![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sectigostore.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/cyber-attack-statistics-reported-losses.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nBelow, we\u2019ve put together a chart that showcases the number\nof consumer complaints that were reported to the Federal Bureau of\nInvestigation\u2019s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3<\/sup>) between 2009\nand 2019. They handle complaint reported about a wide variety of\ninternet-facilitated criminal activity and have since the center\u2019s inception in\nMay 2000. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The chart below showcases how this particular cyber attack\nstatistic has changed from year to year: <\/p>\n\n\n\n You know what else has\nsteadily increased over the last decade? The cost of losses from consumer\ncomplaints that were reported to the FBI IC3<\/sup>. See for yourself:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Note: 2010 was a year that\nthe IC3 report did not include its calculation of reported annual losses. As\nsuch, we reported it as a \u201c0\u201d but at least wanted to take a moment to explain\nthat it wasn\u2019t a matter of there being no reported financial losses \u2014 it\u2019s just\nthat the FBI didn\u2019t disclose that information in its report. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Looking at the year-over-year trends, the number of known phishing websites is also on the rise. Let\u2019s take a look at a chart from the Google Transparency Report on Safe Browsing: malware and Phishing<\/a>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Between January 1, 2009 and Dec. 31, 2019, you can see a very clear increase in phishing sites that Google\u2019s Safe Browsing service detected over time. Now, of course, this could be because of how they define phishing<\/a>. Or because their algorithms improved and become more capable of identifying such sites. A third option is that it could be because phishing sites have just increased in number so rapidly that it resulted in that big spike between 2016 and 2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Or, it could also be a result\nof all of the above. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But how exactly does Google\ndescribe phishing websites? According to their Transparency Report page:<\/p>\n\n\n\n These websites pretend to be legitimate so that they can trick users into typing in their usernames and passwords or sharing other private information. Web pages that impersonate legitimate bank websites or online stores are common examples of phishing sites\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n All of this is great, but we know you\u2019re here for something\nmore statistic. With this in mind, let\u2019s cover some of the most noteworthy\ncyber attack statistics by year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The global economic recession had a big impact<\/a> on businesses and individuals in terms of cybercrime. A litany of scams and phishing emails<\/a> promising solutions targeted recession victims, and new cyber attack tactics made their foray into the wild.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some of key cyber attack statistics to note in\n2009: <\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. The FBI\u2019s IC3 Received a Total of 336,655 Consumer\nComplaints of Fraud and Scams<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The FBI\u2019s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) reported in its 2009 Internet Crime Report<\/a> that they received more than 335,000 complaints with estimated losses from that year reported at more than $560 million. This jump in the number of consumer complaints is likely due to the recession we mentioned a few moments ago. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. Hacking Involved in 60% of Identity Exposure Cases<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In Symantec\u2019s Global Internet Survey Threat Report (ISTR)<\/a> for 2009, the company reported that \u201c60 percent of identities exposed were compromised by hacking attacks.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. Botnets Sent 85% of Spam Emails<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The same Symantec Global ISTR report data indicates that approximately\n85% of spam emails sent during the year were linked to botnets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There were many notable cybersecurity events of 2010. One of the most impactful was the discovery of Stuxnet<\/a>, a malicious computer worm that was thought to be responsible for causing significant damage to the software of at least 14 nuclear facilities in Iran. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some of the top cyber attack statistics of 2010:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. The FBI\u2019s IC3 Received a Total of 303,809 Consumer\nComplaints of Fraud and Scams<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The FBI\u2019s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) reported in its 2010 Internet Crime Report<\/a> that they received more than 300,000 complaints that year. However, they did not disclose the estimated annual losses from those internet-based crimes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 5. Kaspersky Lab Reported 580,371,937 Cyber Attacks<\/a>\nAgainst Users<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The U.S. ranked No. 1 for the highest number and percentage of malware-based cyber attacks<\/a> that were launched from web resources \u2014 137,487,939 unique web-based attacks, or nearly 26% of all attacks \u2014 in 2010. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 6. 4 Companies Were Responsible for Kaspersky\u2019s Top 20\nSoftware Vulnerabilities<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The same Kaspersky Lab report noted that the Top 20 most\ncommon vulnerabilities were found in software developed by four big name\ncompanies: Microsoft (8), Adobe (8), Oracle (3), and ACDSee (1). However, it\u2019s\nimportant to note that some of those vulnerabilities were detected as early as 2007.