“Cyber” refers to imaginary space, which is created when the electronic devices communicate, like network of computers.
Cyber crime refers to anything done in the cyber space with a criminal intent. These could be either the criminal activities in the conventional sense or could be activities, newly evolved with the growth of the new medium. Cyber crime includes acts such as hacking, uploading obscene content on the Internet, sending obscene e-mails and hacking into a person's e-banking account to withdraw money.

Cyber crime can involve criminal activities that are traditional in nature, such as theft, fraud, forgery, defamation and mischief, all of which are subject to the Indian Penal Code. The abuse of computers has also given birth to a gamut of new age crimes that are addressed by the Information Technology Act, 2000.
The act does not define ‘cyber crime’. However, any activities which basically offend human sensibilities would come within its ambit. Child Pornography on the Internet constitutes one serious cyber crime.

The act recognizes three kinds of offences which are:

1. Tampering with computer source documents
2. Hacking with computer system
3. Publishing of information which is obscene in electronic form