The impact of cybercrime on internet users in Canada - Statistics & Facts
In Canada, the number of reports about cybercrime continues to increase as cybercrime incidents target internet users in many ways. Cyberattacks are either directed at individual users or at companies that gather and keep user data. Between 2014 and 2022, the number of cyber-related crimes reported to the Canadian police increased by around 387 percent. The estimated monetary damage that cybercrime incidents caused in Canada was around 3.82 billion U.S. dollars in 2023.
The number of cyber incidents is based on reports and estimates. Reporting errors lead to new cyberattacks and, eventually, more victims. Organizations sometimes decide to hide the fact of cyber attacks due to reputational damage and to avoid possible penalties. One of the common reasons for not reporting is that some cyberattacks remain unnoticed if they do not impact the user directly, which is why it is essential to expand awareness among internet users and to develop measures to better handle cyberattacks and data breach incidents at organizations for more transparency.
Most common types of cyberattacks
In the most recently measured year, fraud was the most reported cybercrime in Canada, followed by the making and distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Reports about online harassment were also frequent. The years 2020 and 2021 stood out by the number of identity fraud reports, and in 2022, the number decreased again. Unlike fraud, cyber extortion has risen in Canada, with around 1,450 reported cases in 2019 and 4,600 cases in 2022.Data breaches
Like many countries, Canada also saw a spike in breached data records during and after the Covid-19 pandemic. In the third quarter of 2021, more than 6.5 million user data records were exposed in the country. But the number has significantly decreased ever since, amounting to around 167,000 in the first quarter of 2023. In the meantime, data breach incidents impacted as many as half of Canadians 16 years and older. Passwords were the most frequently breached type of data, followed by usernames.Concerns are real
With online communication and services becoming more available, users do not have much of a choice – using these online services saves time and effort and is often essential. Such convenience, however, comes with a great deal of compromise in terms of personal data privacy. Users of online services are often unaware of how much information they are giving away and how that might impact them. Around six in 10 internet users in Canada are concerned about being unable to differentiate fake and accurate information online. Furthermore, nearly 30 percent of Canadians were extremely worried about how companies might use their personal data.The importance of privacy actions
Despite the majority of Canadians having concerns regarding data privacy, only around 35 percent of them were using privacy tools. However, most were well aware of the importance of basic safety rules, such as only providing financial information on secure websites or teaching children about fraud. The most common way of securing passwords connected to financial information among Canadians was memorizing them.The number of cyber incidents is based on reports and estimates. Reporting errors lead to new cyberattacks and, eventually, more victims. Organizations sometimes decide to hide the fact of cyber attacks due to reputational damage and to avoid possible penalties. One of the common reasons for not reporting is that some cyberattacks remain unnoticed if they do not impact the user directly, which is why it is essential to expand awareness among internet users and to develop measures to better handle cyberattacks and data breach incidents at organizations for more transparency.
