cybercrime

American  

[sahy-ber-krahym] / ˈsaɪ bərˌkraɪm /

Or cyber crime

noun

1. criminal activity or a crime that involves the internet, a computer system, or computer technology.

   identity theft, phishing, and other kinds of cybercrime.

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cybercrime British  

/ ˈsaɪbəˌkraɪm /

noun

1. the illegal use of computers and the internet

2. crime committed by means of computers or the internet

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Other Word Forms

• cybercriminal
  noun

Etymology

Origin of cybercrime

First recorded in 1990–95; cyber- + crime

Explanation

Cybercrime is illegal activity that involves a computer network. Computer hacking and using the Internet to steal credit card numbers are both kinds of cybercrime. When criminals use a computer that's connected to the Internet to commit a crime, it's considered cybercrime. If you have your identity stolen after entering information on a website you think is secure, you're a victim of cybercrime. Malware or computer viruses are another type of cybercrime. The word itself uses the prefix cyber-, which since the early 1990s has been used in many words to signify a connection to the Internet or electronics.

Example Sentences

Beasley says that threats of violence linked to cybercrime will likely only continue to rise "because people keep paying" as a result of it.

From BBC • May 10, 2026

Christine Ji explained how Anthropic’s Mythos AI model underscores the threat of a new wave of cybercrime.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 24, 2026

Today, it serves as a microcosm of the country’s takeover by cybercrime syndicates.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

Although they were explicitly programmed to refuse to help hackers, the bots were duped into abetting the cybercrime.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 5, 2026

Last year, Interpol's cybercrime directorate coordinated "Operation Secure" in Asia, which saw 26 countries work together to dismantle more than 20,000 malicious IP addresses and domains linked to syndicates to steal data.

From Barron's • Feb. 15, 2026