Cybercrime: a value chain approach

Abstract

The internet has propelled many economic agents into new beneficial ways of trading and distributing goods and services. However, the exponential growth of cybercrime has raised often justified fear of the rapid growth of new forms of internet supported fraud and identity theft. Greater reliance on the internet has provided room for a range of illegal activities that increase the vulnerability of both producers and consumers of internet-based services, and every day cybercriminals devise new ways to detect and infiltrate these vulnerabilities. This article provides a new framework for understanding and analysing global cybercrime trends based on a value chain approach. The value chain research method is able to unpack the web of interlinked activities as cybercriminals seek to make profit from cybercrimes. We argue that the value chain approach is a useful tool to identify the main players as well as to examine key issues related to governance, linkages and innovation (upgrading).