Cybercrime

Definition and typologies of cybercrime

The term “cybercrime” refers to any type of illegal activity that takes place on cyberspace, involves a network, and results in a pecuniary loss (Jahankhani, Al-Nemrat, & Amin, 2014). By definition, it uses a technological device as its primary means and, those who commit it, aim to access information or use the Internet for exploitive or malicious purposes (Rahaman, 2016). In the performance of cybercrime, the technological device is used as a means in the commission of a crime or as a target in itself.

There is no internationally-agreed definition for 'cybercrime', which led scholars and private actors to draw different categorizations. It can be summed up in four core typologies (Jahankhani, Al-Nemrat & Amin, 2014):

• Computer as the Target. Theft of intellectual property, theft of marketing information, and blackmail based on information gained from computerized files. 

• Computer as the Instrumentality of the Crime: fraudulent use of automated teller machine (ATM) cards and accounts, theft of money from accrual, conversion, or transfer accounts, credit card fraud, fraud from computer transaction (stock transfer, sales, or billing), and telecommunications fraud.

• Computer Is Incidental to Other Crimes: money laundering and unlawful banking transactions, organized crime records or books, and bookmaking. 

• Crime Associated with the Prevalence of Computers: software piracy, counterfeiting, copyright violation of computer programs, counterfeit equipment, black market computer equipment and programs, and theft of technological equipment. 

Scope of cybercrime 

Measuring cybercrime is one of the greatest challenges of our technology-driven age. As estimated by the 2020 Official Annual Cybercrime Report by Cybersecurity Ventures, “cybercrime will cost the world an excess of USD 6 trillion annually by 2021, up from USD 3 trillion in 2015”. It affects private and public organizations, individuals and society at large, generating a global expenditure that is expected to “exceed USD 1 trillion cumulatively over the next five years”, according to Cybersecurity Ventures (Cybersecurity Ventures). Yet cyberattacks affect the vast majority of countries around the world. It is the fastest growing crime in the United States, where its expansion in size, sophistication and cost have catapulted financial losses (Cybersecurity Ventures).

The massive nature of the users affected is also strongly representative. In 2017, the WannaCry ransomware attacks affected computers operating Microsoft Windows in 150 countries and is estimated that it caused a financial loss of USD 4 billion across the globe. In the same fashion, the Yahoo hack (2013) reported to have affected 3 billion user accounts, and the Equifax breach (2017) exceeds the largest publicly disclosed hacks ever reported, with 145.5 million customers affected (Cybersecurity Ventures).

Drivers to cybercrime

The Internet has created more opportunities for traditional crime and new opportunities for new types of crime (Wall, 2015). The drivers to cybercrime can be defined as follows:

• The essential role of the internet and difficulty to track hackers online. Our dependence on the internet and the sensitive data herein gathered have made users vulnerable to new crimes. The capacity to store data in a well-located place attracts the hackers' attention to steal it, as they know where the target is. Conversely, there are serious difficulties to localize attackers and present evidence against cyber-criminals (Bandakkanavar, 2020).

• De-personalization of online users. Anonymity and the interconnectivity between otherwise unassociated individuals are among the great advantages that cyberspace offers to criminals. 

• Globalization. The technology of cybercrime has become more accessible to particular users, which allows a much wider range of people to become offenders (UNODC). 

Impact of cybercrime

The impact of a successful cyberattack entails far-reaching implications. It includes financial losses, security costs, theft of intellectual property, and loss of corporate reputation. Crimes such as cyber terrorism or child pornography affect society both online and offline, and it impacts society as a single global actor (Rahaman, 2016). Unlike traditional crimes, cybercrime is not linked to any geographic location and it is not necessarily attributed to any distinctive group. Illicit practices often occur in jurisdictions separated by vast distances, what fiercely challenges law enforcement and necessitates from international cooperation to its prevention and control (Encyclopedia Britannica).