Cybercrime is evolving. Do you remember back when our biggest fear was that our computer would get a virus? Fast forward ten years later, and that’s the least of our concerns. Today, there are trillions of cybercriminals out there that have the power to shut down entire industries.

All kinds of important information is stored online, which means cybercriminals can cause serious damage. And that is not even the most terrifying threat – cyberterrorism is. Criminals can now cause massive damage to states, cities, and corporations by stealing valuable data.

Here are the top 10 trends in cybercrime:

1. More than 6 billion fake emails are sent every day.
   Email scams are one of the most frequent cybercrime methods. How many widows from Nigeria have asked you for help so far? That’s what we are talking about. According to EY cyber stats and facts, around 6.5 billion spam emails are sent every day.


2. Less than a third of URLs in the world are considered safe.
   The internet is home to billions of websites. It’s no wonder so many of them are used for cybercrime. The Webroot Threat Report says that more than a third of all websites (35%) are unsafe. URLs are divided into high-risk, moderate-risk, and low-risk categories.


3. Phishing is the third most common cause of data breaches.
   Phishing campaigns are easy to run, explaining their frequency. The Verizon 2019 Data Breach Investigation report explains that phishing is one of the most common attack methods.


4. Nine out of 10 attacks start with a phishing email.
   These attacks rely on prolonged, personalized communication with a victim so criminals can obtain credentials. These attacks are made to target larger enterprises. This makes it different than standard phishing attacks sent out to hundreds of addresses, claims Cofense.


5. Almost 60% of all computers in China are infected by Malware.
   According to Panda Security, not only is China the main contributor to cybercrime, it is also its biggest victim. China is the most infected country by malware in the world. In Europe, Turkey has this title with more than 40% of all PCs infected.


6. American companies lose $27 million annually from cyber-attacks.
   With the world’s strongest economy, the United States is the ideal target for cyber-attacks. The Cost of Cyber Crime study reveals that US companies lose $27 million every year due to cyber-attacks.


7. A business is targeted with ransomware every 14 seconds.
   What’s worse, half of successful ransomware attacks affect over 20 company devices, on average.


8. More than half of fraudulent activity happens on mobile phones.
   Mobile platforms are becoming the main vehicle for fraudulent activity, statistics show.


9. More than 10,000 Androids are infected every day.
   New malware pops up every minute. Cybercrime statistics show that more than 11,000 incidences of malware appear every day – a 40% increase from 2017.


10. This year, 300 billion passwords will be in use.
    According to research by Cybersecurity Ventures and Thycotic. Can you imagine protecting 300 billion passwords? There surely is a reason to worry if we know that the most common password is 123456. This tells us that great improvements in cyber education is needed on all levels.

One of the biggest problems is the lack of effective methods for verifying your identity online. There will always be risks of fraudulent activity as trends in cybercrime continue to develop. But staying well-informed and educated can help prevent these attacks.