Hybrid VFT/Delphi Method to Facilitate the Development of Information Security Strategies in Developing Countries

As systems become more interconnected the vulnerability to cyber attack also increases. The increased use of information and communication technology (ICT) in developing countries and the dangers associated with interconnectivity grows equally. The lack of an established guideline for information security planning and execution in developing countries further complicates this problem. There is the need for a holistic approach to information security planning. This study will use a combination of the Value Focused Thinking methodology and the measured Delphi Method to develop a framework that can assist decision makers and stakeholders in developing countries to craft and execute their information security strategies

On the Use of Data Mining Techniques for Crime Profiling

Crime is today a salient fact, an integral part of the risks we face in everyday life. The concern about national andinternational security has increased significantly since the incident of September 11th, 2001 attacks. However, informationoverload thwarts the effective and efficient analysis of criminal activities. Application of data mining in the context of lawenforcement and intelligence analysis holds the promise of solving such problems. The benefit of data mining for policeseems tremendous, yet only a few limited applications are documented. Data mining can be used to model crime detectionproblems. Any research that can help in solving crimes faster will pay for itself. This paper gives reviews current trends inprofiling crime using data mining techniques. We proposed the use of clustering algorithm as a data mining approach to helpdetect the crimes patterns and speed up the process of solving crime.Key words: Crime, profiling, data mining, criminals, attacks and detectio

The Impact of cyber crime on e-commerce and regulation in Kenya, South Africa and the United Kingdom

A Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Degree of Master of Laws, at Strathmore UniversityAs the use of the internet increases across the world, it becomes imperative to be aware of the ways in which economies can benefit from such use and to be equally aware of the impediments to the maximisation of these benefits. Cybercriminal activity is considered to be one of the impediments to the economic growth promised by e-commerce. This study seeks to examine the impact of cybercrime on e-commerce and regulation, a research direction that has potential to provide insight in respect of the mechanisms meant to safeguard against cybercrime. The study underscores the need to direct more robust efforts towards combating cybercrime in both Kenya and South Africa, an idea that could lead to significant contribution to the growth of African economies (namely Africa). This study is mainly underpinned by the Routine Activity Theory. A descriptive research design is employed. The study relies on reviews of relevant documents which include but are not limited to: legislation, case law, international law instruments. With these materials, an analysis has been carried out to interrogate cybercrime and cybersecurity and the way in which these concepts relate to each other in the context of e-commerce, and the extent to which they impact e-commerce and regulation. The findings reveal that while Africa is ahead of the international landscape in developing legislation, there are efficient mechanisms used internationally that African (mainly in Kenya and South Africa) dispensations can apply to her context. Future studies on this topic could broaden the scope of the study by exploring the impact of cybercriminal activity on Small Medium Enterprises which have also been identified as significant contributors to African economies

A criminological investigation into the lived experiences of cybercrime perpetrators in southwest Nigeria.

Doctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.Internet fraud, also known as ‘yahoo-yahoo’, has become very popular in Nigeria, especially among the youth. Adopting a qualitative research design through a phenomenological lens, this study investigates the experiences of cybercrime perpetrators, otherwise known as ‘yahoo-boys’, in Nigeria. It seeks to understand the factors influencing and sustaining youth involvement in cyber criminality in Nigeria. Painstaking in-depth interviews were conducted with 29 yahoo-boys across three cities in Nigeria namely, Lagos, Ibadan and Ado-Ekiti. The study adopts the arguments of Robert Merton’s Strain Theory and Rational Choice Theory as a theoretical framework. Findings suggest that poverty, unemployment, corrupt political leadership and law enforcement, failure of vital social institutions to meet the needs of most of the population, as well as the proliferation of internet service providers have all merged to create a booming business of cybercrime in Nigeria. Narratives of yahoo-yahoo among the yahoo-boys vary from some admitting that it is a criminal act to others seeing it as an opportunity to escape the harsh socio-economic realities of Nigeria. Some also see it as an avenue for retribution and the redistribution of wealth. Some of these yahoo-boys believe that because most of their victims are based in rich western countries, they are taking revenge for the years of exploitation and oppression Africa has suffered through slavery and colonialism. Yahoo-yahoo is maintained and sustained through a highly sophisticated network of inter-continental groups of individuals and interests pooling resources together and sharing information and skills with the intent to defraud harmless individuals, business organisations and government parastatals across the globe. They pass on their skills and knowledge to recruits who, most times, consider themselves lucky to be joining the bandwagon through a structured system of apprenticeship and mentorship. The entire network of yahoo-yahoo is built on reliance and collaboration, and more recently has begun exploring elements of the supernatural- spiritualism, to boost the trade. It was brought to the fore that the efforts of the government to curb this illicit trade have been marred by corruption. Therefore, the study concludes that yahoo-yahoo is an endemic problem in Nigeria that requires a broad, systemic, and multi-level intervention. The proliferation of yahoo-yahoo in the country does not just bring to the fore the consequences of the harsh socio-economic reality Nigerians endure, but its normalisation as an inescapable reality for some young people among various groups of people show the decadence that has pervades in the country’s moral norms and ethical codes. To address the problem there is the need for an attitudinal change. Yahoo-yahoo must be labelled as a crime and not an avenue to escape poverty or get retribution. The government must address unemployment, invest in poverty reduction initiatives, and provide better remuneration across the board. There will be a further need to purge the Nigerian law enforcement agencies of corruption and constantly (re)train its officers on how to handle cybercrime. If initiatives such as sport development programmes and skills acquisition programmes are part of the education curriculum, young people will have the opportunity to develop capacity in other conforming areas of life that could yield a better remuneration in their adult life