Sustainability

Digital Fraud and Sustainability: The Environmental Impact and the Role of Cybersecurity

Digital fraud, such as spam, phishing, and scams, has a frequently overlooked environmental impact. Every time these activities occur, there is a hidden cost in terms of energy consumption. Telecom companies and digital platforms maintain vast server infrastructures that operate 24/7, generating a significant carbon footprint. The CO₂ emissions from processing and storing billions of messages and transactions daily may seem minor, but their cumulative global effect is destructive.

The pressure for profits and the incentive to keep users constantly connected leads large corporations to prioritize the volume of data circulating, disregarding the environmental consequences. Additionally, the accelerated life cycle of electronic devices, driven by constant consumption and replacement, contributes to the growing issue of electronic waste, often improperly discarded in developing countries.

The responsibility for this scenario lies with large tech industries, which prefer focusing on profits rather than investing in more sustainable technologies or effectively filtering the volume of spam and fraud. Rather than promoting practices that could mitigate environmental impact, many corporations continue to prioritize maximizing their revenues.

Sustainability in Cybersecurity: A New Challenge

Sustainability has become a central theme in cybersecurity discussions. The infrastructure required to protect against cybercrimes consumes a significant amount of energy, making it crucial to transition to renewable energy sources to power data centers and telecommunications networks. Implementing sustainable practices can reduce carbon footprints and also lower long-term operational costs.

One direct threat to digital sustainability is *cryptojacking*, a type of cybercrime that uses third-party devices without their owners' consent to mine cryptocurrencies. This crime significantly increases energy consumption and generates additional costs for victims, while also damaging their equipment.

Cybersecurity teams play an essential role in detecting and mitigating crimes like cryptojacking, helping to reduce environmental impact and protect the energy resources of victims. Additionally, it is vital that security practices also consider the governance and sustainability of operations, implementing policies that encourage renewable energy use and increase energy efficiency in critical IT facilities.