Cybercrime is no longer solely about computers, malware or hackers operating in the shadows. It is now taking root within our communities, exploiting our habits, our solidarity, our fears and, above all, our trust.
Cyberfraud has become a market in its own right, fuelled by the vast number of digital users and insufficient cybersecurity awareness.
In families, associations, local authorities, schools, places of worship, markets, WhatsApp groups and professional networks, fraudsters find particularly favourable conditions: a connected population that is still insufficiently equipped to recognise digital manipulation.
Cybercriminals do not necessarily seek the most sophisticated technological weakness. They often look for a human vulnerability: a link sent by someone close, a false emergency, a promise of profit, a request for money, identity impersonation or a message imitating a familiar institution.
As this threat evolves, the State must respond on a different scale. Punishment after an attack is no longer enough. Attacks must be prevented before they occur.
The State must build a genuine national policy for community cybersecurity: strengthen the relevant services, develop simple reporting mechanisms, embed digital awareness in public policy and make cybersecurity expertise accessible to the public through clear, practical education.
Cybersecurity must become a local public policy concern, alongside health, road safety and civil protection. Every citizen should know what to do when receiving a suspicious link, when an account is hacked or when someone close becomes a victim of impersonation.
Communities are also the first line of defence. An informed family can prevent fraud. A trained association can protect its members. A vigilant local authority can act as an alert network. An informed teacher can protect hundreds of pupils. A religious or community leader can turn an audience into a prevention network.
We must therefore move beyond occasional awareness campaigns towards a genuine community culture of cybersecurity.
Behind a cyber scam there may be a human tragedy: lost family savings, emptied accounts, destabilised businesses, destroyed reputations and broken trust. Nationally, these losses represent a considerable economic and social cost.
The central challenge is to make cybersecurity a collective responsibility. The State must provide strategy, regulation, expertise and resources. Communities must contribute vigilance, local networks and proximity. The private sector, media, educational institutions and civil society must complete this ecosystem.
We will not win the battle against cybercriminals through technological improvement alone. We will win when every citizen becomes an active contributor to protecting cyberspace at their own level.
Only then will our communities cease to be a market for cybercriminals and become a defence against cybercrime.