\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Like 2010 before it, 2011 hit the ground running<\/a> in terms of major cyber attacks. The attacks against international organizations, businesses, and governments were carried out by hackers and nation-state actors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some additional cyber attack statistics of interest\nin 2011:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 7. U.S. Intelligence Performs 231 Cyber Operations<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2011, a decade after the Sept. 11 attacks occurred, the Washington Post<\/a> reported that U.S. intelligence organizations carried out \u201c231 offensive cyber-operations\u201d in a massive campaign of cyber warfare. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 8. The FBI\u2019s IC3 Received More than 300,000 Consumer\nComplaints of Fraud and Scams<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The FBI\u2019s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) reported in its 2011 Internet Crime Report<\/a> that they received 314,246 complaints with estimated losses from that year reported at about $485 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 9. Annual Browser-Based Attacks Increase to Nearly 1\nBillion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Kaspersky reports<\/a> that the number of browser-based attacks they detected increased to 946,393,693 in 2011 \u2014 a number that\u2019s up from 580,371,937 the previous year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 10. 77 Million Users Impacted by PlayStation Network and Qriocity\nBreach<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sony announced<\/a> that the personal and user information of 77 million PlayStation Network and Qriocity users was stolen by one or more hackers via an attack that occurred over a three-day period in April.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2012 was a year marked by the targeting of nations\u2019 critical\ninfrastructure \u2014 particularly the United States. Here are some of the top cyber\nattack statistics of 2012:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 11. Attacks on Critical Infrastructure Increased 52%<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported a significant increase in the number of cyber attacks on critical infrastructure in 2012, according to CNN<\/a>. The article reports that cybercriminals mainly focused their attacks on organizations within the water and energy sectors and experienced success with \u201c\u2019several\u2019 of their nuclear targets.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n 12. Browser-Based Attacks Jumps to Nearly 1.6 Billion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Web-based attacks rose from 946,393,693 to 1,595,587,670 in 2012, Kaspersky Labs reports<\/a>. This rate of growth is consistent with the previous couple of years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 13. Botnet of 700,000 Infected Apple Computers Discovered<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 2012 marked the year when the \u201cApple-is-invincible\u201d myth was debunked with the discovery of the Flashfake botnet. According to Kaspersky Labs\u2019 2012 bulletin<\/a>, this network of infected computers consisted of 700,000 computers that used Mac OS X. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 2013 marked the year when cybersecurity became a central\nfeature in foreign policy and national security as a whole. It saw the rise of\nthe \u201chack back\u201d industry and was the year when Edward Snowden became an enemy\nof the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some of the most impactful cyber attack statistics\nof 2013:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 14. The Stock Market Nosedived $136 Billion Due to a\nSocial Media Cyber Attack<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Do you remember reading the fake headline about how there were two explosions at the White House and then-President Barack Obama was injured? The Washington Post<\/a> reported that the fake tweet was posted by the Associated Press\u2019s (AP) official Twitter account, which became compromised after AP staffers fell for a phishing scam. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 15. 3 Billion Yahoo Accounts Hacked in Massive Data\nBreach<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Verizon, the parent company of Yahoo, announced in a 2017 press release<\/a> that the initial estimates of the number of user accounts exposed in a 2013 breach \u2014 one billion \u2014 was vastly underestimated. Their 2017 report states that new intelligence they obtained indicates that \u201call Yahoo user accounts were affected by the August 2013 theft.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n 16. Browser-Based Cyber Attacks Surpassed 1.7 Billion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Kaspersky reports<\/a> that they neutralized 1,700,870,654 web-based threats in 2013. This number is up from the 1,595,587,670 threats reported in 2012. Almost half (43%) of the attacks they ceased originated from web resources in the U.S. and Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 17. 552 Million Identities Exposed by Data Breaches in\n2013<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Symantec\u2019s 2013 ISTR report indicates that more than half a billion identities were exposed via data breaches in 2013. An average of 2,181,891 million identities were exposed per event \u2014 an increase of 261% over the 604,826 reported the previous year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 18. \u201cHuman Error\u201d Contributes to 95% of Cybersecurity\nIncidents <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In the IBM Security Services 2014 Cyber Security Intelligence Index<\/a>, IBM reported that \u201cover 95 percent of all incidents investigated recognize \u2018human error\u2019 as a contributing factor.\u201d The most commonly reported errors to make their list? <\/p>\n\n\n\n 19. Mobile Malware Reaches New Levels with 148,427\nModifications <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Good news for non-Android mobile users: The overwhelming majority of mobile malware \u2014 more than 98% \u2014 focused on Android devices<\/a>. These types of malware<\/a> included trojans, trojan spies, and SMS trojans. <\/p>\n\n\n\n By virtually all accounts, 2014 was the posterchild year for\ncyber security concerns. Data breaches and cyber threats seemed to take up\npermanent residence on the front pages of new publications. Cyber attacks\nexposed a litany of health records, PII, and financial information. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some of the top cyber attack stats of 2014:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 20. 