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Cybercrime in Austria: A Growing Concern

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Austria’s membership in the European Union has led to a surge in cybercrimes, with authorities struggling to keep pace with the increasing number of offenses. According to recent reports, the number of cybercrimes committed by “cybercrime in a broader sense” rose from 2,630 in 2016 to 19,627 in 2018.

What is Cybercrime?

The European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) has differentiated between cyber-dependent crimes and cyber-enabled crimes. Cyber-dependent crimes involve the use of information and communication technology as a direct tool for planning, preparing, and executing criminal offenses, such as fraud and drug trafficking. Cyber-enabled crimes, on the other hand, utilize technology to facilitate or aid in the commission of traditional crimes.

Statistics

In Austria, the number of suspects in cybercrime cases increased by 7.1% in 2018, with:

  • 70.1% of those suspects being male and 29.9% female.
  • The majority of offenders (55%) were between 25 and 39 years old, followed by those over 40 (23%) and between 21 and 24 years old (6%).

A recent survey published by the Austrian Federal Ministry of the Interior shows a striking increase in internet crime in Austria for the first half of 2019, with a change of 51% from 2018. The report highlights a spike in internet frauds, which were registered in 8,187 police reports, an increase of 32.3% from the comparison period.

Cybercrime Report 2019

The Austrian Cybercrime Report 2019 – Developments, Phenomena and Priorities notes that cybercrime “in the narrow sense” increased by 61.6% in 2019, including but not limited to:

  • Cyber attacks on third-party devices
  • Data theft
  • Trade in stolen identities on the Darknet

The report also highlights that common criminal acts – extortion, document forgery, money laundering, etc. – have increasingly moved to the Darknet, where criminals may also purchase malware (also referred to as “crime-as-a-service”).

Case Studies

Two case studies will be examined below, providing a deeper look into the growing problem of cybercrime in Austria.

Case Study 1

Case Study 2

Note: The article text does not provide content for the two case studies. You can add relevant information to complete the article.