How often does cybercrime happen in 2024?

Knowing that more than one type of criminal activity can be committed in cyberspace can help answer this question.

Many different techniques exist for committing cyber crimes.

Cybercrime encompasses various activities, such as hacking, ransomware, unauthorized access, DoS assaults, spamming, spyware, web scraping, and cyberstalking.

Information and intellectual property theft are common targets of these illegal cyber attacks on corporations, individuals, and governments.

How Often Does Cybercrime Happen In 2024?

Cyber Crime

Computer, network, or networked device-based criminal action is known as cybercrime.

Cybercriminals and hackers with financial motives are responsible for most cybercrimes.

Of course, there are times when cybercriminals don’t care about money and simply want to cause damage to systems or networks. These may be private or public.

Anyone, from individuals to large corporations, is capable of committing cybercrime.

Some cybercriminals are well-organized, employ sophisticated methods, and have extensive technical expertise. Some of the others are just amateurs in hacking.

According to recent research by James Clark School of Engineering, there is an average of 2,244 cybercrimes each day.

A cybercrime is committed every 39 seconds, as represented by figure 2,244.

According to data collected from various sources, phishing is the most common cybercrime.

The next steps after phishing are ransomware (cyber extortion), data breaches, identity theft, and cyber harassment.

In the following sections, we will break down the five most common types of cybercrime so you may better understand what’s happening and to whom.

Global Cybercrime Statistics 2024

  • The market cap of the cybersecurity industry is predicted to reach $133.7 billion in 2022.
  • The growing prevalence of cybercrime has resulted in increased funding for both measures aimed at reducing the problem and those undertaken in response to its consequences.
  • Cybercrime prosecution data predict that by 2022, annual spending across the globe will reach about $134 billion.
  • More than 60% of companies were phishing or social engineering victims in 2019.
  • Statistics show that 63.8% of companies have fallen prey to cybercrime this year, with phishing and social engineering attacks being the most common forms.
  • Most corporate executives—nearly 70%—believe their cybersecurity risks are rising.
  • Based on the findings of several studies conducted at the tail end of 2019, it can be concluded that 68.4 percent of company executives are worried about their increasing susceptibility to cybercrime.

1. Only 5% of office folders have adequate security measures in place.

Despite the importance of folder security to any company, many organizations have yet to implement or maintain such measures.

According to data on cybercrime, just a small fraction of US corporations have implemented effective procedures within their operations to safeguard corporate data.

2. Over four billion records were compromised in data breaches in the first half of 2019.

According to data collected on social media crimes in 2019, an astounding 4.1 billion user accounts were hacked into.

Although this number is astounding in and of itself, it is even more mind-boggling when you consider that it only accounts for security lapses in the first half of 2019.

This number more than doubled by the end of 2019, reaching 9.6 billion.

3. Financial motivations drove the bulk of breaches, and espionage drove more than a quarter of them.

Most of the cyber attacks in 2019 (72%), according to statistics, were initiated by cybercriminals with financial gain in mind.

Yet, espionage and similar motives were found in 26% of cybercrimes.

4. Hacking was involved in more than half of 2019’s breaches.

The exact numbers show that hacking was responsible for 52% of breaches, malware was responsible for 28%, and phishing or social engineering was responsible for 32%-33%.

5. Between 2005 and 2018, 8,854 breaches were reported in the US.

On record, there were 8,854 security breaches between January 1, 2005, and April 18, 2018.

Statistics on computer crime show that while ransomware attacks decreased overall by 52% in 2018, they increased by 12% in enterprises.

6. The.exe attachment is one of the most dangerous forms of email.

Doc and dotfiles account for 37% of all malware attachments sent via email.

At 19.5%,.exe is the second highest.

The data and information presented perhaps shed light on a scary topic: the wide variety of cybercrimes.

Information like this isn’t meant to scare people but rather to educate them so they may better safeguard themselves, their families, and their businesses from cybercriminals.

The Most Dangerous Cyber Attacks And Security Flaws Of 2024

Cyber Crime

The quantity and intensity of cybercrimes have skyrocketed in just a few years, largely due to COVID- 19 pandemics, contested elections, and rising geopolitical upheaval.

Experts project that the global expenses of cybercrime will reach $10.5 trillion by 2025, up 15% from $3 trillion in 2015.

This is largely due to the increasing sophistication of security threats.

