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What is cybercrime?
Cybercrime is any criminal activity involving computers, computer networks, or networked devices. Cybercriminals use the anonymity and convenience of modern technology to commit crimes against individuals, businesses, and even governments. While most attackers commit cybercrimes for financial gain, some do so for other reasons (such as political beliefs or personal grudges).
How cybercrime works
Cybercrime is a broad term covering a range of illicit activities — and can work in many different ways. However, it often involves some form of cyberattack, whereby an attacker targets a person or an organization. Cybercriminals may use various techniques and tools to get what they want — from deceptive phishing emails to sophisticated malware. Cybercrime can lead to financial loss or cause reputational damage for its victims. It can even threaten national security.
Types of cybercrime
Cybercrime can be split into two categories — where computers are the target vs. where they serve as tools to commit the crime. Let’s look at the cybercrime types in each category.
Hacking
Hacking is when cybercriminals break into computer systems or networks to steal sensitive information, spread malware, or disrupt operations.
Malware
Cybercriminals may hide malware in files or scripts to secretly infect the victim’s device and steal sensitive information.
Ransomware
A ransomware attack involves encrypting the victim’s files and demanding a ransom payment in exchange for the decryption key.
DDoS attacks
A DDoS attack (or distributed denial of service) involves attackers flooding a network with fake internet traffic to make it unavailable to users.
Exploiting security vulnerabilities
Cybercriminals may look for gaps in network or software security — and use them to gain unauthorized access.
Data breaches
A data breach is when cybercriminals illegally access and steal sensitive information from a system or a network.
Cryptojacking
Cryptojacking involves using a specific type of malware that hijacks your operating system and uses it to mine cryptocurrency.
Most common examples of cybercrime
According to the Internet Crime Complaint Center, the most common examples of cybercrime include the following.
Phishing campaigns
In phishing campaigns, cybercriminals use various tactics to deceive people into sharing sensitive information. They may masquerade as legitimate organizations (e.g., banks) or impersonate colleagues in work environments. The recipient may be asked to click on a link and enter their details, essentially handing them over to the scammers. The social engineering attack on Ubiquity Network in 2015 is an example of a phishing campaign. Scammers impersonated a senior staff member of the organization to access the network — and the company lost $39 million.
Why do people commit cybercrime?
Individuals may commit cybercrimes for many reasons. Here are the most common motivations.
What do cybercrime statistics show?
Cybercrime can affect anyone — even tech-savvy people can sometimes fall prey to cybercriminals. Here’s what our research shows.
34 million
A staggering number of Americans have been scammed on Black Friday.
6s
Cybercriminals may correctly guess card numbers in just 6 seconds.
17.3m USD
Hackers could earn over 17 million by selling stolen data on the dark web.
Impact of cybercrime
Cybercrime has a severe impact on organizations, individuals, and governments.
How cybercrime affects individuals
Cybercrime can have a serious impact on individuals. Depending on the type of crime, victims of cybercrime may lose money, experience emotional distress, and have to deal with legal repercussions. Their reputation may be damaged, and it may take years to recover.
How cybercrime affects businesses
Businesses targeted by cybercriminals typically experience financial loss and disruption of services. Organizations may also lose customers and experience severe reputation damage. It may take companies a while to regain customer trust and bounce back from the attack.
How cybercrime affects national security
When government agencies (e.g., healthcare and transport institutions) become cyber warfare targets, these incidents impact national security. They may disrupt essential services, create nationwide chaos, and weaken the country’s defenses.
How to prevent cybercrime
Cybercrime can affect anyone — but you’re much less likely to become a victim if you have good cyber hygiene. Here are the steps you can take to protect yourself.
Always use strong, trustworthy antivirus software to secure your devices.
Consider using firewalls to monitor and control the traffic you send and receive on your device.
Use strong, unique passwords and enable multi-factor authentication where possible.
Regularly back up your data on every device using external drives or cloud services.
Be careful about how much you share online (e.g., on social media sites). Change your profiles to private — the less you share, the better.
Browse with caution and never click on links you’re not sure about. Use NordVPN’s Threat Protection Pro to block malicious sites and intrusive trackers.
Use a virtual private network (VPN) to secure your internet connection with encryption.
Be careful when using public Wi-Fi — public networks are often unsecured.
Implement effective network security measures for both workplace and home networks.
Keep your software up to date — updates often include important security patches.
Make sure you lock your personal and work devices when you’re not using them.
Always wipe all your data before selling or recycling devices.
Educate yourself about the developments in technology and how they may affect cybercrime.
Learn to recognize phishing. Look out for suspicious emails, calls, and texts — and don’t interact with messages until you’re sure they’re legitimate.
Whenever available, complete cybersecurity training sessions at work.
Take the first step towards protecting yourself from cybercrime
What to do if you become a victim of cybercrime
Immediate steps
Disconnect your device
If your computer or mobile device has become infected as part of a cybercrime, taking it offline will stop cybercriminals from sending remote instructions to the malware.
Review account activity
Check all important accounts for suspicious activity (such as password change requests or new subscriptions) to determine which ones have been compromised by the cybercriminals.
Notify financial institutions
If you suspect that your bank account or credit card have been compromised, immediately contact the issuing institution to block recent transactions.
Change your passwords
Change passwords for all important accounts to stop the cyberattack from spreading further. If possible, set up two-factor authentication and start using a reliable password manager.
Scan for malware
Use an antivirus and other anti-malware protection tools to detect and cleanse infected files. The longer malware is allowed to operate, the more damage it can do.
Further steps
Document the details
Note the date, time, and other information about the cybercrime. The details will help you report it to the police and understand how to prevent such incidents in the future.
Report cybercrime
Once you’re out of immediate danger, notify the authorities. You can report cybercrime to the local police or contact dedicated cybercrime prevention organizations in your country.
Notify your employer
Cybercriminals can steal data from you to attack your employer. Tell your employer about the incident to warn them against attacks targeting their corporate data.
Get professional help
Show the compromised device to an IT professional or your company’s IT department. They may be able to help you recover the data and functions you lost as a result of the criminal activity.
Learn from the experience
Review the details of the cybercrime and work to protect yourself against these types of attacks in the future. Don’t be ashamed to share your story with others and ask for help.