6 Things Every Internet User Should Know About Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity Awareness Month (October) may not be as fun as Halloween or the Fourth of July, but this annual occasion might be among the most important for your household's security. This year, we're celebrating with some of the top cybersecurity trends, facts and tips for you and your family.

1. Cybercrime Impacts Keep Growing

Many people may feel more informed about cybercrime than they did five years ago — especially if they've taken the time to read articles on the subject from their bank! If only that awareness was enough to protect us from the crime itself.

Since 2022, complaints to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) have increased significantly, with a notable rise in reported losses. In 2023, there was a 9% increase in identified global exposed losses compared to 2022. The total number of complaints in 2023 was 800,944, a 5% decrease from 2022. However, the potential total loss reported to IC3 has grown substantially, from $6.9 billion in 2021 to more than $10.2 billion in 2022 and reaching $16.6 billion in 2024, representing a 33% increase in losses from 2023. 1

The top three cybercrimes reported in 2024 were phishing/spoofing, extortion and personal data breaches.

A Statista data analysis predicts that the cost of cybercrime is expected to surge in the next four years, rising from $9.22 trillion in 2024 to $13.82 trillion by 2028.2 The Statista analysis attributes the ongoing rise to our increasingly digital society and cybercriminals' continually evolving methods. Artificial Intelligence has also played a more prominent role. Additionally, the World Economic Forum highlights the connection between global crises and cybercrime, from the COVID-19 pandemic to the wars in Gaza and Ukraine.3 

In other words, when it comes to cybercrime, knowledge may be power — but it must be paired with continued action, vigilance and learning.

2. Investment Crime Losses Are Setting Records

In 2024, victims reported $6.5 billion in investment crime losses to the IC3, a 31% increase from the previous year.1 That's more than any other IC3-tracked crime has ever racked up. Cryptocurrency scams play a significant role in those stats. (By comparison, business email compromise — which ranked second — resulted in $2.7 billion losses.) 

Most of us would like to think investment scams are something that happens to other, less savvy people. But experts attribute the large numbers to the rise of sophisticated investment scams that can fool people who believe they are doing their research. According to cybercrime detection company Netcraft, investment scammers develop trustworthy-looking fraudulent investment websites.4 They look and work like legitimate trading platforms, and the perpetrators lure victims there via email, social media, or ads. Once victims arrive, they are invited to deposit money for supposed investing — except it goes straight to the scammer.

According to Netcraft, "In January (of 2024) alone, Netcraft detected and blocked almost 13,000 fake investment platform domains across more than 7,000 IPs: the largest number of IPs since we began tracking the platforms independently and 25% more than in December."

Investment opportunities should always be vetted with caution — but knowing how scammers are evolving their tactics can help would-be victims stay extra alert.

3. AI Is Changing Cybercrime (though the jury is still out on how)

One of the scariest things about AI's potential impact on cybercrime is that we don't know exactly what it will look like — but cybersecurity experts anticipate it won't be small. Already, AI voice scams are duping victims into believing their relatives are calling them in distress, asking for large sums of money. And generative AI can make phishing attempts more effective with smarter messages written more accurately. 

AI-powered phishing attacks, malware and ransomware powered by machine learning and AI in social engineering have amplified cyberattacks with the intent of monetary gain or identity theft of victims.15 

At a cybersecurity conference in early 2024, Rob Joyce, director of cybersecurity at the National Security Agency, told attendees that AI will allow "less capable people" to engage in hacking operations they couldn't have managed themselves.5

"It's going to make those that use AI more effective and more dangerous," said Joyce. 

From enabling more advanced cybercrime tools to making scams accessible to more criminals, AI is almost certainly changing how cybercrime happens — but it could potentially supercharge cybersecurity efforts as well. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Cynthia Kaiser, a deputy assistant director in the FBI's cyber division, said the FBI is exploring how AI can assist their work.6 

Though the outcomes and statistics behind AI's impact on cybercrime are yet to come, it's one of the top reasons people and businesses should stay alert to potential scams — known and otherwise. The FBI did release a public service announcement in December 2024 claiming how fraudsters were using generative AI tactics in an uptick in financial crimes. 

4. Your Connected Home Devices Could Be Your Cybersecurity Weak Point

Statista estimates that 57% of U.S. households will have smart devices by the end of 2025.7 But despite their popularity, smart devices aren't known to be particularly secure. Attacks on household IoT devices doubled in 2024 from 2023.8