due to the prevalence of online media. Sharing objectionable images or spreading rumors about someone by opening fake IDs on social media has become a daily occurrence. Cybercriminals have also leaked several exam question papers online. In addition, cases of extortion by hacking Gmail and social media IDs are also happening frequently. This cybercrime is a crime that describes various criminal activities carried out using a computer, network or any other digital device, which can be carried out by an individual or an organization.

Research by criminologists on how cybercriminals commit crimes shows that hackers often use multiple techniques together to steal information. These methods include phishing, fake WAP (wireless access point), waterhole attacks, brute forcing, bait and switch and clickjacking. Through this, they attack computers or electronic devices using these malware to damage or delete data or steal or stop them from working. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said that cyber attackers are stealing important personal information including banking information, passwords, and other personal information of internet users under the lure of converting files of any format online for free. They are using various advanced methods such as creating AI-generated content for CVs or profiles, sophisticated remote access tools, and security evasion techniques. In addition, cyber attackers are also deceiving people by pretending to be women.

An analysis of what cyber crimes are committed shows that many types of cyber crimes are worth discussing, including fraudulent emails, spreading rumors on social media, creating fake IDs in the name of others, phishing scams, and ransomware attacks. In addition, other cyber crimes include banking fraud, e-commerce fraud, cyber espionage, data breaches, DDoS attacks, software piracy, online harassment, identity fraud, financial or card payment data theft, corporate data theft and sale, cyber extortion, cryptojacking, illegal gambling, selling illegal goods online, soliciting, producing or possessing child pornography.

The Cyber Crime Awareness Foundation (CICAF) conducted a study on who is more prone to cyber crimes. According to them, 78.78 percent of the victims are between the ages of 18-30. Also, about 59 percent of the victims are women. Their study revealed that social media and online account hacking are at the top of the cyber crime list in Bangladesh, which accounts for 21.65 percent of the total crimes. In addition, a study by ActionAid Bangladesh found that 64 percent of every 100 women in a study conducted on 514 online users in 2022 were victims of online violence, which is 13 percent more than the previous year.

An analysis of the reasons for the increase in cybercrime worldwide, including Bangladesh, shows that cybercrime is increasing in the country due to the ease of access to the victim’s personal information, user ignorance, and the gap between technological development and legal action. In this regard, Judge AM Zulfikar Hayat of the Cyber Tribunal, Dhaka said that most women in the cyberspace become victims due to lack of awareness in using technology.

Among the notable cybercrimes in the history of Bangladesh, on February 4, 2016, $81 million or about 63,24,91,609 taka (sixty-three crore twenty-four lakh ninety-one thousand six hundred and nine taka) was stolen from the Bangladesh Bank account through digital hacking, which was deposited in the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, USA.

Research on who commits cybercrime and why shows that many IT professionals are involved in cybercrime or hacking and want to make money through it. However, sometimes these criminals aim to damage someone’s computer or network rather than making money. These can be political or other purposes.

Cybercrime has a wide impact. The 2023 Global Risks Report has ranked cybercrime as one of the top 10 crime risks in the world today and for the next 10 years. If cybercrime were considered a nation-state, the amount of damage caused by cybercrime would be the world’s third largest economy, amounting to more than US$9 trillion.

Section 499 of the Penal Code of Bangladesh states that if a person defames someone on a website or any other electronic format, it will be considered a cybercrime. Apart from this, the government has enacted several laws on cybersecurity. The most notable of which is the Digital Security Act, 2018. Bangladesh Police Headquarters reported that in the first five months of 2020, 403 cases were filed under this act and 353 people were arrested. The government then enacted the Cyber Security Act, 2023 in 2023, which replaced the Digital Security Act, 2018. It incorporated most of the provisions of the Digital Security Act, 2018 and Section 57 of the Information and Communication Technology Act, 2006. It also provided for punishment for those filing false cases. On May 22, 2025, the interim government repealed the Cyber Security Act, 2023 and promulgated the Cyber Security Ordinance, 2025.Through this, crimes committed in cyberspace will be identified, prevented, suppressed and prosecuted.

To avoid cybercrime, one must be aware. One must refrain from sharing personal information while using social media. According to experts, the practice of ‘do not click on sight, do not share without verification’ should be continued in using the internet, banning the use of multiple SIM cards to prevent cyber violence, bringing social media under the law, ensuring strict surveillance by law enforcement agencies and relevant authorities on TikTok, Imo and other apps, and ensuring technical capabilities to detect security breaches.

Privacy and security options should be kept on while using social media. In addition, PIN codes should not be shared with anyone while using mobile banking. One should refrain from talking to strangers on video calls. Since security researchers, ethical hackers and criminals all use most hacking tools, if the tool finds any vulnerability in your system, it can be exploited. In addition, it is essential to choose a trusted and good company for the electronic devices you use to ensure your cyber security.

Even then, if you become a victim of cyber crime, there are three ways to take action. First, you have to file a GD with the relevant police station stating your complaint and submitting evidence. In this case, you have to submit screenshots, links, audio/video files or related documents of the relevant symptoms. When collecting screenshots, make sure that the URL of the Address Bar is visible. Second, you can mail it to [email protected] or [email protected]. Third, you can take a copy of the GD and meet the officer in charge directly at the Cyber Crime Unit office of the Counter Terrorism Division of DMP and request them to take action.

The writer is a journalist