Glossary What is a Cybercriminal?

A cybercriminal is an individual or organization that commits malicious activity against digital environments, systems and processes. Cybercriminal activities are done using a variety of digital tools, such as installing malware and spyware. A cybercriminal is often looking to commit various types of fraud by stealing information or illegally selling data. These activities can be done against individuals, businesses and governments.

There are five common types of cybercriminals:

• Social engineers that pretend to be someone else to compromise an organization’s data.
• Spear phishers use emails to maliciously collect data or access systems.
• Hackers use weak, default or stolen passwords to access a system or computer.
• Rogue employees are internal employees that steal information or corrupt systems.
• Ransomware senders who modify code and attack systems for ransom.

Stopping cybercriminals

Digital systems offer a lot of value for cybercriminals, which makes any organization or individual a potential target. Although there is no way to permanently prevent cybercriminals from conducting their activities, there are a lot of ways to keep your digital assets safe.

A cybersecurity strategy that includes tools and policies is the best way to prevent cybercriminals from conducting malicious activity. A mix of monitoring software and safety measures are used to keep an organization’s data and systems safe. For instance, you’ll need tools that safeguard every piece of your IT infrastructure. This includes monitoring and preventative capabilities that can help stop malicious activity.

Cybercriminals can target individuals at an organization, which is why it’s become important to train all end users within an organization to recognize potential attacks. Cybersecurity policies and trainings can help keep organizations safe.

Learn more about cybersecurity