Cybercrime Research Articles

Worry about online fraud and older adults: Avoidant and protective responses

Given that cyber-enabled fraud makes up the vast majority of digital crime suffered by older adults, the impact of victimisation on this demographic group is of academic and practical relevance. This article examines the relationship between cyber fraud victimisation, worry about cyber fraud, and online avoidant behaviours and protective responses in older adults. The data come from the 2019 Special Eurobarometer 499, and the sample is made up of 6,257 Internet users aged 60 years and above. In addition to suffering cyber-enabled fraud, we also analyse various factors, such as the respondent's sex and knowledge of risks, which have been found to be associated with fear or worry about crime in other contexts. Our findings show that the respondent's sex and having experienced prior victimisation of oneself or family and friends is related to greater worry about online fraud. Moreover, we find that fraud victimisation of friends and family, knowledge of risks, and perceived self-efficacy are associated with dysfunctional avoidant behaviours and the adoption of functional security measures. We discuss the results in relation to gendered fear of crime socialisation and in terms of interventions with older adults that aim to respond to victimisation and to combat the digital divide.

Understanding Digital Forensic Tools: Their Features, Applicability and Key Short Comings. A Compendium

The Paper provides a comprehensive overview of various digital forensic investigation tools. The paper outlines the significance of digital forensics in collecting and preserving evidence for computer crimes and cybersecurity incidents. It discusses several prominent tools, including Encase Professional, Magnet Axiom, Passware Kit Forensic, Falcon Neo, Tableau USB Write Blocker, FTK Imager, and Autopsy, detailing their features, applications, and shortcomings. Key features highlighted include data acquisition methods, advanced file analysis capabilities, and reporting functionalities. The paper also addresses the potential limitations of these tools, such as issues with user authentication, performance under load, and chain of custody concerns. By examining these tools' strengths and weaknesses, the document aims to provide insights into their applicability in various investigative contexts and emphasize the importance of selecting appropriate tools for effective digital evidence management.

Cyber Frauds in India - An Investigation of Technological & Psychological Perspectives

Cyber Frauds in India - An Investigation of Technological & Psychological Perspectives

FCG-MFD: Benchmark function call graph-based dataset for malware family detection

Cyber crimes related to malware families are on the rise. This growth persists despite the prevalence of various antivirus software and approaches for malware detection and classification. Security experts have implemented Machine Learning (ML) techniques to identify these cyber-crimes. However, these approaches demand updated malware datasets for continuous improvements amid the evolving sophistication of malware strains. Thus, we present the FCG-MFD, a benchmark dataset with extensive Function Call Graphs (FCG) for malware family detection. This dataset guarantees resistance against emerging malware families by enabling security systems. Our dataset has two sub-datasets (FCG & Metadata) (1,00,000 samples) from VirusSamples, Virusshare, VirusSign, theZoo, Vx-underground, and MalwareBazaar curated using FCGs and metadata to optimize the efficacy of ML algorithms. We suggest a new malware analysis technique using FCGs and graph embedding networks, offering a solution to the complexity of feature engineering in ML-based malware analysis. Our approach to extracting semantic features via the Natural Language Processing (NLP) method is inspired by tasks involving sentences and words, respectively, for functions and instructions. We leverage a node2vec mechanism-based graph embedding network to generate malware embedding vectors. These vectors enable automated and efficient malware analysis by combining structural and semantic features. We use two datasets (FCG & Metadata) to assess FCG-MFD performance. F1-Scores of 99.14% and 99.28% are competitive with State-of-the-art (SOTA) methods.

PROTEÇÃO DIGITAL: A (IN)EFICÁCIA DA LEGISLAÇÃO BRASILEIRA NO COMBATE AO CRIME DE ESTELIONATO VIRTUAL

With technological advances in the globalized world, the practice of cybercrimes has intensified, among which the so-called virtual fraud stands out, the topic of which will be discussed in this article. Given this context, the present problem arises: to analyze what are the challenges and strategies to combat the crime of virtual fraud and what are its effects on the legal world to protect users on the internet? Thus, this article aims to understand the relevance of the discussion on cyber fraud, with regard to its effectiveness in Brazilian legislation in the virtual environment. The general objective will be to analyze the new classification brought by Law No. 14,155, of 2021, which inserted the crime of electronic fraud, within which the crime of cyber fraud fits. The specific objectives focus on the analysis of the differences between the crimes of fraud and virtual fraud (cyber fraud). Regarding the methodology, using the deductive and descriptive method, based on theoretical foundations found in bibliographic research, such as public documents, books, scientific articles and internet data. The research results indicated that current laws are not sufficient to address and curb the problem of cyber fraud.

