Cybercrime Incidents Research Articles

Sustainable data governance in the era of global data security challenges in Nigeria: A narrative review

Data are now valued as the new oil that powers the world economy. Globally, Big data technologies have intensified the need for Sustainable Data Governance (SDG). Significant empirical evidence from literature revealed that about 2.7 zettabytes of data now in the digital universe are being threatened by cybercrime incidents that are on the rise globally. Despite the importance of SDG and cyber security, only 67% of organizations globally deployed data governance or data intelligence solutions, while 46% including Nigeria had no formal governance strategy in place. This study highlights strategies to leverage good security measures for SDG. The authors adopted the Data Management Association (DAMA) International Guide to the Data Management Body of Knowledge (DMBOK) (DAMA-DMBOK) as a conceptual framework for this study. The narrative review methodology was adopted, where related research findings from peer-reviewed articles are used to draw holistic findings that revealed significant information on strategies for leveraging excellent security practices within SDG for economic empowerment. Results show that data governance, a fundamental part of cyber security, ensures that the right people have the right access, while Information Security ensures that Enterprise Data is safe and locked down. Cyber security is at the core of ensuring confidentiality, integrity, and availability of organizations’ data and leveraging data governance program that ensures that safe data is accessible across the organization in a controlled manner. The result of this study may increase understanding, and awareness of the need for information security to leverage SDG required for economic empowerment.

Malware detection using image representation of malware data and transfer learning

With the increased proliferation of internet-enabled mobile devices and large internet use, cybercrime incidents have grown exponentially, often leading to huge financial losses. Most cybercrimes are launched through malware attacks, phishing attacks, denial/distributed denial of attacks, looting people's money, stealing credential information for unauthorized use, personal identity thefts, etc. Timely detection of malware can avoid such damage. However, it requires an efficient and effective approach to detecting such attacks. This study attempts to devise a malware detection approach using transfer learning and machine learning algorithms. A hybrid approach has been adopted where pre-trained models VVG-16 and ResNet-50 extract hybrid feature sets from the data to be used with the machine learning algorithms. In doing so, this study contrives the Bi-model architecture where the same models are combined sequentially in the stacked form to obtain higher performance as the output of the first model is used to train the second model. With the Bi-model structure, 100% accuracy is obtained for a 25 classes problem. Performance comparison with state-of-the-art models and T-test proves the superior performance of the proposed approach.

Police preparedness to respond to cybercrime in Australia: An analysis of individual and organizational capabilities

The rapid growth in the availability of information and communications technologies has also expanded opportunities to commit cybercrime. Law enforcement officers are often the first responders to such incidents. Internationally, research has revealed how police preparedness to respond to cybercrime is mediated by organizational policies and procedures, as well as characteristics such as education, gender, and previous training for cybercrime investigations. However, there has been limited research in an Australian context examining police preparedness to respond to cybercrime. As such, this article examines the preparedness of Australian police personnel to respond to cybercrime incidents drawing on surveys with two state-wide police agencies ( n = 422). Here, we examine the prevalence of cybercrime training across both agencies, levels of individual and organizational confidence about responding to cybercrime incidents, and their views about enhancing responses to cybercrime. The results suggest only half of the surveyed personnel have received some cybercrime-related training, with significantly less reporting specific instruction about how to receive and direct incident reports and manage digital crime scenes. Further, while personnel are modestly confident in their individual capabilities to respond to cybercrime incidents, they lack comparative confidence in their organizations and yearn for more resourcing and professional development. Implications for police resourcing, training, and practices are discussed.

Cyber Security Norms: Trust and Cooperation

As cyber crime becomes ever more sophisticated and a significant asymmetric threat, the need for effective cyber security is of vital importance. One important cyber security response is through cyber norms. At the same time, calls for multi-sector and multi-domain trust and cooperation are widespread. Yet research on the nature of trust and cooperation in cyber security norms appears to be underdeveloped. Key questions remain concerning the emergence and nature of trust and cooperation in norms. In addressing this gap, the article first considers how we can understand trust and cooperation in cyber norms through leveraging well-established theory from management research on trust building. Next, the paper examines the SolarWinds breach, as an example, to evaluate norms, trust and cooperation. The paper then applies principles from prominent trust-building theory to examine the antecedents, processes of outputs involved in building trust and cooperation. The contribution of this work presents a foundational conceptual framework, to allow the dynamics of norms, trust, and cooperation in managing cyber crime incidents to be studied. In doing so, the literature on examining trust and cooperation in norms is extended. Other researchers’ interest is encouraged as is an agenda for further research on norms, trust, and cooperation to support cyber security management. Implications may help the cyber security community as they construct and manage norms, trust, and cooperation.

