Hacking is all about ransacking innocent internet users for profit, which is on the rise, and we can prove this with various hacking statistics for the year 2024.
The expansion of the World Wide Web has transformed the world into a global cyber village, connecting people and businesses from all corners of the globe.
However, this digital landscape has also introduced new threats that were not present in the physical world.
Criminals started looting wide and open corporate databases from the web.
In fact, with the proliferation of online activity and the increasing reliance on technology, cyber threats have become more sophisticated, more frequent, and more widespread than ever before.
While most individuals and small businesses believe that they can’t be victims of online hacking, the truth is that cybercriminals are ruthless, and they can target anyone (including you!).
That’s why it’s important to get an idea about them.
According to various reports, it’s estimated that the global cost of cybercrime will increase up to $10.5 trillion by 2025.
Sounds crazy, right? With that in mind, we’ve covered some incredible hacking stats you should know in 2025.
Key Hacking Statistics
- Every day, an estimated 30,000 websites are compromised globally.
- Cyberattacks occur every 39 seconds on average.
- Human error accounts for 95% of cyber attacks.
- The United States will spend around $10.89 billion annually on cybersecurity in 2023.
- The US reported 817 data breaches in the first half of 2022.
- The total cost of cybercrime amounts to $6 trillion.
- Android is currently the most targeted platform for internet attacks.
General Hacking Statistics in 2025
1. Every Day, an Estimated 30,000 Websites Are Compromised Globally.
An alarming number of 30,000 websites are hacked globally daily, leading to negative consequences such as data theft, defacement, malware infections, and loss of confidential information.
These hacking stats suggest that cybercrime has become a threat to online security, with attackers constantly discovering new and improved ways to exploit system vulnerabilities.
The aftermath of website hacking can be disastrous, with companies facing financial losses, tarnished reputations, and legal liabilities.
It highlights the critical need for strong website security measures and regular security assessments to protect against cyber threats.
(ITchronicals)
2. Over 560 Thousand Pieces of Malware Are Generated Each Day.
According to recent statistics, the rate of new malware creation has been steadily increasing over the past few years.
Today, 560 thousand pieces of malware are generated daily, which range from adware, keyloggers, viruses, Trojans, and more.
That’s equal to the entire population of a small city being born each day, but instead of new human beings, it’s a new threat to our digital lives.
As a result, cybersecurity has become more important than ever. It’s no longer just an afterthought but a necessity in our digital lives.
(AV-Test Institute)
3. Cyber Attacks Occur Every 39 Seconds on Average.
Yes, you read it right!
As per the latest hacking stats, every 39 seconds, a cyber attack happens somewhere in the world.
It means that around 2,215 cyber attacks occur every day on the internet. No doubt, hackers are creating thousands of new malware daily.
From individual users to large organizations, no one is safe from these attacks.
Don’t worry; while you must be vigilant and take necessary security measures to protect yourself, there is no need to panic. It’s because a cyber attack doesn’t necessarily mean a breach.
An attack may or may not be successful.
(University of Maryland)
4. Human Error Accounts for 95% of Cyber Attacks.
Almost all (to be precise, 95%) of cyberattacks are due to human error.
Small businesses are primarily susceptible to these attacks, as cybercriminals, most of the time, infiltrate their websites and spread malicious code to unsuspecting users who visit or engage with the site.
As a result, even though these breaches result from human error, most of the time, business owners and customers aren’t aware of any threat.
In fact, according to experts, cyber breaches are one of the most prominent hazards to humankind, so it’s really important to be aware of these attacks both as an owner and a customer.
(Use Cure)
5. More than 60% of Financial Service Firms Had Over 1000 Sensitive Files Accessible to All Their Employees in 2022.
It’s alarming to know that in 2022, more than 60% of financial service firms worldwide had over 1000 sensitive files accessible to all of their employees.
To be honest, a significant number of confidential records, financial data, and personal information could be compromised if the proper security measures are not in place.
Moreover, approximately 60% of them have over 500 passwords that never expire.
That’s quite surprising, owing to the fact that such firms are more vulnerable to data breaches.
So, they must implement robust data governance and access control protocols to minimize the risk of data breaches.
(Varonics)
Hacking Statistics by Country
6. The United States Will Spend Around $10.89 Billion Annually on Cybersecurity in 2023.
The government of the United States has proposed a budget of $10.89 billion for combating cyberattacks for the year 2023.