Biometric Steganography Using Mid Position Value Technique

Abstract: Biometric data, is prone to attacks and threats from cyber criminals to conduct identity theft, and its economic value makes it a product that can be traded in underground marketplaces such as the dark web. Securing it is the need of the hour. Sensitive data is subsequently in danger throughout a biometric identification system, and therefore the security measures implemented to guard this data must cover all contingencies. A steganographic approach is proposed as a solution to this. Biometrics are hidden inside other biometrics for safe storage and secure transmission. Steganography is a process of hiding data in a transmission medium. The main objectives while hiding data are its undetectability, robustness against image processing and other attacks, which steganography can easily achieve. This project focuses on a process of hiding an image in another image by using mid position value(mpv) technique. Here we have to choose the secret biometric on which Arnold transform will be applied resulting in a scrambled version of the secret biometric. This will be embedded into the cover image resulting in a stego image. Lastly, the hidden secret biometric will be decoded from this stego image, which will first result in a scrambled secret biometric. Inverse Arnold Transform will be applied on this to finally result in the decoded secret biometric.

Post–crises capability development – the silver lining: learning from e-tailers’ adaptation to greater protection needs

Purpose This study draws lessons from e-tailer adaptations to the enhanced protection needs of employees and customers and capability development, during events such as social distancing causing crises (SDCC) and provides a conceptual framework. Design/methodology/approach A grounded theory-based approach has been used wherein 130 news articles and 48 journal papers were analyzed to understand the real-world measures and impact. Findings E-tailers adapt to provide their workforce an environment that caters to their increased need for physical and mental well-being and take measures for customers health protection. They also take initiatives toward mitigation of the high incidence of cyber fraud faced by the vulnerable customers. In the process, they develop several capabilities during and post-crises. Research limitations/implications The study focuses only on the impact of COVID-19 on e-tailing. This is a limitation and other industries and crises may be studied in the future. Practical implications The study holds significant potential for future research as the three research propositions offered can enable hypothesis generation for larger quantitative studies. The adaptation to the enhanced protection needs of employees and customers result in the development of several capabilities such as a more equitable work environment, a more loyal, productive and adaptable workforce, increased customer retention and acquisition and a better image. Hence this study has several organizational development practical implications as it provides managers lessons to survive and thrive from future crises. Originality/value Few studies have investigated e-tailers adaptations for enhanced protection needs of employees and customers and its impact during and after SDCC. This empirical study extends a body of literature which is scarce.

To Study on Cyber Crime Burgeoning in India and Crucial Actions Need for Every Cybercrime Victim

India is facing a great deal of challenges due to the rapid digitalization and broad adoption of technology in many different areas. One such concern is cybercrime. In this paper explores the nature, scope, and impact of cybercrime in the Indian context. The rising ubiquity of internet usage has rendered people, companies, and governmental organizations more susceptible to a range of cyber threats, such as identity theft, financial fraud, data breaches, and cyber harassment. Despite developments in cyber security protection, the lack of awareness and poor regulatory frameworks has aggravated the situation. To address these issues, the Indian government has put in place a number of efforts, including the National Cyber Security Policy and the Information Technology Act, 2000. But enforcement is still patchy, and a lot of crimes go unreported or ignored. The problem has been made worse by insufficient regulatory frameworks and a lack of knowledge, even in spite of advances in cyber security measures. But enforcement is still patchy, and a lot of crimes go unreported or ignored. This research paper emphasizes India's cybercrime victims have several legal options, the need for a multimodal strategy that includes improved cyber security infrastructure, better legislative frameworks and greater public awareness in order to tackle cybercrime. In light of the transnational character of cyber threats, it also highlights the significance of international cooperation. In the end, a thorough plan is necessary to protect India's digital environment and guarantee the security and safety of its people in a world that is becoming more interconnected by the day