Effectiveness of Criminal Law in Tackling Cybercrime: A Critical Analysis

A significant number of nations around the world have enacted cybercrime laws for the purpose of controlling the occurrence of cybercrimes and mitigating its ill effects. However, in spite of enacting such cybercrime laws, available data show that the incidence of cybercrime is rapidly increasing. There are many factors that contribute to the failure of criminal law to fully control cybercrime. These factors include anonymity related issues, jurisdictional issues, extradition related challenges, problems associated with the law enforcement machinery, non-availability of data relating to cybercrime including non-reporting of cybercrimes, difficulties to identify, locate and arrest the cybercriminal, lack of experts, technology related issues, problems posed by international law etc. Since, at present, criminal law is not able to fully tackle cybercrime, there is a need to focus on cybercrime prevention strategies.

Building a cybersecurity culture of public administration system in Poland

The security of the state and its citizens depends on the security of information and IT systems. Cybercrime incidents are recorded every day in public administration units of all countries. The article presents the level of use of information technologies in public administration units in Poland. The principles of building a cybersecurity culture that can help ensure cyber resilience were discussed, especially in situations of dynamic changes in the functioning of public administration, such as the Covid-19 pandemic. Selected aspects of the Cybersecurity Strategy of the Republic of Poland for 2019-2024, which are to contribute to building a security culture in Poland, were also presented.

UNDERSTANDING CYBERCRIME AND YOUTH: A PERCEPTION BASED APPROACH

In recent years, the issue of cybercrime has overwhelmed everyone who is related to the internet in any capacity. Recent studies have shown that the incidents of cybercrime vastly involve youngsters, which has serious consequences for them as victims and as cyber offenders. The existing body of knowledge related to cybercrime focus upon various issues of internet in general and social media in particular. However, a thorough approach on the issues of cybercrime with relevance to youth is missing. Therefore, this study tries to fill this gap by offering youth and victim-based approach on the issues pertaining to cybercrime. For attaining this purpose, qualitative research approach was adopted in conducting this research project. Semi structured interviews were conducted with 40 young victims of cybercrime. The respondents were recruited through purposive sampling from district Peshawar of 18 to 25 years of age. Furthermore, the respondents were recruited from three clusters of district Peshawar namely Gul Bahar, Hayat Abad, and University town. Various dimensions of cybercrime and involvement of youth as victims and as criminals were explored. It can be concluded that the youth mostly experience cybercrime in the form of cyber bullying, blackmailing and hacking. Further, the findings suggest that many youngsters make their choices on social media and internet without being aware of cybercrimes and thus succumbed to cyber criminals. The participants also reiterated that lack of proper restrictions and policing have created a crime friendly zone for cyber criminals. Based on the findings and participant views, it is recommended that the government, relevant bodies, institutions, and all stake holders including youth should come forward and help in developing a research and technology driven policy backed by separate cybercrime policing system. Key Words: Cyber space, Cybercrime, Victimization, Cybercriminal, Youth

The Impact of Fear and Rational Appeal Scam Techniques on Individual Susceptibility

Scams remain among top cybercrime incidents happening around the world. Individuals with high susceptibility to persuasion are considered as risk-takers and prone to be scam victims. Unfortunately, limited number of research is done to investigate the relationship between appeal techniques and individuals' personality thus hindering a proper and effective campaigns that could help to raise awareness against scam. In this study, the impact of fear and rational appeal were examined as well as to identify suitable approach for individuals with high susceptibility to persuasion. To evaluate the approach, pretest and posttest surveys with 3 separate controlled laboratory experiments were conducted. This study found that rational appeal treatment has a significantly stronger impact than the fear appeal. This result is a starting point in suggesting that rational appeal is a promising means in persuading individuals with high susceptibility to persuasion.

