Out of the Beta Phase: Obstacles, Challenges, and Promising Paths in the Study of Cyber Criminology

Abstract

IntroductionComputers have become an integral part of every aspect of our lives. Computer technologies are relied on for nearly everything we do and we live in societies that are fundamentally dependent on digital infrastructure for their continued functioning. Increasingly, this mission-critical nature of computer networks for nearly all industry sectors, combined with wealth of personal information that being put online, has bred a new type of dangerous criminal-one that targeting computers to steal our information, finances, and personal identifications (Bachmann & Corzine, 2009; Furnell, 2002; Holt, 2010; Jaishankar, 2007, 2008; Jewkes, 2007; Nhan & Bachmann, 2010; Yar, 2006). The Office of President of United States suggests that threat posed by these cyber-criminals is one of most serious economic and national security challenges (2009, para, 18).Today, governments around globe struggle to employ effective countermeasures against cyber-attacks. The implementation of such countermeasures increasingly facilitated by vast amount of scientific knowledge about technical details of various attack methods (Amoroso, 2011). Unfortunately, guidance provided by these studies limited to details on methods of attack and left lacking insight about who attackers are and how they differ from traditional criminals. This situation persists despite concerted efforts of a small number of dedicated scholars from around globe (among them Bachmann, Brenner, Hinduja, Holt, Jaishankar, Jewkes, Kilger, Nhan, Turgeman-Goldschmidt, Patchin, Wall, Yar, to name but a few) advancing a newly developing field of criminological study, called (Jaishankar, 2007).For past eight years, young discipline, has grown with contribution of many experts, including exceptional efforts of its founder K. Jaishankar, who defined Cyber Criminology, as the study of causation of crimes that occur in cyberspace and its impact in physical space (Jaishankar, 2007; p.1). This definition accounts for multidisciplinary nature of field that relies upon insights from both social (criminology and sociology) and computer sciences. Also, Jaishankar (2008) has introduced first theory (Space Transition Theory of Cyber Crimes) exclusively developed to explain offending in cyberspace and has founded first academic journal dedicated to criminological study of cyber crimes, International Journal of Cyber Criminology, http://www.cybercrimejournal.com (Jaishankar, 2007). With contributions of international experts, this ranked journal with high quality articles and rigorous peer review has grown as a core outlet in field of cyber criminology.These and similar efforts aside, fact remains that cyber criminology largely ignored or marginalized by mainstream criminology, and that many criminologists refrain from examining this important, future-oriented issue. Whether it be that they are lacking necessary understanding of technology, are intimidated by jargon of field, or that they continue to fail to realize full extent of societal implications of this new type of crime, lack of consideration troubling. Others become discouraged by multitude of methodological problems involved in conducting quantitative studies of cyber-offenders, particularly when attempting to generate representative samples of online offenders. Also, major criminological associations (e.g. American Society for Criminology (ASC)) continue to marginalize cyber criminological studies in their annual conferences and, partly due to many unresolved methodological problems, cyber crime researchers face significant difficulties in getting their manuscripts accepted by top tier criminological journals. Taken together, these problems systematically discourage many from studying problems and, in turn, result in still limited, albeit rapidly increasing, numbers of annual publications. …