Are cyber-investigators resilient in the face of adversity? An inductive qualitative analysis exploring investigators' perceptions regarding the challenges and successes in online crime police investigations

Are cyber-investigators resilient in the face of adversity? An inductive qualitative analysis exploring investigators' perceptions regarding the challenges and successes in online crime police investigations

Analyzing Cryptographic Techniques and Machine Learning Algorithms for Crime Prediction

This report discusses cryptography techniques. Network security is defined as "keeping information hidden and secure from unauthorized users," whereas cryptography is defined as "the science of data protection." The Fundamental Requirements for Data Transmission are addressed in this work and as well as security attacks such as Data Transmission Interruption, Interception, and Modification. The Cryptographic Framework is explained using a generalized function, in which data is encrypted and decrypted using techniques such as the RSA algorithm, Hash Functions, and other cryptographic algorithms.SVM algorithms to analysis and predict the future cyber crime. This report introduces Cryptography Techniques. Cryptography is “The science of protecting data” & Network Security “keeping information private and Secure from unauthorized Users”. This paper gives the Fundamental Requirements for the Data Transmission, the security attacks like Interruption, Interception and Modification of the data Transmission. Keywords—cryptography, cybersecurity, machine learning, cybercrime prediction

Impact of New Technology in Increasing Cyber Crime in Rwanda

The ICT sector in Rwanda has grown rapidly in recent years, with access to information and communication technologies available to the government, private sector, communities, and international organizations. The rate of the population mobile users was 76.6% in March 2018 according to the report published by Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Agency (RURA). Also in March 2018, the number of mobile money transactions was 692.5 billion Rwandan francs. Due to this information provided, above we decided to carry out research of assessing the impact of technology in increasing cybercrime in Rwanda and set measures that can be used to avoid cybercrime.

A Comprehensive Survey on the Role of Law in Different Applications in Computer Science

One significant tool for addressing the concerns associated with the use of one of the applications in computer science is the law. Numerous laws and rules governing the use of computer science are designed to safeguard users, customers, and society at large. Law uses norms created by governmental and social institutions to control behavior. Programming is used to explore digital information in computer science. Computers got more potent and smaller as they evolved through generations, utilizing various technologies such as integrated circuits. Cyber law regulates online behavior and deals with matters pertaining to intellectual property, privacy, domain names, and other legal concerns. A few of the many concerns that the law must address in order to mitigate the electronic crimes are protecting privacy and security, upholding justice, limiting civil and criminal liability, ensuring safety, and controlling the application of AI in the workplace. Guidelines that people and organizations have to follow when utilizing computer science applications, making sure that these requirements are met in full. Additionally, as companies must commit to recording AI usage procedures and making clear the use of data and algorithms, the regulation fosters accountability and openness. By doing this, the possibility of prejudice and mistakes when utilizing AI is decreased. This survey provides a self-contained introduction to cybercrimes and types of cybercrimes. We also present ways to combat cybercrime and limit its spread.

Unveiling the Concealed Risks: The Influence of Digital Finance on Cyber Financial Crime in China

Digital finance has emerged as a pivotal catalyst for economic growth in China, profoundly altering social structures and behaviors. Despite its benefits, it has also engendered financial risks, thereby complicating social governance. This study utilizes a panel dataset from China’s provinces spanning 2011 to 2021 to analyze the influence of digital finance development on cyber financial crime rates. The results reveal a positive correlation: an increment of one unit in the digital finance index is associated with a 0.058 unit increase in cyber financial crime rates. These findings are robustly supported by tests for endogeneity and robustness. Variations in impact are observed across urbanization levels and average wage brackets. And the study identifies income distribution and traditional financial demand as the mechanisms of the effect. Furthermore, this study presents strategic recommendations to enhance financial inclusion, facilitate income redistribution, strengthen cyber crime governance, and integrate digital and traditional finance for the advancement of financial modernization.

