Cybercrime on the rise: Companies and private individuals in danger!

Cybercrime on the rise: Companies and private individuals in danger!

In a world that is increasingly digitized, the fight against cybercrime is one of the greatest challenges of our time. Not only companies, but also private individuals and states are affected. According to ORF Carinthia In recent years there has been a striking increase in cyber incidents, which underlines urgency to take measures to protect.

In 2024, around 266,457 phishing websites were discovered in June alone, with the phishing method that turned out to be particularly brazen. Here, sensitive data such as passwords or credit card numbers are captured by fake websites and emails by unsuspecting users. The fake pages often appear deceptively real and can even lure technique -savvy users into the trap.

phishing in the upswing

The statistics show a worrying trend: according to Statista the global phishing attacks rose in 2023 by almost 60 %. In particular, new technologies such as generative AI have enabled the attackers to use even more sophisticated methods such as Voice-Phishing (Vishing) and Deepfake Phishing. These developments are not only a danger for private individuals, but also endanger the IT sector and the field of education, since state actors have integrated cyber attacks into their hybrid war guide strategies.

The financial losses due to cybercrime are enormous: according to estimates, companies worldwide lose around $ 1 trillion every year due to such attacks. The average damage to a single data incident amounts to around $ 3.86 million. It is therefore not surprising that the expenses for cyber security increase; In 2023, these costs were estimated at around $ 80 billion. On average, a company invests about a quarter of its IT budgets in security measures.

ransomware and their consequences

In addition to the risk of phishing, ransomware attacks also gain ground. This form of cybercrime limits access to computer systems or encrypted files so that the companies concerned have to pay ransom to restore access. The average costs for a company in such cases vary greatly, depending on the region, they are between $ 10,000 and $ 24,000.

A look into the future shows that 71 % of companies assume that it is affected by a data leak in the next 12 months. So that a good reason to further strengthen the measures for cyber security, because one thing is certain: cybercrime will be accompanied by us for a long time in the coming years.