A Gen study reveals that 58% of Americans and British surveyed believed they could be vulnerable to cybercrime.  

The truth is, as the nature of technology transforms, so does the advancement of crime. Cybercrimes are more unique and increasingly sophisticated. They range from hacking, phishing, malware and ransomware – all to access, steal or damage sensitive, personal data, disrupt digital systems or extort money. The offenses go on and on. And, still, these crimes differ in techniques, discovery times and victims.  

But the reality is this: you’re probably already at risk.  

With company breaches happening more frequently, hackers breaking into private accounts and even message scams, cybercrime is no longer the distant threat it once was.   

Nearly half of people (45%) think cybercrime won’t happen to them, leading to only 50% having any form of cybersecurity installed. Many people who chose not to find Cyber Safety protection ultimately paid the price. We did our research to find out just how costly it was.  

Looking at the Psychological Costs of Cybercrime 

Crimes of all types leave a lasting scar on their victims. Whether cybercrime or more conventional, the impact cuts deep.  

Being the victim of a cyber-attack is a traumatic experience, and will elicit a cognitive, emotional and psychological response. Monitoring an individual’s brain activity has the potential to reveal changes in neural activity. And we wanted to bring those emotions and psychological reactions to life visually.  

How? We monitored three victims of cybercrimes with Electroencephalography (EEG) headsets. The headsets look deeper into our brains to demonstrate brain reactions to specific topics, events or experiences.   

What was the outcome? Scam artists. The artwork below showcases the emotional reaction to the feeling of a cyberattack. Of the respondents who had suffered a cyberattack, anger and stress were the top two emotions felt – and for obvious reasons.