Global Hacking Statistics and Trends You Must Know

We all value privacy and data safety. However, that’s easier said than done. Cyber crimes are happening globally, including one of the most highly publicized cyber crimes– hacking.

According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, 800,944 cybercrime reports have been filed, with an estimated $10.3 billion loss. Many criminals turn to hacking because of all the money to be made. The victims range from private individuals to giant companies and government organizations.

Hacking has a list of dangers and damages throughout the years. Here are the latest hacking statistics.

How Many Hacking Incidents Happen in a Year?

Every year, the FBI reports that hackers target more than 300,000 Americans. From another angle, approximately 1 in 3 Americans is a victim of a data breach yearly, according to Proofpoint. 

The rising hacking cases are due to users poorly secured login credentials and the need for proper cybersecurity knowledge. For instance, 95% of cybersecurity breaches are caused by human error.

Here’s a closer look at the hacking statistics over the past few years:

Hacking Report Statistics 

In 2020, there were 4,000 confirmed data breaches, and 52% of these cases involved hacking. 

The statistics are as follows:

1. A hacking incident happens every 39 seconds.

(Security Magazine)

A study from the University of Maryland profiled ‘brute force’ hacker behavior and found that attacks happened every 39 seconds on average. This affected 1 in 3 Americans yearly. 

Hackers, especially Black Hats, are incredibly well-versed in forcibly gaining entry to any account. However, the study further stated that less secure credentials give these criminals a better chance of successfully gaining access. 

2. 99 % of accounts are hacked through Password Spraying.

(Windows Central)

In January 2020. Microsoft discovered that hackers use Password Spraying. It’s a technique that predicts every user's passwords until the cybercriminal can access their accounts. 

Fortunately, web applications and social media sites offer multi-factor verification. This method adds multiple layers of protection to keep your accounts safe.

If you’re unfamiliar with password spraying, here’s a short video that explains this hacking method:

3. 4,800 websites are hacked and infected by Formjacking attacks.

(Symantec)

Formjacking allows hackers to access users' personal information. Hackers inject malicious code into a website, taking over its functionality and collecting valuable data.

About $2.2 million worth of monthly damage is caused by Formjacking attacks. Most focus on unsecured websites that house personal information such as banking account numbers, mail addresses, and contact numbers.

Hacking Damage and Loss Statistics

Shifting to E-commerce has provided users with a convenient lifestyle to utilize online platforms to transact conveniently and remotely. Swipes and taps to online banking, mobile payments, and transactions made lives easier. 

However, this is a double-edged sword. It gives the hackers a playing field for their scams and malicious software attacks. Over the years, they’ve wreaked havoc, taking millions from companies.

4. Hackers stole $100 million worth of crypto from Atomic Wallet users in 2023.

(CoinDesk)

Atomic Wallet, the mobile crypto interface, was attacked on June 3, 2023. The hackers comprised 5,500 wallets and got away with $100 million worth of crypto in bitcoin (BTC), tether (USDT), ether (ETH), BNB, polygon (MATIC), dogecoin (DOGE), and litecoin (LTC). The North Korean hacker group Lazarus was suspected of being responsible for the theft.

Hackers are a massive problem for well-established companies with abundant finances, customer data, and trade secrets. In 2019, Forbes stated that they were responsible for stealing 22.5 million records stolen every day.

5. Roughly 143 million consumers were affected by the 2017 Equifax hacking.

(Money)

Similarly, Equifax suffered from a massive data breach affecting 143 million consumers. The enterprise lost $4 billion. Later, the company was found liable for the breach and fined by Federal Trade Commission with $425 million. 

6. The expected ransomware damage cost will rise to $265 billion in 2031.

(Cybersecurity Ventures)

Ransomware causes an average of 183.6 million losses each year. It’s such a scourge that global damage is estimated to rise to $265 billion in 2031. That’s a giant leap from $20 billion in 2021.

Most corporations who fell victim to these tricks admittedly struggled to bounce back. Not all businesses are capable of creating a security block for ransomware attacks.

Hacking Victim Demographics

Every person is a potential victim of hacking. According to Verizon’s 2020 report, 70% of the time an individual is hacked, the reasons are financially motivated, while 40% goes to blackmailing and exploitation. 

Here’s a data-driven look at which populations are more at risk of hacking.

7. 46% of women experienced hacking in social media, higher than men with 37% only. 

(Malwarebytes)

Malwarebytes polled 5,000 social media across the US, the UK, and Germany. They found that 46% of women had their social media accounts hacked in 2021. This is higher than men's with 37%. Cyberattacks victimized women more, though solid reasons for this remain unclear.

8. 60% of phishing attacks target Financial Services. 

(Sonic Wall)

In 2021, the authorities reported 323,972 phishing incidents. In those attacks, entities that offer financial services to users are more likely to be targeted by hackers than other types of businesses. This is obvious because hackers are financially motivated. The best way to earn money is to hack money-operated corporations. 

9. 21.9 % of ransomware attacks were directed at privately-owned companies.

(Comparitech)

Since they make the most money, enterprises and corporations are the main targets of ransomware attacks. Next on the list, with 14.9%, are public institutions. Unfortunately, even organizations that give services to people are also unsafe from hacking.

Hacking Trends

Hackers worldwide created specific malware and viruses to attack government institutions and enterprises. Every week, an average of 2,500 new websites are compromised by malware.

Global netizens know the harms of hacking, but do they recognize the trend and forms of these hacking activities?

10. 81% of global organizations were targeted more by email phishing attacks.

(Ironscales, CloudFare)

Since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, there has been an increase in recorded cases of phishing attacks in global organizations. According to Verizon, 30% of workers tend to open phishing emails, convinced they looked ‘official.’ 

Commonly, a phishing attack takes the form of a known brand. 19% of users were deceived by phishing attacks through the impersonation of Outlook, followed by Facebook or Meta at 17%.

Below are the most common aliases that phishing emails utilize, according to Ironscales and CloudFare. 

11. In every 11 seconds, ransomware attacks businesses.

(Cyber Security Ventures)

In recent years, more hackers have targeted businesses. They send a ransomware attack, which leads to an operation ceasing and potentially compromising its consumers' data. Most enterprises will give in to the demand to continue their day-to-day processes and control the damage.  

12. Insider Threats made up 34% of total hacking attacks. 

(We Live Security).

Some hacking attacks were from a person affiliated with the company; in a study conducted by Verizon, it was found that 34% of cyber security attacks were directly or indirectly from employees.

Insider threats are more dangerous than outsider attacks. As of May 2023, US Businesses have uncovered almost 2,200 internal security breaches daily. 

It`s easier to commit a crime when you can access the organization's network and computer. So when creating risk assessments for cyber security, it is essential to ensure that all employees adhere to the company`s protocol.

Conclusion

Everyone can be a victim of hacking. These hacking statistics reveal that being careful does not mean we are safe from cyberattacks. We need to establish layers of protection to remove the risk of getting hacked.

For example, you should create a complex login credential and avoid using the same passwords for all internet accounts. Enterprises should invest in cybercrime software to safeguard the consumers' data and protect business operations from malware attacks.

Lastly, there's no better way to defend ourselves from hacking and malicious malware than to get updated information hacking statistics.