Cybercrime Economy Generates $1.5 Trillion a Year

It was stated at the RSA Conference 2018 that “If cybercrime was a country, it would have the 13^th highest GPA in the world.” Attackers generate $1.5 trillion in annual profit, which is about equal to the GDP of Russia. The $1.5 trillion that cybercriminal generate each year includes $860 billion in illicit online markets, $500 billion in theft of trade secrets and intellectual property, $160 billion in data trading, $1.6 billion in crimeware-as-service-, and $1 billion in ransomware. Evidence has show that cybercrime often generates more revenue than actual companies. It is time to start thinking that cybercrime is more like a business.

 Additionally, it was mentioned that more 620 new drug types have appeared in the market since 2005. Many of these drugs are created in China or India, purchased online, and sent to Europe in bulk. There has been evidence that shows that groups earning revenue from cybercrime are also involved in drug production. Taking a look at the dark web, one can find listings for illegal drugs, toxic chemicals, malware, and stolen and fraudulent data.

https://www.darkreading.com/vulnerabilities—threats/cybercrime-economy-generates-$15-trillion-a-year/d/d-id/1331613