‘Potential victims are globally accessible 24/7’ — Gardaí issue cybercrime advice in new book

Gardaí have issued advice to combat cybercrime in a newly released booklet. 

The information booklet, called Cybercrime Risks and Prevention Tips, aims to enhance awareness of online crimes as more and more people use the internet as their primary means of interacting. 

According to An Garda Síochána, cybercrime is the use of a computer to further or commit illegal acts, and is often used by criminals and organised crime gangs.

Information in the booklet reveals the different types of cybercrime, including cyber dependent crime and cyber enabled crime, as well as how to best protect yourself. 

Cyber dependent crimes are crimes which cannot be committed without a computer being involved because the computer is the target of the crime; for example, deliberately injecting viruses or encryption malware (ransomware) into a computer system. 

Cyber enabled crimes are traditional crimes such as fraud or harassment that are committed over a computer network. 

Detective Chief Superintendent Barry Walsh of the Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau wrote a foreword for the booklet, which reads: "It is my experience that education and awareness are two critical elements in preventing cyber criminality. The
capacity of cyber criminals to launch a devastating cyber-attack is no longer dependent on having high-levels of specialist skills and knowledge.

"Developments in the cybercrime landscape now mean that those with criminal motivation can purchase cyber-attacks as a service. In a world where potential victims are globally accessible 24/7 at the click of a mouse; all that is required is a computer, an internet connection and the intention to attack.

"Unfortunately, the latter is an all-too-frequent reality in today’s cyber domain." 

Common advice is to never give out personal or banking details, avoid deals which seem too good to be true, only use legitimate sites to make purchases, and not click on links in unexpected emails.