Cyber Fraud, Causes and Its Effect on Money Deposit Banks

The study examined cyber fraud, causes and its effect on money deposit banks (DMB) in Nigeria: a study of Zenith Bank. The main objective is to examine electronic frauds, causes and its challenges in the banking sector. The study is hinged on two hypotheses; 49 branches; sample of 557 staff. Structured questionnaire was used to capture the response of the bank staff and it was analyzed using statistical package for social science version 27 (SPSS). Descriptive statistics and multiple regression were employed in the data analysis. Among the findings were accounting fraud by bank staff, identity theft, money laundering, phishing, pharming, computer virus, lack of oversight function,lack of standards, financial loss, absence of national central control, lack of credible infrastructure, porous internet, lack of national functional database, and inadequate awareness by bank customers were the challenges militating the effort towards curbing the cyber fraud in the banking system in Nigeria. The findings also revealed that cybercrime reduced productivity; vulnerability of banks Information and Communication Technology (ICT) systems and security audit. The study recommends adequate antivirus and antimalware software technology and the use of multi-factor authentication, use of biometrics, automatic logout are the solutions identified to curb cybercrimes in banks. The study concluded that the place of security in the cyber space of banks in Nigeria cannot be oversemphasied, therefore necessary measures should be put in place towards mitigating cybercrime in Zenith Bank. Equally, Zenith Bank should employ stringent measures to monitor staff activities especially in the confidentiality of customer information, cyber security audit should be done on regular basis, sensitization of bank customers, and Multifactor authentication, biometrics and automatic log out, and strong firewall should be adopted by Zenith Bank.

Development of Digital Forensic Framework for Anti-Forensic and Profiling Using Open Source Intelligence in Cyber Crime Investigation

Abstract. Cybercrime is a crime that increases every year. The development of cyber crime occurs by utilizing mobile devices such as smartphones. So it is necessary to have a scientific discipline that studies and handles cybercrime activities. Digital forensics is one of the disciplines that can be utilized in dealing with cyber crimes. One branch of digital forensic science is mobile forensics which studies forensic processes on mobile devices. However, in its development, cybercriminals also apply various techniques used to thwart the forensic investigation process. The technique used is called anti-forensics. Purpose: It is necessary to have a process or framework that can be used as a reference in handling cybercrime cases in the forensic process. This research will modify the digital forensic investigation process. The stages of digital forensic investigations carried out consist of preparation, preservation, acquisition, examination, analysis, reporting, and presentation stages. The addition of the use of Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) and toolset centralization at the analysis stage is carried out to handle anti-forensics and add information from digital evidence that has been obtained in the previous stage. Methods/Study design/approach: This research will modify the digital forensic investigation process. The stages of digital forensic investigations carried out consist of preparation, preservation, acquisition, examination, analysis, reporting, and presentation stages. The addition of the use of Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) and toolset centralization at the analysis stage is carried out to handle anti-forensics and add information from digital evidence that has been obtained in the previous stage. By testing the scenario data, the results are obtained in the form of processing additional information from the files obtained and information related to user names. Result/Findings: The result is a digital forensic phase which concern on anti-forensic identification on media files and utilizing OSINT to perform crime suspect profiling based on the evidence collected in digital forensic investigation phase. Novelty/Originality/Value: Found 3 new types of findings in the form of string data, one of which is a link, and 7 new types in the form of usernames which were not found in the use of digital forensic tools. From a total of 408 initial data and new findings with a total of 10 findings, the percentage of findings increased by 2.45%.

A TIPIFICAÇÃO PENAL DOS CRIMES CIBERNÉTICOS NO DIREITO BRASILEIRO

This article, a descriptive and qualitative bibliographic research, based on authors such as Delgado (2017), Prado (2019), Souza and Ramalho (2022) among others, aims to discuss the way in which the Brazilian legal system has acted in the prevention and classification of cyber crimes. The work was structured in topics which correspond to its specific objectives as follows: bringing concepts of crime and criminal offenses and the way in which they are configured in Brazilian law; elucidate what would be a cyber crime and what are the requirements for its configuration; argue about the three dimensional theory of law (fact, value and norm) to justify governmental actions that lead to the classification of cyber crime. The conclusion reached was that Brazilian Criminal Law has been adapting to new situations and social facts that give rise to a legal response in defense of society.

Shortcomings in the Regulations of Criminal Law on Cyber Crime and Recommendations

In the modern digital space, personal data can be attacked and used for illegal purposes. On 17 April 2023, the Vietnamese Government passed Decree No. 13/2023/ND-CP on Protecting Personal Data. The Criminal Code of Vietnam 2015 (amended in 2017) set up cyber-related crimes to protect the safety of cyber activities in general and personal data in particular. However, there are a number of shortcomings in the Criminal Code in the comparison with the Decree 13/2023/ND-CP and international treaties on cybercrime. This article analyzes these shortcomings and provides recommendations to revise relevant provisions of the Criminal Code.

