You’ve heard it before. We’ve got good news and we’ve got bad news. Which do you want to hear first?

The crowd response to our question seems to be about 50/50, so we’ll give you the bad news first.

Cybercrime is growing.

You probably either knew that or expected that, so the bad news may not seem to be too bad. Unless, of course, you are the victim of one of the many types of cybercrime. Then, it’s really bad news.

But, let’s look at it on a global scale. A recent report indicates the global cost of crime – what it costs its victims –increased by 20% over the two-year period between 2014 and 2016. That’s a one billion dollar increase from $500 billion to $600 billion, an amount approaching one percent of the global GDP.

Here is a breakdown of some of the details of the bad news.

1. It is estimated that more than two billion people have had their personal information stolen or compromised online.
2. 64% of Americans have had personal information stolen or compromised online.
3. Cybercriminals are generally quicker to adopt new technologies than other users. That doesn’t even consider that cybercriminals may frequently be ahead of the technology curve.
4. The number of countries that have become centers for cybercrime is increasing, led by Brazil, India, North Korea, and Vietnam.
5. The emergence of digital currencies has made profiting from cybercrime much easier. (What’s that? You’re not into digital currencies? You will be. Ten years ago, you weren’t into smartphones. Twenty years ago, you weren’t into using debit cards. Thirty years ago, you weren’t into personal computers.)
6. Cybercrime is easily scalable and growing. One ISP has reported as many as 80 billion malicious scans per day with as many as 300,000 to a million new versions of malicious software being created daily.
7. Cybercrime is becoming highly automated.
8. Cybercrime is now being black marketed as CCAS – Cybercrime as a Service.
9. Cybercriminals, like other criminals, tend to focus their activities where the money is, with North America, Europe, and Central and Eastern Asia each having about an equal portion of 63 percent of the global GDP. The FBI estimates that 4,000 people in the U.S. were victims of ransomware attacks per day in 2016.
10. Far too many of us choose to ignore the risk.

Now for the good news. You can do something to guard your technology. In fact, you can personally reduce the list of bad news items by ten percent!

Don’t ignore the cybercrime issue. Stay informed and guard your technology.

And here is more good news. Tech Sentries can help you guard your technology. Our services, however, should never be a reason for anyone to willingly ignore the risk.

All we ask of you is to be steadfast in doing your part to keep yourself and other users of your system away from suspicious links and intriguing pop-up ads that may have more to offer you than advertised.

We are as concerned about your technology security as you are. Your computer system security is our business. That’s why Tech Sentries is always on duty. Contact us today to learn how we can help you “GUARD YOUR TECHNOLOGY” (843-282-2222).

Joe Thibodeau
Tech Sentries Inc
2105 Leopold Street
Johns Island, SC 29455
843-282-2222 Office/Fax
843-902-6885 Cell