Cybercrime: A Point of Sale for Evil

It is not just information that is stolen in cybercrime, but the lives of real individuals. If a company has its data stolen, its servers broken into, or its data stolen and given to a criminal, it has real-world effects.

We ignore the fact that cybercrime will cost companies trillions and say, 'That's not our problem.' It is our problem. We just don't acknowledge it. Criminals and nation states may use this money for nefarious purposes.

It is also a concern for companies like us that have not been hacked. We should be concerned about individuals who live in their mom's basement collecting this cash and spending it on video games and non-fungible tokens. We should also be concerned about bad actors that use it for bad reasons. It's not the money that worries me; it's where it goes and what it's used for.

Do you think "a hacker living in their mom's basement" is collecting money for video games and NFTs (non-fungible tokens), or maybe a couple of kids buying a private island? That's not how it works.

I'm not saying that the money is the problem; I'm saying that the money is used to cause problems.

As a cybersecurity professional, I am pretty sure you know cyberwarfare and cyberterrorism. You probably even know what they are. If you don't, I suggest you research it, because it's also part of everyone's issue.

Cyberwarfare is a form of military action conducted in cyberspace. It involves offensive and defensive operations to attack and defend information and systems (including networks, computers, etc.) within or related to a target domain to achieve a competitive advantage over an opponent.

Cyberterrorism refers to politically motivated attacks against information and computer systems in which data are destroyed or modified with no human interaction besides the attacker (e.g., through viruses or worms). The attacker may use social engineering techniques to manipulate victims into opening files that contain malware (e.g., Trojan horse), which can be used for purposes such as stealing information from victims' computers or modifying records so that services are rendered incorrectly (e.g., making ATM machines give out cash). Cyberterrorism can also include attacks against critical infrastructure such as electrical power grids and water systems and physical infrastructures like transportation networks and government facilities (e.g., police stations).

We have seen terrorists use funds from cybercrime to purchase arms and explosives. There are other real-life implications, such as the loss of medical data for individuals suffering from serious diseases. We have also seen how cybercrime can manipulate markets and cause economic instability. And finally, we have also seen how cybercrime can cause physical harm. There have been examples of individuals being physically assaulted due to their online activities. All of this paints a bleak picture of the future if things are not done to rectify the situation.

Criminals and nation states receive this cash. Bad people do bad things to good people in the real world, including illegal weapons trade, drug cartels, kidnapping, and human trafficking. Toppling governments and invading countries are all part of the job.

It's terribly incorrect to say that cybercrime is not your issue. It is everyone's issue, and as a cybersecurity professional, I know that. Everyone's issue is cybercrime, and cybersecurity is everyone's problem. We need more people working on security right now.

We are all in this together and must work together to solve the problem.

Today's cybercrime industry is a globalized ecosystem of highly organized and sophisticated criminal communities. Cybercrime is not something you can fix by yourself, so it's time to start working with the people around you. You need to share your knowledge with them, and they will share theirs with you. It's a win-win situation for everyone. With this partnership, we can develop new ways of thinking about security, improve it on a much larger scale than today, and reduce cybercrime by increasing its cost of existence.

We can do many things against these crimes—it just takes effort from all of us to change our mindset from "this doesn't affect me" to "this affects me if I don't do something about it." We need to work together to help each other understand cybercrime and how we can fight against it. We also need strong legislation and support from governments worldwide because laws are created by society, not by companies alone, individuals alone, or even countries alone. Laws are made up by everyone who lives in the country or is interested in that country—and that's all of us.