Cybercrime: 22 of the most important statistics

Cybercrime is a huge thing in the 21st Century. Today we take a look at some of the most important statistics.

“The crime doesn’t pay,” or so the saying goes. But, modern criminals do end up with a lot of other people’s money in their pockets.

They don’t even need duffel bags, just electronic wallets to fill with their victims’ Bitcoins. That’s because they’re cyber criminals, or black hackers as they’re also called.

As modern times bring modern methods, criminals don’t need to hold a back at a gunpoint, just send a nasty little computer program and watch the money pour in.

Cybercrime is, therefore, a serious threat to any computer system. A piece of ransomware can easily cripple a whole corporation, destroying crucial data and causing millions of dollars of damage. In fact, ransomware and other malware cybercriminals use have been rampant for quite a while.

So, how big is actually cybercrime today and how much damage can it cause? And, more importantly, how many computer users are aware of modern cybercrime?

Let’s take a look at some of the most important cybercrime statistics

1. Malware attack frequency in South Africa had risen by 22% in the first quarter of 2019 compared to the year before.

(Kaspersky)

2. According to a 2019 survey by KnowBe4, the majority of South Africans (74%) say they are concerned about becoming victims of cybercrime. At the same time, 57% of South Africans say that they have no issue with giving away their personal information, as long as they knew what it was being used for.

(KnowBe4)

3. Half of the PC owners in South Africa have infected devices.

(KnowBe4)

4. Mobile banking fraud in South Africa is on the rise – these types of cybercrimes doubled from 2017 to 2018, with gross losses of R23,593,631. Online banking fraud increased 44% during the same period, with gross losses of R89 368 722.

(Sabric)

5. Experts believe total cybercrime damage will reach $6 trillion by the end of 2021.

(Cybersecurity Ventures)

6. Hackers earn roughly $1.5 trillion a year committing cybercrime.

(Bromium)

7. Cryptocurrency, analysts claim, will be used in 70% of cybercrime transactions by the end of the year.

(Cybersecurity Ventures)

8. With more than $18 million per attack, the banking industry is suffering the highest damage from cybercrime.

(Accenture)

9. In less than 10 years, businesses will spend $10 billion a year to train their employees against cyber attacks.

(Herjavec Group)

10. Bad actors earned $1.2 billion through the dark web marketplace Silk Road.

(Congressional Research Service)

11. On average, a data breach is detected in 196 days.

(Symantec)

12. 3 out of 10 phishing attacks target the financial industry.

(PhishLabs)

13. A hacker needs just one dollar to buy a basic malware.

(Fortune)

14. A ransomware attack happens every 11 seconds.

(Herjavec Group)

15. 97.2% of detected malware in 2018 was targeting Windows machines.

(Symantec)

16. Every day, researchers find 250,000 new Mac-specific viruses.

(MacKeeper)

17. 2 out of 3 Apple devices today have adware installed.

(MacKeeper)

18. Nearly 25% of smartphone users aren’t aware their devices can be hacked.

(Harris Poll)

19. Every second company has been a target of cybercrime.

(Hiscox)

20. Only 30% of small companies are prepared against cyber attacks.

(Hiscox)

21. Just 10% of all cybercrime gets reported to the authorities.

(Slate)

22. For a highly skilled hacker, an attack on a large organization doesn’t require more than 12 hours.

(AT&T)

It might all sound terrifying, but there’s a silver lining here. The damage cybercrime has caused throughout the years taught many major companies a valuable lesson in preventing instead of recuperating.

Operating systems are becoming more secure, digital marketplaces like Google Play and iTunes impose strict checks for the brand new apps, even webmail platforms can detect phishing attempts. Companies, as we’ve discussed in the text, are increasing their budgets for both cybersecurity and for training their employees.

Unfortunately, cybercrime won’t be stopped overnight. In fact, hackers might also become more sneaky with their malware and other tools.

We need the technology in our everyday life, during the commute, and at work. As time passes we will be even more dependent on our computers, smartphones, and other gadgets.

The best first step is to learn how to detect and prevent cybercrime from happening, so we can continue enjoying our shiny new tech. Once the people are aware of prevention measures, the potential of cybercrime causing monetary damage will start to dwindle.

Watch this space for updates in the Technology category on Running Wolf’s Rant.