3 Industries Targeted by 62% of Cyber Attacks<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n IBM reported in its 2015 Cyber Security Intelligence Index<\/a> that nearly two-thirds of cyber attacks focused on three industries: finance and insurance, information and communications, and manufacturing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 21. The FBI\u2019s IC3 Received a Total of 269,422 Complaints\nof Fraud and Scams<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The FBI\u2019s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) reported in its 2014 Internet Crime Report<\/a> that they received nearly 270,000 complaints with estimated losses reported at $800,492,073 in 2014 alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 22. More than 1.4 Billion Browser-Based Attacks Reported<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Web-based attacks decreased from 1,700,870,654 to 1,432,660,467 in 2014, Kaspersky Labs reports<\/a>. Attackers frequently used exploit packs to infect computers by targeting vulnerable applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 23. More Than 6.1 Billion Threats Detected &\nNeutralized in 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The number of cyber threats continue to climb. The same Kaspersky\nreport data indicates that they alone \u201cdetected and neutralized a total of 6,167,233,068\nthreats during the reported period.\u201d That number doesn\u2019t even include threats\nthat were detected by other IT security solutions providers!<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2015 was a year that resulted in many data breaches of\nbig-name companies, including the affair website Ashley Madison and the\nhealthcare provider Anthem. Here are some of the most notable cyber attack-related\nstats from the year:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 24. 91% of IT Service Providers\u2019 Clients Victimized by\nRansomware<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n More than 90% of Datto IT survey provider survey<\/a> respondents indicate that their clients were victimized by ransomware in the previous year. The survey of 1,000 ISPs (representing hundreds of thousands of small businesses globally) was eye-opening for sure. In the U.S. alone, Datto estimates that these attacks \u201ccause $75 billion in damages\u201d to SMBs with downtime often costing those businesses more than $8,500 per hour. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 25. 431 Million New Malware Variants Discovered<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The number of new malware variants added in 2015 was 431 million. Symantec\u2019s ISTR<\/a>, which reported this number, also says it\u2019s equates to a 36% increase over the previous year\u2019s number of 317 million. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 26. 9 Data Breaches Exposed a Minimum of 10 Million\nIdentities Per Event<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Data from the same ISTR report from Symantec indicates that there\nwere nine breaches that exposed a minimum of 10 million identities per incident.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n 27. 191 Million Registered Voters PII Exposed<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Due to a database server misconfiguration, the personal information of 191 million registered voters was left exposed<\/a> on the internet. The exposed information was discovered by a hacker by the name of Chris Vickery. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 2016 saw some of the largest cyber attacks in recent history. Companies were getting \u201cpwned\u201d via hacking, DDoS attacks, and ransomware attacks<\/a> in particular \u2014 and it appeared that no one was safe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n See for yourself. Here are a few of the key cyber attack\nstatistics from 2016:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 28. Only 15% of Organizations Report Ransomware Attacks<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n According to a report by cyberscoop.com, \u201cOnly an estimated 15 percent of the nation\u2019s fraud victims report their crimes to law enforcement\u2026 This 15 percent figure is just a subset of the victims worldwide.\u201d Case in point? In 2016, the FBI\u2019s IC3<\/sup><\/a> reported receiving only \u201c2,673 complaints identified as ransomware with losses of over $2.4 million\u201d \u2014 a number that\u2019s significantly lower than other industry estimates and forecasts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 29. More Than 750,000,000 Web-Based Attacks Were Thwarted<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Kaspersky\u2019s 2016 bulletin reports<\/a> that their software was able to repel 758,044,650 attacks from global resources. Nice job, guys. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 30. Cyber Attacks Cost the U.S. Economy Up to $109 Billion\nin 2016<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The White House\u2019s Council of Economic Advisers released a report \u201cThe Cost of Malicious Cyber Activity to the U.S. Economy\u201d<\/a> in February 2018 that said the economic impact of such activity was estimated to be between $57 billion and $109 billion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 31. Hacking of Adult Website Resulted in the Exposure of\n412 Million Users<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n More than 410 million AdultFriendFinder customers found themselves exposed in an undesired way when their user credentials and other information was discovered for sale on the dark web, according to Forbes<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 32. Cyber Attacks Measuring 1 Tbps Affected Service\nProviders<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The same Forbes report indicates that the DDoS\ncyber attacks<\/a> that targeted Netflix, PlayStation Network, Twitter, and\nothers using compromised endpoint IoT devices measured in at nearly 1 Tbps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The year 2017 is one that will live in infamy for\ncybersecurity and IT security experts. It was the year of the WannaCry\nransomware attacks targeted businesses, healthcare, and government institutions\nin more than 150 countries. The attack, which resulted from hackers exploiting\nthe eternal blue vulnerability the NSA discovered in Microsoft\u2019s Windows operating\nsystem (OS). <\/p>\n\n\n\n 33. Nearly 1.2 Billion Web-Based Cyber Attacks Repelled<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Kaspersky reports<\/a> repelling 1,188,728,338 browser-based attacks over the year. The same report data shows that nearly 2 million \u201cunique URLs were recognized as malicious by web antivirus components.