Cybertechnology & Offender vs. Victim:

Cyber technology has contributed to the interactions between offenders and victims. Within the digital realm, we can see the drastic increase in offenders’ anonymity and reach in terms of global offenses. Because of our growing digital advances, cyber criminals have taken the opportunity to attack more global territories. Cyber technology has eliminated a variety of constraints and limitations, like physical restrictions. Some of the largely used attacks include; phishing scams, identity theft and impersonation, harassment and cyber stalking, etc. With the scale of attack increasingly rapidly, we must be prepared for the need for improvement.

Reach	Expanded global reach & the opportunities to attack multiple targets at one time
Anonymity	Offenders gain anonymity & tracing them becomes even more difficult
Victimization	Increases in cyber bullying, harassment, instances of fraud
Victims	Victims feel exposed and vulnerable & lack of awareness on digital spaces
Offenders	Offenders use their digital resources to generate new methods of attack, even against security protocols

Cybercriminals will continue to search for loopholes and invasion tactics. With that, it is the job of cyber experts to prevent and block threats and attacks as well as maximizing security measures. Without proper safeguards for individuals and organizations, the scale and impact of criminal crimes simply increases. When we consider civilians and average daily cyber users, we must also consider their level of self protection. Many people have a large lack of general awareness. Expanding on ones knowledge of safe online practices, can help to maintain safe browsing and information storage. Offenders easily take advantage of these oversights for certain target groups. This may include factors such as age, gender, and much more.

In terms of victim response and support, there is often a grey area here as well. Individuals may not report cybercrime victimization due to any number of reasons. Being a victim of cyber crime can be very traumatizing and affects everyone differently. Many do not know what they can do, or what resources are available to them. A big reason that individuals do not report these crimes, can be attributed to the sense of shame and embarrassment that come from being a victim of cyber crimes. However, it is important for the knowledge to spread that one should always report cyber crime and work on ensuring safe online conduct.  Broadening understanding and awareness can minimize these effects. More so, If users are aware of the dangers and threats online, they may take more precautions and measures to ensure the safety of their data and sensitive information.