What does cybercrime mean?
Cybercrime refers to criminal activity that is committed using computers or the internet, ranging from hacking and malware distribution to identity theft, online fraud, and ransomware attacks. The word combines "cyber-", relating to computers and digital networks, with "crime", and it serves as a broad umbrella term in journalism, law enforcement, and everyday discussion. Because so much modern life — banking, shopping, communication, record-keeping — takes place online, cybercrime has become one of the most prominent categories of wrongdoing worldwide, prompting dedicated police units, international treaties such as the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime, and entire industries devoted to cybersecurity. The term is uncountable and largely formal or journalistic in register; it carries unmistakably negative connotations and is typically discussed in terms of threats, losses, victims, and prevention. Its flexibility makes it useful for describing everything from individual scams to state-sponsored intrusions.
nounCriminal activity carried out by means of computers or the internet, such as hacking, identity theft, fraud, and the spread of malicious software.
- Criminal activity committed using computers or the internet, encompassing offences such as hacking, phishing, ransomware attacks, identity theft, and online fraud.
- (In some legal frameworks) more narrowly, crimes that specifically target computers or networked devices themselves, as distinct from ordinary crimes merely facilitated by them.
"The bank invested millions in new security systems after a wave of cybercrime targeting its online customers."
"Interpol coordinates international operations to dismantle networks responsible for large-scale cybercrime."
"Small businesses are increasingly vulnerable to cybercrime, often lacking the resources to defend against sophisticated phishing schemes."
Rarely used; cybercrime is normally uncountable. The plural appears occasionally when distinguishing different categories or individual acts of cybercrime.
"The legislation covers a range of cybercrimes, from phishing to large-scale data theft."
Cybercrime is now estimated to cost the world trillions of dollars a year — if it were a country, it would rank among the world's largest economies.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cybercrime
Cybercrime was formed in English during the late twentieth century from the combining form "cyber-", derived ultimately from Greek kybernētēs ("steersman, governor") via Norbert Wiener's "cybernetics", joined to "crime", which traces back through Old French to Latin crimen ("charge, accusation, offence"). The compound emerged alongside other "cyber-" words such as cyberspace and cyberpunk as computing entered public life in the 1980s and 1990s. It belongs to a wide family of coinages sharing the same root, including cybernetics, cyborg, and cybersecurity.
Related word forms
How cybercrime is actually used
Cybercrime is an uncountable noun used mainly in formal, journalistic, legal, and technical contexts. It functions as an umbrella term covering many specific offences; when precision matters, writers typically name the specific offence (e.g. ransomware attack, data breach). It carries strongly negative connotations and is almost always discussed as a problem or threat.
Easily confused with cybercrime
A cyberattack is a specific hostile action against computer systems, whereas cybercrime is the broader legal category of any criminal activity committed using computers or the internet.