Cybercrime: History of formation, current state and ways of counteraction

The article examines the history of the emergence and development of cybercrime, the specifics of the current situation in society, which contributes to an increase in the number of cybercrimes and ways of countering cybercrime. It has been established that cybercrime first appeared in the middle of the last century. This was due to the emergence and subsequent intensive growth in the number of computers, and then smartphones. However, cybercrime that exists today is significantly different from what it was in its early days. Today, the number of devices and services provided via the Internet is growing, the number of users is growing, and, accordingly, the number of cybercrimes and the level of their organization is growing. In the course of the study, the differences between the concepts of "cybercrime" and "computer crimes" were identified, as well as the main features of cybercrimes. The problems that law enforcement agencies face in the investigation and fight against cybercrimes were revealed. The factors contributing to the growth of cybercrime were also analyzed. Based on the analysis, the main directions of combating cybercrime and preventing the growth of the number of cybercrimes in society were developed.