World Cybercrime Index

About World Cybercrime Index

• It identifies the globe’s major cybercrime hotspots by ranking the most significant sources of cybercrime at a national level.
• It has been developed as a joint partnership between the University of Oxford and UNSW Canberra.
• The data that underpins the index was gathered through a survey of 92 leading cybercrime experts from around the world who are involved in cybercrime intelligence gathering and investigations.
• It ranks roughly 100 countries and identifies key hotspots according to various categories of cybercrime, including ransomware, credit card theft, and scams.
• Key Findings:
  • It shows that the threat of cybercrime is not evenly distributed worldwide.
  • A relatively small number of countries house the greatest cybercriminal threat. 
  • Russia tops the list, followed by Ukraine, China, the USA, Nigeria, and Romania. 
  • 97 countries were named by at least one expert as being a hub for a particular category.
  • India captured the number 10 spot in the rankings.
  • The researchers also found that certain kinds of cybercrime were associated with particular countries. For example, the United States was associated with data and identity theft, while those related to technical products or services seemed to often originate from China.
  • 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.

Q1: What is ransomware?

Ransomware is malware that employs encryption to hold a victim’s information at ransom. A user or organization’s critical data is encrypted so that they cannot access files, databases, or applications. A ransom is then demanded to provide access. Ransomware is often designed to spread across a network and target database and file servers, and can thus quickly paralyze an entire organization.

Source: India ranks number 10 in cybercrime, study finds