A recent report by the Australian Institute of Criminology found Australia is seeing a dramatic rise in cybercrime.
While some cybercrime experts suggest there is a growing number of Australians who are willing to pay for online crimes, experts say a significant proportion of cybercriminals remain largely unknown.
The report found that over the past four years, the number of cyberattacks has tripled and cybercrime is on the rise in Australia.
“The vast majority of cyber-related incidents, which is almost 100 per cent, are not believed to be the result of malicious intent,” Mr Dutta said.
“Cyber crime is often the product of a mix of both malicious intent and technical expertise.”
“We have seen the growth in cyber-crime for the first time in our history and it is only expected to continue to grow.”
A major factor behind the increase in cyber crime is a lack of information on how cybercrimbers operate and what they do.
While cybercrime statistics are not readily available, the Australian Government’s National Cybercrime Strategy for 2017-18 shows a significant increase in the number and sophistication of cyber attacks.
In the 2017-2018 period, there were nearly 13,000 reported cyber-attacks on government systems.
More than half of the cyberattacks were against public and private entities, and about 50 per cent of these attacks involved the use of malware, such as ransomware or phishing emails.
“Cyberspace is a dangerous place,” Mr Sibbald said.
“The proliferation of malware and the increasing use of sophisticated tools in the cyber arena is creating more opportunities for cybercrimers to exploit our systems.”
It is important to remember that these attacks are often the result by the use or the possession of malicious software.
“They can be launched by anyone, including government, business, or private entities.”
Our governments are doing a great job at identifying and protecting the systems of their citizens.
“We can’t afford to have a situation where the government is not properly prepared to protect its citizens.”
The threat of cybercrime can be difficult to detect, as there is little public awareness and the risk of exposure is so high.
It is estimated that more than 30,000 people are killed by cybercrime every year.
For many, it can be a lifelong issue, with a person having a bad reputation being more likely to be targeted by cyber criminals.
“A lot of the time, people have not heard of it because it is not something they think about,” Mr Bock said.
“But we need to keep an eye on this issue and it should be a priority.”
Mr Duttas findings on cybercrime come after a series of reports by Australian Institute for Criminological research into the impact of cyber security.
A series of recent studies have found that Australian cybercrime has increased over the last four years.
According to the most recent National CyberCrime Strategy, there is an increase in malicious cyber activity, including ransomware attacks, phishing attacks, and ransomware-like threats.
However, the report also found that more attacks were being carried out on the public and the private sector, with private companies having the highest number of incidents.
“This trend shows the potential for cybercrime to have serious consequences,” Mr Jellinek said.
