WBIW.com News - state

Brought to you by WBIW News and Network Indiana

21 Terrifying Cyber Crime Statistics

Last updated on Wednesday, October 24, 2018

(UNDATED) - It may not be a nice topic to talk about, but it is essential that the world is aware of the terrifying cybercrime statistics in 2018.

Jack Foster of VPN Geeks, reports, unfortunately, with technology on the rise, there's more room for cybercrime in 2018. According to the Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2018, 43% of businesses were a victim of a cyber security breach in the last 12 months. In the U.S., the state of California lost more than $214 million through cybercrime alone.

VPN's are being used more and more in order to protect people's privacy online. Though, despite being made aware of the risks of clicking a link, or opening an email, the figures show that attacks are ever increasing.

With evolving technology comes evolving hackers; the world is not keeping up with the fight against cybercrime - and that's scary!

#1 | 780,000 records were lost per day in 2017
According to McAfee's Economic Impact of Cyber Crime (February 2018), cybercriminals adapt at a fast pace. The scale of malicious activity across the internet is quite astounding. The figures are frightening on a monthly or yearly scale, let alone daily! Cybercriminals are constantly finding new technologies to target victims. With the introduction of Bitcoin, payment and transfers to/from cybercriminals are untraceable.

McAfee reports that one of the major internet service providers (ISP) sees 80 billion malicious scans a day

#2 | Over 24,000 malicious mobile apps are blocked daily
Symantec's Internet Security Threat Report details that lifestyle apps are the main targets. The majority of these apps leak phone numbers. Further sensitive information like device location is also being made accessible. It would be completely impossible to monitor or check each of these apps for vulnerability issues. It's essentially an open ticket for cybercriminals to do their worst.

In the first quarter of 2018, Google Play had more than 3.8 million apps on their store.

#3 | Microsoft Office file formats are the most used file extensions
In the top 10 most malicious file extensions, Microsoft Office took the number 1 spot. Emails are a common way for cybercriminals to attack their victims. Emails are used on a daily basis around the world. If you see an email containing a .doc or .xls file extension, most users would relate it to Microsoft. Microsoft being a reputable company means people are more likely to open an attachment.

According to Cisco's 2018 Annual Cybersecurity Report, 38% were Office formats

#4 | The U.S., U.K., & China are more vulnerable to Smart Home attacks
The majority of smart home devices are connected via an external network. If the router you're using doesn't have decent security protection, you could be opening up your home to a cyber attack. With smart home devices becoming more prevalent, criminals are finding new ways to exploit vulnerabilities.

According to Trend Micro, The U.S. accounted for 28% of smart home device incidents. The U.K. and China followed with 7% each

#5 | 21% of files aren't protected
Varonis's 2018 Global Data Risk Report is quite terrifying. 6.2 billion files were analyzed. These files contained credit card information, health records, etc. 21% of these files were open for global access. Furthermore, 41% of companies have more than 1000 sensitive files open to everyone.

#6 | Healthcare industry ransomware attacks will quadruple
By 2020, CSO Online predicts ransomware attacks will be quadruple. The healthcare industry gets attacked more than most industries. Thankfully not all attacks will be successful. Healthcare industries should not give into demands and ensure their data is safe and backed up. Phishing emails are particularly common and often where cyber attacks originate from.

#7 | Cyber Crime to cost $6 trillion by 2021
In the 2017 Official Annual Cybercrime Report, it's estimated that cybercrime will cost $6 trillion annually by 2021. In 2015, that figure was $3 trillion.

Cybercrime is now becoming more profitable than the global trade of illegal drugs!

#8 | 30% of phishing emails in the U.S. are opened
That's almost one-third of all emails, according to Verizon's 2018 Data Breach Investigations Report. Phishing emails no longer take the same approach they used to. Do you remember seeing an email from your bank, Apple, PayPal etc. asking for sensitive information? With the figures that high, it's no wonder cybercriminals are preying on email victims.

So many of us receive these emails each day and 12% are clicking on the links/attachments contained within them

#9 | 58% of U.K. businesses sought cybersecurity advice
The Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2017 shows U.K. businesses are more aware of cyber issues. However, it also shows that a large percentage of businesses aren't seeking any advice or potentially protecting themselves from threats.

