In 2024, the most common type of cybercrime reported to the United States internet Crime Complaint Center was phishing, with its variation, spoofing, affecting approximately 193,000 individuals. In addition, over 86,000 cases of extortion were reported to the IC3 during that year. Dynamic of phishing attacks Over the past few years, phishing attacks have increased significantly. In 2024, over 193,000 individuals fell victim to such attacks. The highest number of phishing scam victims since 2018 was recorded in 2021, approximately 324 thousand.Phishing attacks can take many shapes. Bulk phishing, smishing, and business e-mail compromise (BEC) are the most common types. With the recent development of generative AI, it has become easier to craft a believable phishing e-mail. This is currently among the top concerns of organizations leaders. Impact of phishing attacks Among the most targeted industries by cybercriminals are healthcare, financial, manufacturing, and education institutions. An observation carried out in the fourth quarter of 2024 found that software-as-a-service (SaaS) and webmail was most likely to encounter phishing attacks. According to the reports, almost a quarter of them stated being targeted by a phishing scam in the measured period.

In 2022, around four in ten internet users worldwide have ever experienced cybercrime. Based on a survey conducted between November and December 2022, internet users in India were most likely to have fallen victim to cybercrime, as nearly 70 percent of respondents claimed to have ever experienced cybercrime. The United States ranked second, with almost half of the respondents, 49 percent, saying they had experienced internet crime.

Introduction

Cybercrime Statistics: Cybercrime statistics provide crucial insights into the escalating risks within the digital landscape, highlighting the frequency, scale, and financial consequences of cybercriminal activities. As digital interactions continue to grow, cybercrime has expanded across multiple sectors, including finance, healthcare, and government.

These statistics shed light on the various types of cyberattacks, such as phishing, ransomware, and data breaches, and the increasingly advanced techniques used by criminals, offering a deeper understanding of the security challenges faced by both businesses and individuals. Analyzing these statistics is essential for shaping effective cybersecurity strategies, guiding investments in protective technologies, and addressing the broader economic and societal effects of cybercrime.

In early 2025, a small biotech firm in California found itself locked out of its systems overnight. The attackers demanded a ransom in cryptocurrency, exploiting a vulnerability in a forgotten server. The breach didn’t just compromise proprietary research, it crippled investor confidence and cost millions in lost opportunities. This story...

Between November 2022 and October 2023, over 30 thousand cybercrime incidents were detected worldwide. Of this total, over 900 cases involved small companies. The organizations in the public administration sector were the most affected among the industries researched, with reported 12,217 cybercrime cases. The finance sector ranked second, while the professional sector followed, with over 2,500 incidents in each industry.

Police-reported cybercrime, number of incidents and rate per 100,000 population, Canada, provinces, territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Canadian Forces Military Police, 2014 to 2024.

India Cyber Crime: IPC Section: Number of Cases Registered data was reported at 33,798.000 Unit in 2022. This records an increase from the previous number of 25,384.000 Unit for 2021. India Cyber Crime: IPC Section: Number of Cases Registered data is updated yearly, averaging 738.000 Unit from Dec 2002 (Median) to 2022, with 21 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 33,798.000 Unit in 2022 and a record low of 176.000 Unit in 2008. India Cyber Crime: IPC Section: Number of Cases Registered data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Crime Records Bureau. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Crime – Table IN.CRA001: Crime Statistics.

In 2024, the monetary damage caused by cybercrime reported to the United States' Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) saw a year-over-year increase, amounting to a historical peak of **** billion U.S. dollars. Overview of cybercrime in the U.S. Cybercrime continues to be one of the biggest challenges for governments around the world. In the United States, ****************** and ********* were among the most reported categories of cybercrime in 2024, with over ******* individuals falling victim to phishing attacks. Additionally, data breaches cost the U.S. organizations over ************ U.S. dollars on average as of February 2024. Fraud involving elderly Along with other reported internet crimes, online fraud is continuously growing. Targeting one of the most vulnerable groups, the elderly, cybercriminals show notorious skills in ************************************************************. Furthermore, individuals aged 60 and older, reported falling victims of extortion and personal data breach in 2024.

Police-reported cybercrime, by cyber-related violation (homicide, invitation to sexual touching, sexual exploitation, luring a child via a computer, voyeurism, non-consensual distribution of intimate images, extortion, criminal harassment, indecent/harassing communications, uttering threats, fraud, identity theft, identity fraud, mischief, fail to comply with order, indecent acts, child pornography, making or distribution of child pornography, public morals, breach of probation), Canada (selected police services), 2014 to 2024.

Police-reported cybercrime, by cyber-related violation, number of incidents and year to date total, preliminary quarterly data, Canada and regions (Atlantic, Quebec, Ontario, Prairies, British Columbia and Territories), Q1 (January to March) to Q4 (October to December) 2024 and Q1 (January to March) 2025.

