Cyber Flashing: A New Form of Cyber Crime

The BBC has recently reported that the police are investigating their first case of ‘cyber flashing’ after a commuter received an indecent image on her phone. The crime is the first of its type to be reported and police have encouraged anyone to report any similar cases. If you do receive any indecent images, the police have advised the public to stay calm, keep the image on the phone and then report it to the police. The information will then be passed onto the Cyber Crime Unit, investigated and if appropriate, will proceed to court.

The image was sent through Apple’s Airdrop, which works in a similar way to Bluetooth, whereby users within a range can share content. The default setting is to limit sending to be between contacts only, but upon changing this to public, and forgetting to reset your settings back to private when in a public area, you are at risk of this form of crime.

As shown by this case, it highlights an added area where you need to protect yourself against cyber crime. Cyber crime is constantly evolving and it is important to be wary of any potential threats. At Perpetuity Research, we feel that cyber security is an industry that is evolving and is imperative in controlling threats that these crimes pose to the public. We have recently announced our latest Security Research Initiative project which will look into the role of the private sector in tackling cyber crime, especially given the constant evolution of the crimes, as highlighted by the cyber flashing case.

To learn more about our latest SRI project and previous projects, please click here. For further information on how to become a member click here.

If you have any thoughts on the topic that you would like to contribute to the research please contact us prci@perpetuityresearch.com