Context:
Researchers from the University of Oxford and UNSW Canberra have compiled the first-ever World Cybercrime Index.
Key finding of the Index
- It identifies the globe’s major cybercrime hotspots by ranking the most significant sources of cybercrime at a national level.
- This survey was completed by 92 top cybercrime experts around the world and this research was published in the journal PLoS ONE.
- They named the countries they believed were the biggest hubs of five categories of cybercrime:
- technical products or services
- attacks and extortion
- data or identity theft
- scams
- cashing out or money laundering.
- The results indicate that a relatively small number of countries house the greatest cybercriminal threats. Six countries – China, Russia, Ukraine, the US, Romania, and Nigeria – appeared in the top ten of each category of cybercrime.
- It is estimated that cybercrime costs the world around $9.22 trillion in 2024, and this is expected to grow to $13.82 trillion in 2028.
India’s position
- India captured the number 10 spot on the rankings, getting a score of 7.90 for impact, 6.60 for professionalism of cybercriminals, 6.65 for technical skills and an overall World Cybercrime Index (WCI) score of 6.13.
- India was found to “specialise” in scams and a “balanced hub”, “specialising” in mid-tech crimes.
Other Cybersecurity indexes/Reports
- Global Cybersecurity Index by ITU (International Telecommunication Union).
- The World Economic Forum’s Global Cybersecurity Outlook, developed in collaboration with Accenture, examines the cybersecurity trends that will impact our economies and societies.