The global indicator 'Estimated Cost of Cybercrime' in the cybersecurity market was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total *** trillion U.S. dollars (+***** percent). After the eleventh consecutive increasing year, the indicator is estimated to reach ***** trillion U.S. dollars and therefore a new peak in 2029. Notably, the indicator 'Estimated Cost of Cybercrime' of the cybersecurity market was continuously increasing over the past years. Ransomware and manufacturing industry Cyberattacks remain a significant challenge for organizations worldwide, sectors such as manufacturing, finance, and insurance were the most affected by these attacks. Among the various types of cyber threats, ransomware was the most frequently detected, accounting for around ** percent of all incidents. The manufacturing industry, in particular, faced the highest number of ransomware attacks, making it the most targeted sector globally. Cybersecurity awareness and investments Organizations worldwide became increasingly aware of the dangers posed by cyberattacks, approximately ** percent of internet users became familiar terms such as with "ransomware." In response to these threats, companies invested more in cybersecurity. In 2024, the average annual increase in IT security budgets was expected to reach *** percent. In fact, for companies worldwide, enhancing the cyber resilience of their cybersecurity teams was the top spending priority in 2023.

As of January 2024, around 58 percent of large companies in the United Kingdom (UK) had experienced cybercrime within the past year. Medium businesses ranked second, with 45 percent of companies experiencing cybercrime. Overall, about 22 percent of UK businesses stated having experienced any form of cybercrime in the preceding year.

India Cyber Crime: IT Act, 2000: Number of Cases Registered data was reported at 31,908.000 Unit in 2022. This records an increase from the previous number of 27,427.000 Unit for 2021. India Cyber Crime: IT Act, 2000: Number of Cases Registered data is updated yearly, averaging 2,876.000 Unit from Dec 2002 (Median) to 2022, with 21 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 31,908.000 Unit in 2022 and a record low of 60.000 Unit in 2003. India Cyber Crime: IT Act, 2000: Number of Cases Registered data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Crime Records Bureau. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Crime – Table IN.CRA001: Crime Statistics.

In 2024, California ranked first by the amount of monetary losses through cybercrime in the United States. Overall, the state had over two billion U.S. dollars of reported losses. Texas was the second by cybercrime losses, reporting around 1.3 billion U.S. dollars in losses, while Florida followed with over one billion U.S. dollars.

The largest reported data leakage as of January 2025 was the Cam4 data breach in March 2020, which exposed more than 10 billion data records. The second-largest data breach in history so far, the Yahoo data breach, occurred in 2013. The company initially reported about one billion exposed data records, but after an investigation, the company updated the number, revealing that three billion accounts were affected. The National Public Data Breach was announced in August 2024. The incident became public when personally identifiable information of individuals became available for sale on the dark web. Overall, the security professionals estimate the leakage of nearly three billion personal records. The next significant data leakage was the March 2018 security breach of India's national ID database, Aadhaar, with over 1.1 billion records exposed. This included biometric information such as identification numbers and fingerprint scans, which could be used to open bank accounts and receive financial aid, among other government services.

Cybercrime - the dark side of digitalization As the world continues its journey into the digital age, corporations and governments across the globe have been increasing their reliance on technology to collect, analyze and store personal data. This, in turn, has led to a rise in the number of cyber crimes, ranging from minor breaches to global-scale attacks impacting billions of users – such as in the case of Yahoo. Within the U.S. alone, 1802 cases of data compromise were reported in 2022. This was a marked increase from the 447 cases reported a decade prior. The high price of data protection As of 2022, the average cost of a single data breach across all industries worldwide stood at around 4.35 million U.S. dollars. This was found to be most costly in the healthcare sector, with each leak reported to have cost the affected party a hefty 10.1 million U.S. dollars. The financial segment followed closely behind. Here, each breach resulted in a loss of approximately 6 million U.S. dollars - 1.5 million more than the global average.

Police-reported cybercrime, by cyber-related violation, Canada

In 2023, individuals aged 60 and older in the United States filed more than ****** reports of cybercrime, including cryptocurrency payments. A further ***** complaints of cybercrime linked to cryptocurrency wallets.

In 2024, investment fraud was the cybercrime causing the most severe financial damage for the individuals in the United States. Overall, victim losses in this category were over 6.5 billion U.S. dollars. Business e-mail compromise (BEC) ranked second, amounting to around 2.8 billion U.S. dollars in reported victim losses. A further 1.5 billion U.S. dollars were reported in losses for tech support fraud victims.

Introduction

Data Breaches Statistics: In recent years, data breaches have emerged as a major threat to both businesses and individuals. As the digital world grows, the frequency, scale, and impact of these breaches have surged, resulting in significant financial, reputational, and legal repercussions for organizations. The number of data breaches hit record highs, compromising millions of sensitive records.

This increase can be attributed to several factors, including rising cybercrime, inadequate data security practices, and the growing sophistication of hacking techniques. Data from cybersecurity experts reveal a notable rise in breaches within the healthcare, financial, and retail industries.

As the fallout from these breaches intensifies, it has become increasingly important for both businesses and consumers to understand the trends and scope of these incidents. This introduction will explore the latest statistics and developments, offering insights into the evolving landscape of data breaches and their wide-reaching effects.