Social Engineering

Because it preys on human frailty rather than technological flaws, social engineering continues to be one of the cybercriminals’ most perilous hacking strategies.

The fact that it’s much simpler to fool a human than a security system renders these attacks all the more concerning.

According to Verizon’s Data Breach Investigations report, 85 percent of all data breaches involve human interaction, proving that hackers know this fact.

The Misuse Of The Internet Of Things (IoT)

The interconnection of billions of devices worldwide is often referred to as the “Internet of Things” (IoT).

This allows for a distributed database with nodes that may send and receive information.

Since this emerging technology is so useful, many individuals and businesses are adopting it. What’s handy for you is also handy for cybercriminals.

However, when exploited, the increased connectivity provided by IoT might make it easier for hackers to gain access to your data.

Carelessness With Patches

An increasingly popular entry point for cybercriminals is outdated software.

Why? Simply, using software that has long since reached end-of-life makes devices and their associated data vulnerable to intrusion.

Therefore, businesses and organizations risk a wide variety of data breaches if they do not regularly update their software. 

When a security flaw is uncovered, cybercriminals often immediately use it to launch an attack.

The WannaCry Ransomware Attack of 2017 was an illustration of a data breach caused by the improper handling of updates.

Cyberattackers used vulnerabilities in older versions of Microsoft Windows to get access to users’ data, affecting over 200 thousand systems in 150 countries.

Acquired Identity Theft

Identity theft occurs when cybercriminals utilize a victim’s data and good name to get access to services and things that are rightfully theirs.

If someone gets hold of your credit card details, they can use them to make purchases or make international money transfers in your name.

Information disclosed by victims via social media or phishing assaults is the most prevalent source of stolen identities.

Your identity can be stolen if the company that has it falls prey to a cyberattack.

The Canadian Bankers Association is just one group that has put out advice on how to recognize identity theft fraud.

Unfortunately, the best method to protect yourself from identity theft is to raise awareness of the problem.

Vishing Attacks

In this context, “phishing” refers to email attacks, while “vishing” refers to phone attacks.

Some of the cybercrime’s oldest techniques are returning, thanks to the proliferation of e-commerce.

About 20 years ago, when online banking first became widespread, this type of assault was frequently used against financial institutions.

As of late, it has made a strong resurgence in the realm of online shopping.

A cyberattack typically begins with an attempt to steal a victim’s identity. Likely, a cybercriminal will just have the victim’s name and email address to work with.

They’ll look into the target’s social media accounts and purchase history, then phone the retailer for extra details or to adjust the shipping documents and email.

This can either lead to additional identity theft or package theft if the thieves decide to reroute the delivery to another place.

How To Prevent Cybercrime

Cyber Crime

You may protect yourself from being a victim of cybercrime by using common sense.

Cybercrime prevention advice varies by type of crime, but some universal best practices can help you avoid being a victim.

  • Stay away from questionable sources when downloading media files. Malware like ransomware and Trojans are frequently tucked away in these files.
  • Do not fall for phishing scams by clicking on links in unsolicited emails.
  • Do not open attachments from unknown or dubious emails. Emails from cybercriminals have subject lines like “work from home and earn money,” “waiting for the invoice,” “seeking for friendship,” and similar phrases.
  • You should never give out your username or password, even if someone is a close friend.
  • Make use of a complex password that includes both alphabetic and numeric characters.

Governments and other specialized organizations are responsible for combating cybercrime, but there are steps you can take to protect yourself.

The most effective strategy is to put into practice the advice provided above. 

In order to put a stop to cybercrime, victims must report incidents to the appropriate authorities in their country.

Cyberattacks can significantly damage individuals and businesses, but victims often aren’t prepared for them.

Be safe from malicious software by installing an anti-malware program on your computer and mobile device. 

Only antivirus software can find and remove viruses and rootkits that have been carefully concealed on your computer.

When you download REVE Antivirus, your computer will be shielded from malicious software, including Trojans, worms, and ransomware.

Final Thoughts

How often does cyber crime happen in 2024?

Well, there are no limits to cyberspace.

Offenders can remain hidden behind a mask of anonymity on the internet, making it difficult, if not impossible, to track down a sophisticated cybercriminal.

People need to be conscious of their online environment as in the physical world.

The abovementioned advice and suggestions presented in this article can reduce the hazards associated with cybercrime.

Sources

WebTribunalFinancesOnlineAAG-It
Cyber Security VenturesForbesCyber Security Hub