The number one cybercrime in the U.S. by the sheer number of reported incidents is Phishing and Spoofing, with victims receiving fraudulent emails or texts designed to trick them into revealing sensitive information, according to FBI data, reported by Security.org and Statista for 2024. However, while phishing is most frequent, Investment Scams and Compromised Email Accounts are often the costliest types of cybercrime in terms of financial losses per incident, notes USAFacts and Surfshark.
Phishing and Spear Phishing: One of the most common forms of cyber fraud is phishing, as an estimated 3.4 billion spam emails per day are sent. Attacks of this kind trick the recipients into revealing sensitive information or, unknowingly, delivering malware.
5 Types of Cyber Crime
Why was Kevin Mitnick known as the world's most famous hacker? Kevin's notoriety came from his highly publicized pursuit and arrest by the FBI in 1995 after he successfully penetrated the networks of numerous corporations.
1. United States – The Global Leader in Cyber Security
China, Russia, the United States, India, North Korea, and Iran are among the countries with the most hackers in the world.
More than 90% of successful cyber-attacks start with a phishing email.
The dark web is a common gathering place for hackers and other cybercriminals, which can make browsing the dark web a risky activity.
According to surveys, ethical hackers receive the highest paycheck at companies in San Francisco (around $150,000) and the lowest pay by companies in Minneapolis (around $97,000). On the other hand, the average salary for a CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker) in the US is around $90,000 per annum.
1. Yahoo – 3,000,000,000 records lost. In 2013, hackers breached Yahoo's system and leaked customer info from over 3 billion accounts. Fortunately, the stolen data didn't include crucial information such as payment data, unhashed passwords, or bank account numbers.
What kind of websites do hackers look to target?
Listing
Ransomware: Explosive growth. Global ransomware incidents jumped 73% year over year in 2023. The Ransomware Task Force logged 6,670 ransomware attacks worldwide, US victims 2,800 of those.
Russia, Ukraine, China, and More: The Nations at the Center of the Cybercrime Epidemic
Theft or larceny is the most common type of property crime. It's estimated that someone is a victim of theft every 5.5 seconds. The next most common crime is burglary, which involves breaking and entering.
The Largest and Most Notorious Cyber Attacks in History
Switzerland tops the list of countries with the highest monthly salaries in 2025, offering an impressive average of USD 8,247. Luxembourg follows in second place with USD 6,764, driven by its strong financial sector and high standard of living.
1. Kevin Mitnick. Kevin Mitnick became “the world's most famous hacker” after stealing computer code from tech companies like Nokia and Motorola.
Yes, you absolutely can make $200,000 or more in cybersecurity, especially in senior, specialized, or high-demand roles like CISO, Senior Security Engineer, Cloud Security Engineer, or Security Consultant, with compensation increasing significantly with experience, certifications, and location (especially in tech hubs). While entry-level roles start lower, experienced professionals can reach $200k+ through strategic career growth and skill development in areas like cloud security, application security, and executive leadership.
India tops the list with a huge 370,600 average monthly searches, making it the most intrigued country when it comes to the dark web. The most searched term in India is simply 'dark web' (278,000 monthly searches), followed by strong interest in 'Tor browser' (69,000), which indicates an intent to access hidden sites.
Top 10 Skills Every Certified Ethical Hacker Should Master
The CIA's onion site allows users to securely report threats or suspicious activity, especially in regions where online surveillance is common. Its presence on the dark web also supports intelligence gathering and helps track cybercriminal activity.
Financial Gain: Among the most prevalent motivations driving cybercrime is the pursuit of financial profit. Cybercriminals exploit vulnerabilities in digital systems to access sensitive financial information, perpetrate online fraud, and extort money through ransomware attacks.
Phishing
Phishing remains one of the most effective cyber attack methods.
China is by far and away the biggest source of hacking with nearly half of all attacks originating from the country. The US also houses its share of hackers – perhaps unsurprisingly, given that the US pretty much leads the charts for any web stat. What's amazing is tiny Taiwan's contribution to the total.