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n 34. Cybercrime Cost Global Consumers $172 Billion in 2017<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Norton Cyber Security Insights Report (Global Results) reported that 978 million people in 20 countries were affected by cybercrime throughout the year. On average, global consumers of these crimes lost $172 billion \u2014 an average of $142 per victim \u2014 and nearly 24 hours dealing with issues that resulted from their victimization. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 35. 41% of Consumers Globally Don\u2019t Trust Governments with\nTheir PII<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In some ways, it doesn\u2019t really come as a surprise in light\nof the Eternal Blue exploit by the NSA (a government agency). However, Norton\u2019s\nCSIR report indicates that they\u2019re more likely to trust identity theft\nprotection services (76%), email service providers (80%), and financial\ninstitutions (82%) than they are their own governments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 2018 was a busy year for hackers \u2014 particularly those who\nprefer using ransomware attacks. Let\u2019s review some of the top cyber attack\nstatistics for the year:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 36. Nearly 1.9 Billion Web-Based Cyber Attacks Repelled <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Kaspersky reports<\/a> that their products shut down 1,876,998,691 browser-based attacks from around the world. The same data also indicates that more than 550,000 unique URLs were discovered to be malicious by antivirus solutions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 37. Information on Up to 500 Million People Exposed in\nMarriott Data Breach<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Marriott<\/a> found itself in the crosshairs of both hackers and the media when the information of up to 500 million guests was exposed by the unauthorized access of a database. This occurred because of a vulnerability in the guest reservation database of its recently acquired Starwood properties. The hotel giant estimated that a vast amount of personal and payment card information relating to 327 million of those guests was exposed in the breach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 38. Ransomware Attack Costs the City of Atlanta $2.6 Million<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The city of Atlanta virtually came to a halt due to a SamSam ransomware attack<\/a> that targeted the city\u2019s municipal networks and computer systems. The attackers demanded more than $50,000 in Bitcoin payment. The overall recover costs were approximately $2.6 million once all was said and done. NPR reports<\/a> that two Iranian hackers were eventually charged with the cybercrime. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The blight of cyber attacks, data breaches, phishing attacks\nand more seemed to make headlines just about every day in 2019 \u2014 and virtually\nno one was safe. Businesses, city governments, schools, and healthcare\norganizations all experienced the wrath of hackers through malware and\nransomware attacks, and their attacks cost billions globally. In fact, dozens of\ncities in the U.S., South Africa, and other locations around the world have found\nthemselves the targets of such attacks in the last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, without further ado, here are some of the top cyber\nattack statistics of 2019: <\/p>\n\n\n\n 39. $26 Billion Lost to BEC\/EAC Scams<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The FBI\u2019s IC3<\/sup><\/a> estimates that more than $26 billion dollars was lost between June 2016 and July 2019 due to business email compromise<\/a>\/email account compromise scams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 40. Nearly 1 Billion Web-Based Cyber Attacks Repelled <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Kaspersky reports<\/a> that 975,491,360 browser-based attacks from around the world were halted by their products. The same data also indicates that 273,782,113 unique URLs were discovered to be malicious. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 41. More than $675 Million Stolen by North Korean\nNation-State Actors<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sectigostore.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/consumer-complaints-2009-2019.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sectigostore.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/reported-losses-consumer-complaints.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sectigostore.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/google-phishing-sites-statistics.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nThe Top Cyber Attack\nStatistics of 2009<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The Top Cyber Attack\nStatistics of 2010<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The Top Cyber Attack\nStatistics of 2011<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The Top Cyber Attack\nStatistics of 2012<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The Top Cyber Attack\nStatistics of 2013<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sectigostore.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/obama-tweet.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nThe Top Cyber Attack\nStatistics of 2014<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The Top Cyber Attack\nStatistics of 2015<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sectigostore.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/ransomware-cyber-attack-statistics-2015.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nThe Top Cyber Attack\nStatistics of 2016<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The Top Cyber Attack Statistics\nof 2017<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sectigostore.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/cybercrime-cyber-attack-statistics.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nThe Top Cyber Attack\nStatistics of 2018<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The Top Cyber Attack\nStatistics of 2019<\/h3>\n\n\n\n