Although this number represents the amount of money the American government is ready to spend on cybersecurity, the precise amount may increase since attacks sometimes go overlooked and unrecorded.
Moreover, the expenditure on cybersecurity is on the rise.
In fact, the businesses spent a total amount of $8.64 billion on cybersecurity for the financial year 2021, and the amount spent for FY 2022 was estimated to be 9.84 dollars.
The increasing amount of money spent on cybersecurity has yet to meet the increase in online security breaches.
(Statista)
7. The United States Leads the Global Market with The Highest Average Total Cost of A Data Breach.
When it comes to the cost of data breaches, the United States is not only a leader but also sets the bar high.
As per some recent hacking stats, the average total cost of a data breach in the United States is estimated to be a staggering $9.05 million, the highest in the world in 2021.
That’s a significant increase compared to the average total cost of a data breach of $8.64 million recorded in the year 2020.
In comparison, the Middle East has an average total cost of a data breach of $6.93 million in the same year, which increased from $6.52 million in the year 2020.
However, countries with the most average total cost include Canada, Germany, and Japan.
Moreover, the country with the highest average total cost increase is Latin America (52.4% increase), followed by South Africa, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and France.
However, Brazil is the only country with a decreased average total cost of a data breach.
(IBM)
8. The US Reported 817 Data Breaches in The First Half of 2022.
The first half of 2022 has been a tumultuous time for cybersecurity in the United States, with 817 data breaches reported.
It represents a huge increase from the same period (first half) in 2021, when only 633 data breaches were reported.
However, there were a total of 1,862 compromises in the year 2021, which is the highest since all territories and states of the United States adopted data breach notice laws.
(Government Technology)
The Cost of Hacking
9. The Total Cost of Cybercrime Amounts to $6 Trillion.
Cybercrime continues to be a growing concern globally, with an estimated cost of $6 trillion in 2021, according to various reports.
That’s more than the gross domestic product (GDP) of most countries in the world.
The cost of cybercrime includes not only financial losses but also the cost of remediation, legal fees, reputational damage, and more.
In fact, the cost of cybercrime is expected to grow by 15% (or more) over the next five years.
These hacking stats suggest that the cost of cybercrime will be around $10.5 trillion annually by 2025.
Some common types of cybercrime include phishing, ransomware, and social engineering attacks.
(The New Indian Express)
10. The Average Cost of A Ransomware Attack Is Around $1.85 Million.
Ransomware attacks are an increasingly significant threat to organizations worldwide, and the price tag associated with such attacks is estimated to be $1.85 million on average.
As the frequency and sophistication of such cyberattacks continue to rise, organizations face significant financial and operational disruptions.
Moreover, ransomware attacks can impact businesses of all sizes and across all industries, with cybercriminals utilizing various tactics to infiltrate the network of their targets.
(SOPHOS)
11. Data Breaches Cost Companies in The Lost Business Category the Most.
Data breaches incur expenses in four categories: lost business, notification, post-breach response, and lastly, detection & escalation.
Among these, the category with the highest average data breach cost is lost business.
It has a share of 38%, which is around $1.59 million in recorded losses.
The expenses associated with such a data breach include various factors, such as business disruption, system downtime, the cost of lost customers, as well as revenue losses.
Additionally, organizations may need to spend resources on acquiring new customers after a data breach.
The second most substantial cost category of a data breach is detection and escalation, which carries an average total cost of $1.24 million, accounting for 29% of losses.
It is followed by the post-data breach, with an average total cost of $1.14 million, making up 27% of the overall expenses, and notification costs, with an average total cost of $0.27 million, accounting for 6% of the losses.
(IBM)
12. The Healthcare Sector’s Estimated Global Expenditure on Cybersecurity Will Be $125 Billion by 2025.
The healthcare sector is experiencing a severe impact from cyberattacks, as demonstrated by healthcare data breach records.
On average, hospitals spend around 408 dollars per affected patient record and $1.75 on restoring their damaged reputation after an attack.
That’s why we can expect an increase in the allocation of funds for cybersecurity in the healthcare sector in the upcoming years.
In fact, as per the latest hacking stats, the estimated global expenditure on cybersecurity in the healthcare sector will be $125 billion by 2025.
