2023 cybersecurity wrapped: from crypto scams to AI risks

Step into the world of cybersecurity in 2023 with Surfshark's eye-opening discoveries. Read about doubled crypto scam losses and navigate global data breach trends. Explore e-security shifts, password leaks, and the top 5 companies affected by AI incidents.

Key insights

• In 2023, our Research Hub uncovered compelling crypto-related insights. In 2022, losses from crypto scams in the United States nearly doubled in comparison to the figures reported in 2021. The losses surged from $1.2 billion to an alarming $2.3 billion, representing an 88% increase.¹ Additionally, we delved into the data practices of the most popular crypto apps, revealing some surprising findings. Among the 15 most popular apps, Robinhood emerged as the most data-hungry, collecting 25 out of the possible 32 user data points.³ Notably, Robinhood experienced a significant data leak in 2021 that affected at least 5 million users².
• Our research team monitors global data breach statistics and reports the findings every quarter. The latest trends in global data breaches for 2023 reveal that Russia, which was the most breached country globally in Q1 2023, ceded the first place to the United States in Q2 and Q3, with Russia closely following.⁴ According to our Digital Quality of Life Index 2023, specifically the e-security pillar, the United States has experienced a drop of 4 places since 2022, now ranking 43rd globally. Similarly, Russia's e-security ranking has declined by 6 places this year, placing it 56th globally.⁵
• Using our Global Data Breach Statistics, we checked how many passwords were leaked per email. North America is leading the way with an average of 3 leaked passwords per unique email address — almost 20% more than the global average. Following closely are Europe and Central Asia, with 2.8 leaked passwords per unique email address. On the other side of the spectrum are the Middle East and North Africa, with 1.7 leaked passwords, while Latin America and the Caribbean have 1.6.⁶
• Our Research Hub also revealed that AI incidents, which involve allegations or concerns of harm or potential harm to individuals, property, or the environment involving AI systems, were mostly linked to 5 companies. Facebook was involved in 48 incidents, Tesla — in 40, OpenAI — in 39, Google — in 33, and Amazon — in 24. These events featuring the top 5 most mentioned companies comprise over 35% of all recorded AI incidents since 2010.⁷

Methodology and sources

This study builds upon synthesized findings from Surfshark's Research Hub in 2023, focusing on the cybersecurity category.

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