CLASSIFYING CYBERCRIME NETWORKS: ORGANIZED AND TRANSNATIONAL SCHEMES IN THE DIGITAL ERA

The purpose of this study is to analyze and classify the main schemes of organized and transnational cybercriminal activity, as well as to identify the methods and technologies used by cybercriminals to carry out criminal activities in the digital space. The article explores current trends in cybercrime, such as the rise in financial fraud, ransomware attacks, phishing, and DDoS attacks. The study shows that the use of the latest technologies, particularly cryptocurrencies and the Internet of Things (IoT), significantly complicates the detection and prosecution of cyber criminals, necessitating the constant improvement of legal and technical tools to combat cybercrime. Key findings indicate that the transnational nature of cybercrime often makes it difficult to prosecute criminals across jurisdictions, requiring greater international coordination. It was also found that cybercriminals are using increasingly sophisticated methods to conceal their activities, incorporating modern technological solutions into criminal schemes. This underscores the need for continuous monitoring of new threats and the updating of protection methods for both organizations and individual users. The main conclusions of the study emphasize the importance of global cooperation in the fight against cybercrime, the need to enhance technological protection, and the development of legal mechanisms to counter modern cyber threats.

New Heuristics Method for Malicious URLs Detection Using Machine Learning

Malicious URLs are a very prominent, dangerous form of cyber threats in view of the fact that they can enable many evils like phishing attacks, malware distribution, and several other kinds of cyber fraud. The techniques of detection conventionally applied are based on blacklisting and heuristic analyses, which are gradually becoming inefficient against sophisticated, rapidly evolving threats. In this paper, the authors present various machine learning techniques applied in malicious URL detection. In the present paper, we will look at three machine learning models: Logistic Regression, Random Forest, and Support Vector Machines. We used a methodology that involved collecting data and feature extraction, training a model, then evaluating its performance with different metrics such as accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score. We implemented and optimized three models—Logistic Regression, Random Forest, and Support Vector Machines (SVM)—based on the literature available that indicates the effectiveness of these models. Logistic Regression shows promising results to detect the malicious URLs, according to Vanitha and Vinodhini. Random Forest models are found to be very robust and accurate according to Cui et al. and Vanhoenshoven et al., SVM models are evidenced to have very high accuracy according to Manjeri et al., Further works on deep learning models emphasized their potentials. In our study, the optimized Random Forest model in our case showed the best performance, and its training accuracy was 99%, while validation accuracy was 90.5%, also logistic Regression and SVM achieved training accuracy was 89.31%, while validation accuracy was 90.5%. All the optimization processes, model performances, and integration into the real-time cybersecurity infrastructures, along with the strengths and limitations, are discussed in this paper. The paper will, therefore, discuss the benefits and challenges for each model in this aspect—emphasizing continuous updating of the models and integrating them into real-time cybersecurity infrastructures.

Le Pakistan face aux interdictions, à la censure et aux ordonnances présidentielles : le cas de Naya Pakistan par PTI

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), in its manifesto, promised a free and independent media with an autonomous Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) which does not become a tool in the hands of the ruling party (Insaf, 2018). The present study examines the increased control of the PTI government and the military on media outlets, independent journalists, artists, and literary figures around the country. The paper also discusses the rebalancing of power structure and political dynamics in Pakistan, along with the role of presidential ordinances: Pakistan Media Development Authority (PMDA) and amendment to Prevention in Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), which aim to bolster control, curb the narrative, and further limit the freedom of expression. The paper investigates the institutionalization of these draconian regulations whose impact has already started to appear with the confiscation and setting ablaze of Urdu translations of Mohammad Hanif’s novel: A Case of Exploding Mangoes by unknown men in Karachi, a novel which illustrates the historical fictional account of General Zia’s last days as President of Pakistan (Hussain, 2020). Dawn, one of the country’s oldest newspapers, has been banned and denied distribution in army cantonments since 2018. It is hoped that the present study will create awareness regarding this shift of balance towards authoritarianism and provide factual understanding of the country’s current political milieu.