Research Note: An Investigation of Cybercrime Victims’ Reporting Behavior

Abstract Even though the dark number is especially high for cybercrimes, it is unclear by whom and to whom cybercrime is reported. Therefore, this study will answer the following questions: (1) who reports cybercrime incidents, and (2) to whom do victims report cybercrime? Analyses based on survey data including 334 recent cybercrime victims, indicate that 73.4% of victims do not report the incident. Cybercrime victims who do report are significantly older. In addition, 40.4% of the reporting victims notified the police, while others contacted a wide diversity of organizations. Based on these results, awareness raising campaigns should especially encourage young victims to report cybercrime incidents to the police. It would moreover be useful to appoint and promote a more centralized reporting channel.

Cyber Place Management and Crime Prevention: The Effectiveness of Cybersecurity Awareness Training Against Phishing Attacks

Criminologists and crime prevention practitioners recognize the importance of geographical places to crime activities and the role that place managers might play in effectively preventing crime. Indeed, over the past several decades, a large body of work has highlighted the tendency for crime to concentrate across an assortment of geographic areas, where place management tends to be absent or weak. Nevertheless, there has been a paucity of research evaluating place management strategies and cybercrime within the virtual domain. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of place management techniques on reducing cybercrime incidents in an online setting. Using data derived from the information technology division of a large urban research university in the United States, this study evaluated the impact of an anti-phishing training program delivered to employees that sought to increase awareness and understanding of methods to better protect their “virtual places” from cybercrimes. Findings are discussed within the context of the broader crime and place literature.

Forensic Analysis of Tor Browser on Windows 10 and Android 10 Operating Systems

Smartphones and Internet have become prevalent in our society with various applications in businesses, education, healthcare, gaming, and research. One of the major issues with the Internet today is its lack of security since an eavesdropper can potentially intercept the communication. This has contributed towards an increased number of cyber-crime incidents, resulting in an increase in users’ consciousness about the security and privacy of their communication . One example is the shift towards using private browsers such as Tor. Tor is a well-recognized and widely used privacy browser based on The Onion Router network that provisions anonymity over the insecure Internet. This functionality of Tor has been a major hurdle in cybercrime investigations due to the complex nature of its anonymity. This paper investigates artifacts from the Tor privacy browser on the latest Windows 10 and Android 10 devices to determine potential areas where evidence can be found. We examine the registry, storage, and memory of Windows 10 devices and the memory, storage, logs, and Zram of Android 10 devices for three possible scenarios i.e. before, during, and after use of the Tor browser. Our results do not support the claims made by the Tor Project regarding user privacy and anonymity. We find that it is possible to retrieve significant details about a user’s browsing activities while the Tor browser is in use as well as after it is closed (on both operating systems). This paper also provides an investigative methodology for the acquisition and analysis of Tor browser artifacts from different areas of the targeted operating systems. Therefore, it can serve as a base to expand research in the forensic analysis of other privacy browsers and improve the efficiency of cybercrime investigations efficiency.

TINJAUAN PERISTIWA CYBER CRIME YANG TERJADI PADA TAHUN 2019 DI KOTA SAWAHLUNTO

Cyber ​​Crimeis a form of virtual crime by utilizing computer which connected to the internet network, and exploiting other devices or computers that is connected to the internet. Cybercrime was previously regulated in the regulation Number 36 Year 1999 concerning Telecommunications, however this regulation has not been able to accommodate virtual and computer crimes. To anticipate the development of information technology, regulation Number 19 Year 2016 concerning Amendments to regulation Number 11 of 2008 concerning Electronic Information and Transactions was issued. In Sawahlunto City in 2019, several cyber-crime incidents were found, such as online extortion, fraud through online , and theft of Wi-Fi wireless streams, therefore a research was conducted on how the cyber-crime events that occurred in Sawahlunto City in 2019 , regulations governing cyber, the causes and obstacles in handling the cyber-crime. The data used are secondary supporting data collected through library research and primary data as supporting data which is carried out through field studies with interview techniques. The results showed that: the discovery of cyber-crimes that occurred in Sawahlunto City in 2019 such as online extortion, online fraud and theft of Wi-Fi wireless streams, knowing the regulations on cyber-crime, namely the ITE Regulation and knowing the factors and obstacles in handling cyber-crimes that occurred in the City Sawahlunto in 2019.

