It was not that long ago that cybercrime and concerns about cybersecurity would be considered as an exotic type of crime, one that only happens in the high-tech world of computers and software, far removed from the everyday lives of people and businesses around the world. Those days are now long gone.

Cybercrime may be defined as an action that is considered illegal by governmental laws and regulations related to electronic forms of communication and communication networks. It involves the use of the internet, computers and related technologies in the commission of crime. Cybersecurity is the actions taken to protect computer systems and networks from attacks that steal information and disrupt the flow of information.

One primary reason why cybercrime has shifted from an exotic crime to an everyday crime is quite simple. The information environment is now hyper-connected, dynamic and evolving – and ownership of computers increases every year. For example, the World Bank estimated in 2019 that nearly half of all households worldwide have a computer in their homes, even though the presence of computers in private residences can vary widely. In countries with advanced market economies, the rates exceed 80 per cent, whilst in less developed and poor countries rates are as low as 30 per cent.

The adoption and ownership of computers has multiplied the amount of e-commerce, which is now a large part of the economies of many societies around the world. Over 2.4 billion people, it is estimated, now make online purchases, and that number rises steadily from year to year. Further, nearly two-thirds of shopping begins online, even though the actual purchase may be in-person or by telephone. Add in the number of people who rely on computers for personal and business communication, and the ubiquity of the cyber world is revolutionary when compared with the 1990s.

Also, the widespread use of tablet devices and smart phones now makes everyday lifestyles for most of the planet’s population at least partially dependent on the maintenance of the internet. As documented by Koeze and Popper (2020), the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated this dependency, from countless Zoom meetings for businesses, schools and to replace face-to-face visits with distant family and friends, to shopping for everything, from food to prescriptions and clothes.