Computer crimes

Cybercrime encompasses a wide range of criminal activities that are carried out using digital devices and/or networks. It has been variously defined as "a crime committed on a computer network, especially the Internet". Cybercriminals may exploit vulnerabilities in computer systems and networks to gain unauthorized access, steal sensitive information, disrupt services, and cause financial or reputational harm to individuals, organizations, and governments. Cybercrimes refer to socially dangerous acts committed using computer equipment against information processed and used in cyberspace. In 2000, the tenth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders classified cyber crimes into five categories: unauthorized access, damage to computer data or programs, sabotage to hinder the functioning of a computer system or network, unauthorized interception of data within a system or network, and computer espionage. Internationally, both state and non-state actors engage in cybercrimes, including espionage, financial theft, and other cross-border crimes. Cybercrimes crossing international borders and involving the actions of at least one nation-state are sometimes referred to as cyberwarfare. Warren Buffett has stated that cybercrime is the "number one problem with mankind", and that it "poses real risks to humanity". The World Economic Forum's (WEF) 2020 Global Risks Report highlighted that organized cybercrime groups are joining forces to commit criminal activities online, while estimating the likelihood of their detection and prosecution to be less than 1 percent in the U.S. There are also many privacy concerns surrounding cybercrime when confidential information is intercepted or disclosed, legally or otherwise. Cybercrime and cyber insecurity have always been rated as some of the major threats to the global economy through the World Economic Forum's Global Risk Reports. Cyber insecurity rose to the position of one of the five most serious risks to the global economy in 2026 due to the prevalence of artificial intelligence-based cyber attacks.