Journal Article
19 January 2026
Open Access
| PUBLISHED | 19 January 2026 | https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11357919 |
While previous research has primarily focused on the technical and economic dimensions of cyberattacks, the environmental implications of escalating cybercriminal activities have been largely overlooked, particularly in relation to their carbon footprint. In this study, we quantify the greenhouse gas emissions associated with three major types of cyberattacks: cryptojacking (including both unthrottled and throttled forms), ransomware (covering both encryption and data exfiltration phases), and denial-of-service (DoS) attacks. Our analysis shows that cyberattacks constitute a significant source of environmental degradation. The upper-bound estimate reaches 1052 MtCO2eq annually, equivalent to 20% of the United States’ emissions and 50% of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector’s footprint. Even conservative estimates (526 MtCO2eq/year) surpass the annual emissions of France, the United Kingdom, and Italy, underscoring the significant environmental impact of cyber threats. These results highlight the urgent need to integrate environmental considerations into cybersecurity strategies and establish cybercrime as a measurable contributor to global carbon emissions. Our work lays the groundwork for future research to more precisely trace and mitigate the ecological footprint of cybercrime.