Hyper-Connected Web of Profit Emerges, As Global Cybercriminal Revenues Hit $1.5 Trillion Annually - Seite 2

Revenue Generation in the Hyper-Connected Web of Profit

Conservative estimates in The Web of Profit research show cybercriminal revenues worldwide of at least $1.5 trillion - equal to the GDP of Russia. In fact, if cybercrime was a country it would have the 13^th highest GDP in the world. This $1.5 trillion figure includes:

• $860 billion - Illicit/illegal online markets
• $500 billion - Theft of trade secrets/IP
• $160 billion - Data trading
• $1.6 billion - Crimeware-as-a-Service
• $1 billion - Ransomware

The report finds evidence that cybercrime revenues often exceed those of legitimate companies - especially at the small to medium enterprise size. In fact, revenue generation in the cybercrime economy takes place at a variety of levels - from large 'multi-national' operations that can make profits of over $1 billion; to smaller SME style operation where profits of $30,000-$50,000 are the norm. However, the report asserts that comparing cybercrime to a business is misleading. Cybercrime is more accurately described as an economy: "a hyper-connected range of economic agents, economic relationships and other factors now capable of generating, supporting, and maintaining criminal revenues at an unprecedented scale," says Dr. Michael McGuire.

The report suggests that there is now a growing interconnectedness and interdependence between both the illegitimate and legitimate economies. This inter-dependence is creating what Dr. McGuire terms 'The Web of Profit'. Dr. McGuire argues that "companies and nation states now make money from The Web of Profit. They also acquire data and competitive advantages from it, and use it as a tool for strategy, global advancement and social control. There is a range of ways in which many leading and respectable online platforms are now implicated in enabling or supporting crime (albeit unwittingly, in most cases)."

Platform Criminality in a Post-Crime Era

Platform capitalism - a term used to describe the likes of Uber, Facebook and Amazon - is offering fertile ground for hackers to further their gains. Whether by hacking companies to acquire user data; intellectual property; disseminating malware; selling illegal goods and services; setting up fake shop fronts to launder money; or simply connecting buyers and sellers, it is evident that cybercriminals are adept at manipulating existing platforms for commercial gain. Yet beyond platforms being the targets and unwitting enablers of cybercrime, the report suggests they have provided inspiration - as a model of platform criminality emerges.