This presentation provides an estimate of the cost of cybercrime in Australia in 2021. It focuses on ‘pure’ cybercrimes that involve unauthorised access to networks (hacking), modification of data and impairment of systems and describes the economic impact on individuals, small, medium and large businesses and government entities. It draws on recent research by the Australian Institute of Criminology and the Australian Cyber Security Centre’s Annual Cyber Threat Report for 2020–21 to estimate the direct and indirect costs affecting the Australian economy. Although a global estimate of the cost is given, more research is needed to improve the level of information currently available and to permit an assessment to be made of how the cost of cybercrime is changing over time.
Biography
Russell G Smith has qualifications in law, psychology and criminology from the University of Melbourne and a PhD from King’s College London. He first practised as a lawyer before lecturing in criminology at the University of Melbourne. He then took up a position at the Australian Institute of Criminology where he is now an Honorary Fellow having recently retired after almost 25 years, most recently as Principal Criminologist. He is also a Professor in the College of Business, Government and Law at Flinders University, and is a Fellow and former President of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Criminology.