Protecting yourself from cybercrime (BPT) - Gone are the days
when hackers were the weekend enthusiasts you tolerated on the
golf course, when viruses were the things that gave you the flu
or a cold, and Phish was a popular jam band who served as the
inspiration for your favorite flavor of Ben and Jerry's. With
the rise of the Internet and electronic devices has come the
rise of cyber-related crime. Cybercrime, as it is called, is
defined as a criminal activity using computers or other
electronic devices to victimize people, organizations or
businesses. "Despite a global recession, improved security and
international crackdown efforts, cybercrime has thrived over the
last decade, growing by double digits year after year," says
Clint Kirkwood, a professor of Criminal Justice at Argosy
University , Orange County and 28-year veteran and retired
commanding officer of the vice section of the narcotics division
of the Detroit Police Department. While estimates of the cost of
cyber crime to businesses and the privat