How can cyber crimes pose a physical real-world threat to you?

11th April 2025

Cyber crime has the potential to be just as deadly as physical, in-person crimes: don’t think you’re safe behind a screen.

If I was to tell you that you were at risk of becoming a victim of a crime, burglary for example, you can quite clearly understand what the threat is and try to avoid it – maybe changing your locks or installing an alarm, something like that.

However, when we talk about cyber security, it can be difficult to consider the real-life implications. It seems so far away and hypothetical, particularly if you haven’t been directly impacted.

What you may not realise is that much of the information cyber criminals can obtain could lead to them being able to cause you harm in real life. There are four examples of everyday technologies that hackers can breach to help them commit real life crimes:

Calendar: if bad actors gain access to your calendar, they can see important information, such as when you’ll be in the office or when you’re taking holiday. In doing this, they’ll know when the office or your home is less likely to be guarded, putting you at risk of burglary.

Location tracking: if your device or apps on it are compromised, hackers can gain access to location data. By determining exactly where you are, they know precisely when you won’t be at home or at the office, or worse, they know how to get to you in person.

Smart home devices: while smart devices can be very useful in providing security to your home, they can also be deactivated by cyber criminals. Security cameras, door locks and alarm systems can all be switched off remotely, leaving you unprotected.

Industrial control systems: although this is less common, it is still worth mentioning as an example of cyber crime leading to physical crime. In 2014 in Germany a steel mill was compromised by a bad actor*, leading to equipment breakdowns and production outages.

Evidently, it is important to have cyber security measures in place to prevent criminals from being able to access this data that could have such a devastating impact. Secure settings, updates, endpoint protection, firewalls – anything you can do to keep cyber criminals out.

If you would like more information on the impact of cyber-crime, contact us HERE.

*https://insurica.com/blog/cyber-attack-at-steel-mill-causes-physical-damage/