Have you ever wondered, just how likely is it that your personal data could be hacked in today‘s digital world? In 2023, the threat of cyberattacks and data breaches continues to rise dramatically, with millions of individuals impacted each year. Let‘s examine the eye-opening statistics around how many people get hacked annually in the modern cybercrime era.
Recent figures suggest there could be over 600,000 victims of cybercrime globally each day. In America, the FBI received over 800,000 hacking and data theft complaints in 2021, with reported losses surpassing $6.9 billion. However, these reported cases are merely the tip of the iceberg, with the true number of annual US cybercrime victims potentially exceeding 50 million.
Just look at these alarming numbers:
- 3+ billion attempted cyberattacks occurred worldwide in 2022, resulting in around 200 million successful personal data breaches. That‘s over 500,000 attacks and 50,000 breaches daily.
- 600,000 Facebook accounts are hacked every single day.
- 18 million records were confirmed stolen by hackers in just the first three months of 2022.
- 4.1 billion records were taken in the first half of 2019 alone, mostly usernames, passwords and email addresses.
- 1 in 3 home computers are infected with malware that can track keystrokes and harvest login credentials.
The Financial Costs of Cybercrime
- Cybercrime cost the US economy over $1 trillion in 2021.
- The global cost of cybercrime is expected to reach $10.5 billion annually by 2025.
- US consumers lost $56 billion to cybercime in 2021, averaging around $150 per victim.
- Recovering from identity theft takes an average of 200 hours for each impacted individual.
Major Hacking Threats Facing Individuals
Phishing
Phishing involves emails, calls, or texts impersonating trusted sources to trick users into sharing login details, financial information, or install malware. One common phishing tactic is a fake notification about an account security issue.
In one 2022 survey, 30% of Americans admitted to entering sensitive information on a phishing website. Successful phishing attacks increased 18% globally over the past year.
Ransomware
Ransomware encrypts a victim‘s computer files until they pay a ransom to regain access. These attacks often infiltrate systems via phishing scams or by exploiting unpatched software vulnerabilities.
Ransomware attacks in 2022 increased 105% compared to 2021, with victims now paying an average of $570,000 to recover their data.
Skimming
Skimming steals credit card information by rigging point-of-sale systems with devices that secretly swipe customer payment details from the card‘s magnetic stripe.
ATM and gas station card readers are frequent targets. Global skimming losses reached $400 million in 2021.
DDoS Extortion
DDoS or Distributed Denial of Service attacks overwhelm websites with junk traffic, taking them offline unless victims pay up. These attacks surged 91% in 2021 after nearly doubling in 2020.
Man-in-the-Middle Attacks
These attacks infiltrate a secure communication between two parties, intercepting all data flowing between them. Public Wi-Fi networks are highly vulnerable.
Nearly 200 million MITM attacks occurred globally in the first half of 2022, a 50% increase over 2021.
So who is behind all these attacks targeting individuals? Cybercriminals fall into several broad categories:
- Solo hackers out to make quick cash by stealing passwords and financial information.
- Organized cybercrime rings that operate sophisticated phishing and ransomware scams.
- Hacktivists breaching sites for ideological reasons rather than financial gain.
- State-sponsored groups employed by governments to spy and steal classified data.
- Company insiders who abuse access privileges for personal enrichment.
Hackers continue to dream up innovative ways to exploit human psychology and technology vulnerabilities. But you can outsmart them by adopting these key cyber hygiene practices:
- Use strong unique passwords and multi-factor authentication everywhere.
- Keep all your software regularly updated.
- Back up your data to the cloud or external drives.
- Verify email addresses and hover over hyperlinks before clicking.
- Never share personal information unless on legitimate sites.
- Use antivirus software and a VPN when on public Wi-Fi.
- Avoid oversharing on social media where scammers look for intel.
- Be wary of unsolicited calls, texts or emails asking for urgent action.
Billions of cyberattacks occur annually, but savvy internet users have the power to protect themselves by staying vigilant. While hackers and their techniques multiply, so do cybersecurity resources and anti-fraud laws. By exercising caution and common sense online, individuals can avoid becoming victims of the hundreds of millions of attempted cybercrimes each year.