Cyber-Situational Crime Prevention and the Breadth of Cybercrimes among Higher Education Institutions

Academic institutions house enormous amounts of critical information from social security numbers of students to proprietary research data. Thus, maintaining up to date cybersecurity practices to protect academic institutions’ information and facilities against cyber-perpetrators has become a top priority. The purpose of this study is to assess common cybersecurity measures through a situational crime prevention (SCP) theoretical framework. Using a national data set of academic institutions in the United States, this study investigates the link between common cybersecurity measures, crime prevention activities, and cybercrimes. By focusing on the conceptualization of cybersecurity measures as SCP techniques, this study also offers the SCP approach as a framework by which universities can seek to reduce incidents of cybercrime through the design, maintenance, and use of the built environment in the digital realm. Implications for theory, research and practice are discussed.

Cyber-Situational Crime Prevention and the Breadth of Cybercrimes among Higher Education Institutions

Academic institutions house enormous amounts of critical information from social security numbers of students to proprietary research data. Thus, maintaining up to date cybersecurity practices to protect academic institutions’ information and facilities against cyber-perpetrators has become a top priority. The purpose of this study is to assess common cybersecurity measures through a situational crime prevention (SCP) theoretical framework. Using a national data set of academic institutions in the United States, this study investigates the link between common cybersecurity measures, crime prevention activities, and cybercrimes. By focusing on the conceptualization of cybersecurity measures as SCP techniques, this study also offers the SCP approach as a framework by which universities can seek to reduce incidents of cybercrime through the design, maintenance, and use of the built environment in the digital realm. Implications for theory, research and practice are discussed.

Detection of Cyber Crime Incidents

Cyber-crime analysis involves the combination of past network attacks with new illegal patterns/acts. Singular cybercrime incidents are cases of individual criminal offences which are increasingly expanding according to the misconduct report furnished by independent regional initiative. In 2014, the Internet Complaint Centre issued 269,422 complaints of internet wrong doing. According to the Federal Investigation Bureau, there prevails a rise of 1600 percent crimes as compared to the 16,838 grumbles remembered for the underlying study. In an overall report published by PricewaterhouseCoopers the amount of data protection seems much lesser and is in pitiful condition. Around 2014, the crime rate in globe rose by 48 percent, with an average of 117,339 assaults per day. The proposed system can be explained by a description of recommended operations, contrasting steps and effective tactics that align with the form of offense and with a particular sequences of patterns. Such collaboration would allow better tracing, care for and mitigate incidents of cyber-crime.

Determinants of Cybercrime Originating within a Nation: A Cross-country Study

ABSTRACT8Cybercrimes have an adverse impact on the reputation and economy of a nation. This paper investigates the factors that affect the frequency of cybercrime originating within a country. These factors were grouped into three categories, namely, economic capital, technological capital, and cybersecurity preparedness. On analyzing the data from 124 countries, it emerges that the economic capital and technological capital of a country are the primary factors that influence the frequency of cybercrime originating within it. Technological capital also partially mediates the relationship between economic capital and the frequency of cybercrime originating within the nation. Furthermore, the cybersecurity preparedness of a nation negatively moderates the relationship between technological capital and frequency of cybercrime originating within it. The findings have significant implications for policymakers at the national level and managers at the organizational level concerning cybersecurity preparedness. They should focus on both hard (legal, technical, organizational) and soft (training and co-operational) aspects of cybersecurity preparation to minimize the incidence of cybercrime within a nation.

