Types of Cybercrime: Understanding Today’s Threat Landscape

Cybercrime has become one of the most aggressive and damaging forces in today’s digital world, evolving from isolated hacks into a trillion-dollar global threat. For instance, the FBI’s 2024 Internet Crime Report found losses from cybercrime last year added up to $16.6 billion globally – a 33 percent increase from the previous year. 

However, the evolution of cybercrime is about much more than rising costs – it demonstrates a shift in scale, complexity and intent. Hackers are not just breaching firewalls. Today’s attack vectors exploit human psychology, target supply chains and deploy advanced technologies to reach deeper into organizations. And while no sector is immune, the most successful attacks capitalize on a simple reality: many businesses still  lack a full understanding of the threats they face..

Addressing this issue starts with improving understanding of the threats faced. Recognizing the different forms cybercrime takes is a critical first step in developing smarter, more proactive security strategies and protecting your organization from becoming the next statistic.

Cybercrime refers to any illegal activities carried out using computers, networks, or other digital systems. These offenses fall into two broad categories: attacks that target digital infrastructure directly – such as hacking, malware, or ransomware – and those that use digital tools to commit traditional crimes, like fraud, identity theft, or harassment. 

As technology has advanced, so too has the reach of cybercriminals. Cybercrime impacts individual users, small businesses, multinational firms and even critical infrastructure, making it one of the most urgent and complex security challenges of the modern era.

Understanding the different categories of cybercrime helps security professionals and business leaders assess risks more effectively and tailor their defenses. While threats often overlap, cyber offenses generally fall into three groups based on how they exploit technology and human behavior.

These crimes require a digital environment to exist. They involve attacks aimed directly at IT systems and networks. Goals for this can include disrupting operations, stealing data to sell or to extort businesses, or causing damage. Common examples include:

• Ransomware attacks
• Malware deployment
• Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks
• Hacking and unauthorized access
  

These are often highly technical and require specific vulnerabilities in software, systems, or devices to succeed.

These are more traditional crimes that can be amplified or made more effective by technology. While they could occur offline, digital platforms make them easier, faster and more scalable. Examples include:

• Identity theft
• Phishing and financial fraud
• Online harassment and cyberstalking
  

Cyber-enabled crimes frequently target individuals and often rely on social engineering to manipulate victims. For businesses, the main risks associated with this category come from attacks that fool employees into handing over information or making fraudulent payments.

Hybrid crimes blur the lines between social and technical manipulation, combining aspects of both cyber-dependent and cyber-enabled tactics. Tools used in this approach can include:

• Business Email Compromise (BEC)
• SIM swapping
• Deepfake scams
• Social engineering in credential harvesting
  

These attacks typically exploit human trust while leveraging technology to increase their reach and success rate. For example, they may enhance traditional brute force attacks with AI to find the most likely login credentials.

While cybercriminal tactics continue to evolve, many attacks still fall into a few well-established categories. These are the most common cybercrimes targeting businesses today. As such, they offer the greatest potential for harm, so any defense strategy must have clear plans for combating them.

• Ransomware: This locks or encrypts company data and demands payment for its return. Increasingly, however, attackers also look to steal sensitive files and threaten to leak them unless they receive a ransom. These attacks can shut down operations and result in major financial losses, especially when data backups are inadequate.
• Phishing: Phishing uses fake emails or messages to trick people into clicking malicious links or handing over credentials. A related concept is spear phishing, which is more targeted, often impersonating an individual employee’s colleague or supervisor to make the scam more convincing.
• Malware and Trojans: Malware is any malicious software designed to infiltrate systems. Trojans are a specific subcategory disguised as legitimate tools or downloads that can open backdoors for attackers to steal data or control devices unnoticed.
• Identity theft: Cybercriminals steal personal or company data to impersonate users, commit fraud, or sell the information on the dark web. This may include login information, financial details, employee Social Security Numbers, or banking credentials, among others
• Online fraud: From fake invoices to payroll redirection, online fraud uses deception to trick businesses into sending money or information. Business Email Compromise (BEC) is one high-value example.
• Social engineering: These attacks exploit human behavior rather than technical flaws. They use psychology to manipulate employees into giving away access, passwords, or sensitive information. Many of the most successful breaches start this way.

Cybercriminals are increasingly adopting advanced tactics that mirror the pace of digital innovation. For example, AI-assisted attacks, such as voice cloning and deepfake phishing, make social engineering harder to detect. 

Elsewhere, supply chain attacks are an increasingly prevalent tactic. These are often aimed at managed service providers or other partners with access to business’ systems, allowing attackers to bypass direct defenses and access trusted systems. 

Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) has also lowered the barrier to entry for cybercriminals, enabling less-skilled actors to launch high-impact attacks using rented tools. These trends reflect how attacker capabilities are evolving and underline the urgent need for equally advanced, layered security strategies.

Cybercriminals don’t discriminate, with their targets ranging from individuals to multinational enterprises. However, high-value sectors like healthcare, finance, education and energy are especially vulnerable due to the sensitive data they hold and the potential for operational disruption. For example, the FBI’s recent report noted attacks on critical infrastructure increased by nine percent in 2024.

Small and mid-sized businesses are also frequently targeted, often because they lack the resources for advanced cybersecurity. However, across all industries, employees remain the most exploited attack surface. Whether through phishing, social engineering or credential theft, attackers consistently focus on human error as the easiest path to breach systems, making security awareness training a frontline defense.

No single tool or tactic can stop every cyberattack. As such, prevention demands a multi-layered approach that combines technology, policy and human vigilance. While cybercriminals continue to innovate, organizations can significantly reduce their risk by focusing on a few critical areas that reinforce security from the inside out.

• User training: Regularly educate employees to recognize phishing, social engineering and other suspicious behavior.
• Access controls: Use role-based permissions and multi-factor authentication to restrict access and reduce the risk from compromised credentials.
• Encryption: Protect sensitive data both in transit and at rest to ensure it remains secure even if intercepted.
• Endpoint protection: Deploy advanced tools to monitor and defend all connected devices against malware and unauthorized activity.
• Anti Data Exfiltration (ADX): Implement solutions that actively block data theft attempts, even when other defenses are bypassed.

Understanding how cybercrime works is just the first step. Firms must have the right tools, technologies and strategy to tackle any eventuality in order to stay ahead of the hackers and ensure any cybersecurity incident response is effective.