79% of medium firms sought advice whereas only 50% of micro firms did

#10 | 300 billion passwords worldwide by 2020
It may seem like passwords are dying, due to encryption etc. but according to Cyber Security Media, they're not. It's predicted that 300 billion passwords will be used by 2020. That takes into account humans and machines! That's an awful lot of passwords, all of which require cybersecurity protection. If not, that's 300 billion potential threats, worldwide.

#11 | French president Emmanuel Macron emails hacked
Yes, even a president can get hacked! In 2017 Emmanuel Macron's emails were hacked. His emails were posted online just days before he was due to go head to head against his opponent. 9GB worth of data was posted to Pastebin. Macron's campaign confirmed it had been hacked.

#12 | More than 60% of fraud originates from mobile devices
The world has gone mobile, and so have fraudsters. 60% of fraud comes from mobile devices; of that figure, 80% comes from mobile apps. Once a cybercriminal has access to your mobile, it can access your mobile banking app and initiate multiple levels of cybercrime. Fraudulent transactions are now over double the value of real transactions.

#13 | 2.53 million fall victim to cybercrime in UAE
In 2016, Norton by Symantec reported over 2.5 million people were victims of cybercrime in UAE. Despite reports stating that awareness of cybercrime was high, people are still engaging in online behavior that is deemed as risky. People know they should be aware of links and protect their information. 70% of those people still click on information that they aren't 100% sure of. Millennials seem to be the most affected group of people.

53% of millennial's experienced cybercrime in the last year

#14 | Netherlands have the lowest cybercrime rate
In 2015, Symantec reported the Netherlands as having the lowest cyber crime rate. Only 14% of the population were affected. Although 14% is still high, compared to other countries, it wasn't! Indonesia, for example, was subject to the highest cyber crime rate in the world.

59% of the population fell victim to cybercrime

#15 | Personal data sells for as little as $0.20
Have you ever thought how much your personal data is worth to you? Well, to some, it could sell for as little as $0.20, up to $15. Credit card information and account information can be accessed and purchased much more easily than you might think. The value of information is dependent on the type of details included. For example, credit card details are more valuable than other information. As well as this, it's also dependent on how easy it would be to resell the information. If it's too difficult, the value of personal data decreases.

#16 | Japanese exchange lost $530 million due to hacking
Coincheck is one of the biggest Bitcoin and cryptocurrency exchanges in Asia. In January 2018 it reported that it had lost $530 million due to hacking. Due to the incident, Coincheck seized and stopped all sales and withdrawals of its cryptocurrency at the time. The cryptocurrency used for the exchange was called NEM. Coincheck deal with other cryptocurrencies too.

#17 | In 2016, Adware affected 75% of organizations
Cisco investigated 130 organizations in it's Cisco 2017 Annual Cybersecurity Report. It found that 75% of companies were affected by adware. Adware in itself is a nuisance, but it can also facilitate further malware attacks. Adware presents itself in the form of advertisements. Whether you're using your device on or off the internet, adverts can be displayed. Often if you're trying to perform an internet search, the results direct you to other websites or marketing pop-ups to obtain your personal data.

#18 | Average ransomware demand is $1,077
Although not every ransomware demand is paid, the average demand value is $1,077. Since the last report, this shows an increase of around 266%! When victims are faced with a ransom amount, they often pay up. We rely on the internet for daily activities, for personal and work. We rely on the internet to connect our devices and even our homes with the introduction of smart home products.

Demands are significantly increased because we're so reliant on the internet. As ransomware attacks increase, we can expect the demand values to increase as well

#19 | China has the most malware in the world
Over 55% of China's computers are infected with malware. Since 2014, that figure increased by nearly 30% more! Even with people being more and more aware about cybercrime, it's clear to see it doesn't stop attackers. Taiwan follows closely with 49% of their computers being infected. Of all the malware across the world, Trojans were the cause of the most infection. Trojan's are malicious programs that provide a back-door kind of entry to computers.