Federal cybercrime data collection may be incomplete: GAO
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Increasing cybercrime such as hacking and ransomware attacks is costing businesses billions in losses and threatening public safety, yet federal agencies vary in how they collect data on these crimes, which means the data may be inconsistent or incomplete, says a government report issued Tuesday.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office said in its report that there are 12 agencies, including the Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service, that track cybercrime.
But there is no official or commonly agreed-upon definition of cybercrime, the GAO said in a summary of its report.
It said cybercrime may not be consistently tracked because it is not always associated with a specific type of offense, and victims may be hesitant to report cybercrime because of a lack of familiarity or reputational concerns.
The report said the Better Cybercrimes Metrics Act, which was enacted in May 2022, is intended to address deficiencies in reporting cybercrime data and establishing reporting mechanisms for cybercrime.