(Parachute)
Other Important Hacking Stats
13. The Most Popular and Commonly Used Malicious Email Attachment Extensions Are .Exe and Zip.
The latest hacking stats for the year 2022 reveal that emails containing extensions such as .zip, .exe, .rar, .iso, and .dmg are very dangerous and should be avoided at any cost.
However, among these different email attachments, .exe and zip files are the most frequently used by attackers to distribute malicious payloads.
Moreover, the Zip and Jar file extensions can bypass most providers’ anti-malware security. Therefore, you should be very careful with your emails.
Hackers often use Microsoft Office files with extensions such as .doc, .xls, and .ppt to spread malware since these are easily overlooked.
(NordVPN)
14. Android Is Currently the Most Targeted Platform for Internet Attacks.
Despite various new and advanced security measures, Android remains the most targeted platform for internet attacks.
That’s primarily due to the widespread adoption of Android devices worldwide, making it an attractive target for cybercriminals to exploit.
Some common Android-based attacks include phishing scams, malicious apps, and ransomware attacks.
However, many users haven’t already updated their core operating software which makes their Android devices more vulnerable to such threats.
You should regularly update your Android device’s operating system and keep security software to the latest version.
Moreover, you should be cautious when downloading apps from untrusted sources to protect yourself from such attacks.
(Computer World)
15. Around 62% of All American Companies Have Experienced Phishing.
In case you don’t know, phishing is a practice where cybercriminals attempt to gain access to a company’s or an individual’s sensitive information by sending them a scam email that appears to come from a trusted and reputed source.
These cyberattacks have become increasingly prevalent in recent years, with more than half of all the companies in the US experiencing them.
Companies (from all over the world, in this case) need to educate their employees about the risks associated with phishing and how to identify such emails to combat such attacks.
(Expert Insights)
16. Around Half of The Cyber Criminals Attack Small Businesses.
With the rise of cybersecurity threats, small businesses are increasingly becoming targets for cybercriminals.
In fact, 43% of the cyberattacks target small businesses.
That’s because most of those organizations aren’t prepared to protect themselves against such attacks.
Specifically, only 14% of small businesses take relevant measures to defend themselves.
That’s not all; only 4 out of every 10 small businesses (i.e., 40%) have cybersecurity protection in place, though these aren’t strong enough.
However, 66% of the small businesses in America don’t believe they are at any risk.
Therefore, it’s highly important for small businesses to take various precautionary measures since it’s the top target for cyberattacks.
(Zippia)
17. Hackers Mainly Target Government, Technology, and Retail Industries.
Hackers always look for ways to exploit vulnerabilities in computer networks and systems.
While any business can fall victim to a cyber attack, government, technology, and retail industries are particularly attractive targets.
In fact, around 95% of all security breaches happen either in retail, government, or technology industries.
Moreover, experts reveal that the high-risk rate for cyber attacks in government, technology, and retail industries is attributed to the abundance of confidential records and sensitive data contained in their digital files.
Also, these industries often store confidential data such as credit card data, computer passwords, and social protection numbers, which are highly sought after by cybercriminals.
Apart from these industries, the healthcare market is often targeted by cybercriminals.
In fact, 75% of American healthcare facilities were infected with some malicious software in 2020.
(Zippia)
FAQs
How Many Cybercrimes Are Committed Each Year?
An average of 800,000 cyber crimes are committed each year.
That is one cyberattack every 39 seconds and over 2328 attacks a day.
Moreover, according to experts, there will be around 33 billion account breaches in 2023.
What Are the Most Common Types of Cyberattacks?
A hacker can use several common types of cyberattacks to compromise the security of digital systems and data.
Some of the most common types of cyberattacks include:
• Phishing: It’s a type of cyberattack where hackers use emails or text messages to trick users into giving away sensitive information.
• Malware: It’s a type of software designed to exploit or harm computer systems, networks, or devices. It can take many forms, including viruses, worms, Trojans, and ransomware.
• DoS attacks: These are attacks that target a site, server, or network to overwhelm it with traffic or requests, making it unavailable to legitimate users.
Where Do Cyber Attacks Come From?
Although cyberattacks come from everywhere, the countries with the most number of cyber attackers are as follows:
• Russia
• Romania
• The US
• China
• Brazil
• South Korea
