Criminals Across the Sea of Darkness--The Cyber Storm Over Britain (2015)

Criminals Across the Sea of Darkness--The Cyber Storm Over Britain (2015)

In the UK in 2015, cybercrime accounted for an unusual percentage of all crime, approximately 53%. This figure was revealed that same year when the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) officially included cybercrime in its crime statistics for the first time. The full extent of the previously unseen damage has now been made visible, highlighting the deep threat lurking in British society. The UK is one of the world's leading Internet economies, where online banking, online shopping, and social networking are part of daily life. Against this backdrop, both companies and individuals are constantly exposing themselves to cyberspace, making them easy prey for criminals.

In particular, cyber fraud and computer abuse have been on the rise, with the ONS estimating that cyber fraud accounts for 36% of all crimes and computer abuse 17%, which together account for more than a majority of cyber-related crimes. During this period, phishing via fake bank e-mails and smishing scams using cell phones were rampant, resulting in a massive outflow of consumers' personal information and financial assets. Businesses also experienced frequent targeted attacks and information theft through ransomware, and many well-known companies lost their data in silence.

Behind these crimes lies the existence of international criminal organizations based in Eastern Europe and elsewhere. A symbolic case in point is the spread of the "DRIDEX" malware. This malware was distributed in e-mails disguised as real invoices, and infection began the moment the receiving company or individual opened the file unprotected. Online banking information is siphoned from infected terminals and used for fraudulent money transfers. In the UK, DRIDEX caused an estimated damage of more than 20 million pounds, and the National Crime Agency (NCA), FBI, Europol, and other agencies cooperated to detect it.

But it was not only the attacks themselves that supported the growth of cybercrime. The "silence" of companies and individuals not reporting damage was also a serious problem: In 2015, an estimated 2.46 million cybercrimes occurred, but only about 16,000 were reported. Companies avoided public disclosure, fearing the impact on their reputation and stock price. Individuals also either were unaware of the damage or did not take it as serious, quietly accepting the damage. This lack of reporting made it difficult for law enforcement to investigate and take action, fostering a climate of convenience for criminal organizations.

Furthermore, we cannot ignore the extreme ease with which criminal tools have become available as technology has evolved. DDoS attack tools and ransomware are sold on the dark web for a few hundred yen, and even the young and technologically illiterate can now commit cyber crimes at the touch of a button. As a result, attacks that would normally require a national defense network can now be carried out by amateurs, exposing businesses and society as a whole to the threat.

Thus, the background to the fact that cybercrime accounted for the majority of all crimes in the UK as of 2015 is a complex combination of factors: the vulnerability of our digitally dependent society, the darkening of international criminal organizations, the silence caused by lack of reporting, and the distribution of tools that allow anyone to become a criminal. Crossing these dark waters in the future will require new navigational skills, in which nations, businesses, and citizens work together to share knowledge and cooperate. The invisible storm of cyber is constantly blowing behind us.