Exploring police-reported cybercrime in Canada

PurposePolice-reported incidents of cybercrime appear to vary dramatically across Canadian municipal police services. This paper explores cybercrime reporting by police services in eight of Canada's largest municipalities, assessing (1) variation over time; (2) variation across jurisdictions; and (3) correlates of reporting volumes.Design/methodology/approachData was collected from a combination of national Uniform Crime Report statistics and annual reports by police services. Two repeated one-way ANOVA tests and a Pearson's r correlation matrix were used to assess variation and correlation.FindingsFindings suggest that police-reported cybercrime varies significantly across jurisdictions but not over time. Moreover, negative relationships were observed between police-reported cybercrime incidents per 100,000 residents and calls for service per 100,000, as well as number of sworn officers per 100,000.Research limitations/implicationsThe study assessed a small sample of cities (N = 8) providing 32 data points, which inhibited robust multivariate analyses. Data also strictly represents calls to police services, therefore excluding alternative resolutions such as public–private interventions.Practical implicationsCanadian provincial and federal governments should consider engaging in high-level talks to harmonize cybercrime reporting strategies within frontline policing. This will mitigate disparity and provide more accurate representations of cybercrime for future policy development. Additionally, services should revisit internal policies and procedures, as it appears that cybercrime is deprioritized in high call volume situations.Originality/valueThis paper introduces previously unreported data about police-reported cybercrime incidents in Canada. Furthermore, it adds quantitative evidence to support previous qualitative studies on police responses to cybercrime.

Help, I need somebody: Examining the antecedents of social support seeking among cybercrime victims

An important portion of internet users have faced cybercrime in recent years. One successful strategy for dealing with cybercrime victimization is to seek social support. However, previous studies showed that only a limited number of victims reaches out to family or friends to ask for help after a cybercrime incident. The current study sought to gain a better understanding of victims’ social support seeking by exploring its antecedents. Specifically, the study took into account the role of (1) perception (i.e., perceived severity and perceived control), (2) primary responses (i.e., self-blame and denial), and (3) social capital (i.e., available [trusted] connections). Moreover, we explored the link between fear of cybercrime and these antecedents. Data collected from 334 cybercrime victims were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The findings indicated that victims with high perceived control and who ignore the incident, are less inclined to ask for help. Surprisingly, victims with high levels of self-blame are more likely to seek support. Moreover, we found that fear of crime is significantly related with perception and self-blame. Future awareness campaigns should stress that support seeking is part of the solution and should avoid placing the responsibility of victimization completely on the victim.

Bug Bounty Marketplaces and Enabling Responsible Vulnerability Disclosure

Cybercrime caused by exploited vulnerabilities bears a huge burden on societies. Most of these vulnerabilities are detectable, and the damage is preventable if software vendors and firms that deploy such software adopt right practices. Bug Bounty Programs (BBPs) by vendors and intermediaries are one of the most important creations in recent years, that helps software vendors to create marketplaces and to detect and prevent such exploits. This article develops the theory of BBPs and present a typology of BBPs using established theories of incentive compatibility and mechanism design. The authors empirically analyze the market creation function of BBPs using granular data from two different types of BBPs on a popular intermediary platform. The research findings suggest that BBPs are valuable opportunities to source vulnerabilities in software; nevertheless, the rate of disclosure and hacker participation marginally increases with vendor's rewards and other incentives. Similarly, the results show that security researchers are motivated to contribute to BBPs that offer higher remuneration and not just those programs with a higher likelihood for bug discovery. Our findings will help researchers and practitioners in information security and allied domains to develop a theoretical and empirical perspective of BBPs, and their usefulness to curb incidents of cybercrime.

Computer forensic analysis protocols review focused on digital evidence recovery in hard disks devices

Fourth Industrial Revolution includes cybersecurity as a key technology, given the increase in the number of devices connected to the Internet, the volume of relevant information available and the incidence of cybercrime on them. Among the lines of study of cybersecurity appears the computer forensic analysis, which seeks to reveal and analyze information in systems based on an analysis of digital evidence. This process involves a series of phases that ensure the integrity of the sources of information from beginning to end. Occupational studies in the area show a deficit of qualified and qualified personnel to cover the demand of processes related to this topic. In order to close this gap, the National Learning Service at Services and Business Management Center implements the Digital Forensic Laboratory. In this paper, workflows of computer forensic analysis procedures described in scientific documents are analyzed and a proposal of a protocol applicable to the laboratory is presented, which allows to rescue digital evidences of hard disks. A six-step procedure is proposed, ranging from the diagnosis of the case, to the presentation of results, through the collection of evidence, the copies of files, the analysis of data and the extraction of information.