Pavel Prikhodko, Ph.D. Machine Learning
The threat of crime is a serious problem in every society, and has been for many centuries. In the age of modern technology and innovation, criminals are presented with a breadth of opportunities. A criminal can steal money or information while staying in his own house, using just a computer.
Cybercrime is a huge problem for American national security and public safety. Statistics of cybercrimes in the U.S. show that economic prosperity depends largely upon a successful battle against cyber fraud. According to information published by Statista.com regarding the largest online data breaches as of August 2015 (ranked by number of records stolen), Adobe was the largest victim with 152 million records stolen. In 2014, eBay was attacked by hackers, and 145 million records were stolen as a result. About 130 million records were compromised during a hacking attack on Heartland in 2009. The online division of retailer T.J. Maxx was attacked in 2007, and hackers stole 94 million records. Hackers stole 92 million records from AOL in 2007. In 2011, Sony PlayStation Network was attacked by hacking collective Lulzsec. After this attack, 77 million Sony data records were compromised, and PlayStation Network was offline for 43 days.
There are many types of cybercrime attacks. During a 2015 survey by Statista.com, it was found that 100 percent of respondents had an unpleasant experience with virus, worm or Trojan attacks. About 97 percent of the 58 American respondent companies were attacked by malware. Web-based attacks are also a commonly-used weapon, with 76 percent of respondents having experienced this type of cyberattack. Almost 60 percent of responding companies had experienced phishing and social engineering attacks, while 66 percent of respondents suffered from botnet attacks. The percentage of respondents harmed by malicious code and malicious insider attacks was 52 and 43 percent respectively. About 36 percent of U.S. respondents had experienced problems with stolen devices and denial of service attacks.
If we examine the geographical situation in regards to monetary loss from cyberattacks, California reported the largest loss in the U.S. (over $131 million in 2014). Florida took second place with $52 million lost through cyberattacks. The third-largest victim was Texas with $50 million lost, and New York experienced a similar loss of $47 million. Arizona and Pennsylvania suffered through cyberattacks that were a bit less severe ($25 and $20 million), while Illinois and New Jersey lost $20 and $19 million respectively. 
In 2015, the largest share of external costs after cybercrime damage was from loss of information: 42 percent. Business interruption after cyberattacks was the reason for 36 percent of external costs, with revenue loss making up 20 percent of external costs. America has the highest average cost of cybercrime attacks per company when compared to other countries: $15.4 million in damages per company attack. In comparison, the average cost in Germany is $7.5 million. The Financial Services industry is affected more severely than any other by cybercrimes – $28 million annually.
About Pavel Prikhodko
Pavel Prikhodko, Ph.D. Machine Learning
Pavel has worked for many years as a researcher and developer on a wide range of applications (varying from mechanics and manufacturing to social data, finance and advertising), building predictive systems and trying to find stories that data can tell.
In his free time, he enjoys being with his family.
Other posts by Pavel Prikhodko:
Can you spot cyber crime from back ground data?
Seems to be a lot of it.
Thank you