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4�3�5 Misuse and Abuse of Cyber- about why laws like the ones mentioned above
space are necessary? The answer is simple. It is the
Cyberspace is the global network of infor- misuse and abuse of the cyber space that forces
the law enforcement agencies to frame laws
mation technology infrastructures, telecommu- with adequate punishment. Here is a table for
nications networks, and computer processing you which will briefly explain some commonly
systems. It is the space where all the inter- occurring abuses in the cyber space.
net transactions occur. Have you ever thought

Email spoofing When someone sends an email to you that appears to
be from another person
Phishing Extracting personal sensitive information from the vic-
tims such as credit card details or net banking details
Cyber stalking An individual uses the internet to systematically harass
or threaten someone
Cyber bullying An individual uses the internet to harm or frighten
someone sending them unpleasant messages
Voyeurism An individual watches, shares or captures the image of
a person without his/her permission for sexual gratifi-
cation
Credit card skimming When someone uses an illegal device to collect the
information from the magnetic stripe on your ATM,
debit, or credit card

Cyber hacking Any type of misuse of a computer to break the securi-
ty of another computing system to steal data, corrupt
systems or files
Denial of service attack (DoS attack) An intentional cyberattack carried out on networks,
websites, and online resources to restrict access to its
legitimate users
Maware attack A type of cyberattack in which malware or malicious
software performs activities on the victim’s computer
system, usually without his/her knowledge
Spamming The use of electronic messaging systems like e-mails to
send unwanted bulk messages indiscriminately
Software piracy The unauthorized distribution of software with the
help of internet

Salami slicing attack Cyber-criminals steal money or resources a bit at a
time so that there’s no noticeable difference in overall
size
Cyber terrorism The politically motivated use of computers and infor-
mation technology to cause widespread fear in society
Table 4.3.2 Commonly occuring cyberspace abuses

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