You place your order, make payment and only later notice a small detail: only one letter of the website address was different.
This shows how easily you can fall into a cybercriminal trap. If you’re lucky, the amount lost is small and your bank acts quickly by refunding the money and reissuing your card. But not everyone is so lucky: in many countries, recovering stolen funds is almost impossible.
One click to lose everything
A bankruptcy lawyer has told UN News that a growing number of people are being forced to declare bankruptcy after losing money to cybercrime.
Anyone can be a victim of a cyberattack, regardless of where they live, and everyone deserves protection and support.
Many cybercrimes have their origins in parts of Southeast Asia, such as this abandoned fraudulent farm in the Philippines.
Although in some countries cybercriminal acts still do not clearly fall within the legal definition of “cybercrime” and international legal cooperation mechanisms are lacking, cybercrime itself is evolving rapidly.
What were once isolated attacks carried out by individual hackers have become large-scale operations run by organized criminal networks.
The Internet and new technologies, including artificial intelligence, allow criminals to act faster and on a larger scale, reach victims around the world and commit crimes with minimal human involvement.
From autonomous cyberattacks and fake images created using deep-fake technologies to malware and AI-enhanced phishing campaigns, the misuse of new technologies is challenging traditional systems for investigating and preventing cybercrime.
Phishing kits for criminals
The most common cybercrime today is phishing, which involves tricking victims into revealing passwords or financial information through fake websites or emails, such as at a local hardware store.
Even inexperienced criminals can now use ready-made “phishing kits” to instantly create realistic clones of major brand websites and send convincing fraudulent messages.
In recent years, billions of stolen username and password combinations have surfaced on the dark web. This data is used in so-called credential-stuffing attacks, i.e. automated login attempts on thousands of websites at once.
Turning the page on cybercrime
This page of digital history could soon be turned.
In December 2024, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime — the first international treaty on criminal justice in more than two decades.
The adoption of the document is the result of five years of negotiations between UN member states, with the participation of experts, civil society, academia and the private sector.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres called the adoption of the Convention a “decisive step” in global efforts to ensure online safety.
A cell phone, evidence of a cybercrime operation in Southeast Asia, is set aside for analysis.
On October 25, the Convention will be opened for signature at an official ceremony in Hanoi, Viet Nam. It will enter into force 90 days after its ratification by 40 states.
Global response to a global threat
The new document establishes a common international framework to combat cybercrime. It introduces unified definitions, investigation standards and victim assistance mechanisms, including compensation, restitution and removal of illegal content.
States will implement these measures in accordance with their national legislation but within the framework of agreed international principles. And perhaps with this Convention a new era will begin, one in which a single incorrect letter in an Internet address will no longer cost you anything.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) leads the United Nations response to cybercrime by providing training and support to countries around the world.
The Vienna-based agency draws on its specialized expertise in criminal justice systems to provide technical assistance in prevention and awareness-raising, legislative reform, reorganization of law enforcement capacities, international cooperation, forensic support as well as in data collection, research and analysis on cybercrime.
Originally published at Almouwatin.com
