The Future of Cybercrime Prevention Strategies: Human Factors and A Holistic Approach to Cyber Intelligence

New technology is rapidly emerging to fight increasing cybercrime threats, however, there is one important component of a cybercrime that technology cannot always impact and that is human behavior. Unfortunately, humans can be vulnerable and easily deceived making technological advances alone inadequate in the cybercrime fight. Instead, we must take a more holistic approach by using technology and better understanding the human factors that make cybercrime possible. In this issue of the International Journal of Cybersecurity Intelligence and Cybercrime, three studies contribute to our knowledge of human factors and emerging cybercrime technology so that more effective comprehensive cybercrime prevention strategies can be developed

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

Juvenile Hackers: An Empirical Test of Self-Control Theory and Social Bonding Theory

In accordance with a similar growth in information technology, computer hacking has become a pervasive issue as a form of crime worldwide in recent years. Self-control theory and social bonding theory have frequently been employed to explain various types of crimes, but rarely to explore computer hacking. Drawing from Gottfredson and Hirschi’s (1990) self-control theory and Hirschi’s (1969) social bonding theory, the purpose of this study is to empirically examine the suitability of these two theories in explaining juvenile computer hacking offenses. The self-report survey data utilized for the present study was derived from middle school and high school students in the United States, Russia, Spain, Venezuela, France, Hungary, Germany, and Poland. The current study hypothesizes that hackers’ self-control and social bonding are significant predictors for the commission of computer hacking offenses. The findings of this study provide strong support for Gottfredson and Hirschi’s (1990) self-control theory. In addition, the findings can be interpreted as partially supportive of Hirschi’s (1969) social bonding theory. The authors conclude with a discussion on policy implications

Malware Infections in the U.S. during the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Empirical Study

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the world in many ways, especially in the landscape of cyber threats. The pandemic has pro-vided cybercriminals with more opportunities to commit crimes due to more people engaging in online activities, along with the increased use of computers for school, work, and social events. The current study seeks to explore cybercrime trends, in particular malware infections, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, this study examines the relationship between the number of malware in-fections, COVID-19 positive cases, closed non-essential businesses, and closed K-12 public schools in the United States. Data utilized in this study derives from (1) Kaspersky Cyberthreat Real-Time Map, (2) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and (3) COVID-19 US State Policy Database over the course of six months from January of 2020 to June of 2020. The findings of this study reveal that there are associations between the number of malware infections, COVID-19 positive cases, and closed non-essential busi-nesses. However, interestingly, there is no link between the number of malware infections and closed K-12 public schools. Policy impli-cations and the limitations of this study are also discussed

Derivation of Chondrogenically-Committed Cells from Human Embryonic Cells for Cartilage Tissue Regeneration

Background: Heterogeneous and uncontrolled differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) in embryoid bodies (EBs) limits the potential use of hESCs for cell-based therapies. More efficient strategies are needed for the commitment and differentiation of hESCs to produce a homogeneous population of specific cell types for tissue regeneration applications. Methodology/Principal Findings: We report here that significant chondrocytic commitment of feeder-free cultured human embryonic stem cells (FF-hESCs), as determined by gene expression and immunostaining analysis, was induced by coculture with primary chondrocytes. Furthermore, a dynamic expression profile of chondrocyte-specific genes was observed during monolayer expansion of the chondrogenically-committed cells. Chondrogenically-committed cells synergistically responded to transforming growth factor-b1 (TGF-b1) and b1-integrin activating antibody by increasing tissue mass in pellet culture. In addition, when encapsulated in hydrogels, these cells formed cartilage tissue both in vitro and in vivo. In contrast, the absence of chondrocyte co-culture did not result in an expandable cell population from FF-hESCs. Conclusions/Significance: The direct chondrocytic commitment of FF-hESCs can be induced by morphogenetic factor

Youth hackers and adult hackers in south korea: An application of cybercriminal profiling

© 2019 IEEE. Modern societies across the globe rely more on technology every day. While such advances have made some aspects of life easier, there is an increasing risk of cybercrime that can jeopardize national security and economic vitality. The purpose of this study is to build cybercriminal profiles in order to better predict future cyber-Threats and create a more targeted prevention strategy for South Korea. The FBI\u27s criminal profiling analysis is employed. Data were derived from court records and news media documents reporting computer hacking incidents in South Korea between 2010 and 2019. Our analysis shows that there are differences in motivations, attack methods, and accomplices in computer hacking incidents between youth and adult hackers. Policy implications are discussed

Exploring humanistic burden of fatigue in adults with multiple sclerosis: an analysis of US National Health and Wellness Survey data

Abstract Background This retrospective study examined the humanistic burden of fatigue in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), compared with adults without MS, using data from the 2017 and 2019 US National Health and Wellness Survey. Methods The 5-item Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS-5) was used to assess level of fatigue (MFIS-5 score <15: low fatigue [LF]; MFIS-5 score ≥15: high fatigue [HF]) in patients with RRMS. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) measures (Short Form 36-Item Health Survey version 2, Euroqol-5 Dimensions-5 Levels [EQ-5D-5L], Patient Health Questionnaire-9 [PHQ-9], Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 [GAD-7], Perceived Deficits Questionnaire-5) and treatment-related characteristics were assessed. Results In total, 498 respondents were identified as RRMS (n=375 RRMS+LF, n=123 RRMS+HF) and compared with 1,494 matched non-MS controls. RRMS+LF and RRMS+HF had significantly lower Short Form 6 Dimensions health utility, Mental and Physical Component Summary, and EQ-5D-5L scores and higher PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores, compared with matched non-MS controls (all p<0.001); scores were worse for RRMS+HF than RRMS+LF across all measures (all p<0.001). A higher proportion of RRMS+HF reported moderate-to-severe depression and moderate-to-severe anxiety, compared with RRMS+LF and matched non-MS controls (both p<0.001). Fatigue was a significant predictor of poor HRQoL across all measures (all p<0.001). Conclusions Patients with RRMS experienced lower HRQoL with higher levels of fatigue, highlighting an unmet need. Results may help to inform physician-patient communication and shared decision-making to address fatigue and its associated impact on patients’ HRQoL

Victimization in Cyberspace: Is It How Long We Spend Online, What We Do Online, or What We Post Online?:

Prior research on cybercrime victimization has generally emphasized the linkage between the frequency or actual length of time individuals spend online engaging in certain activities and the risk of being victimized in cyberspace but has paid much less attention to what persons actually share or post online that increases the risk of online victimization. To address this gap, we appeal to the integrated lifestyle–routine activities theory in order to examine the relationships between the length of time one spends online (online frequency), specific activities or tasks one engages in while online (online activity), specific types of information one shares online (online posting), and seven specific forms of cybercrime victimization using a convenience sample of students. Results showed that one online frequency variable (internet hours), six online activity variables (banking, reading news, shopping, planning travel, socializing, and communicating with stranger), and three online posting variables (phone number, home address, and other info) were significantly related to five of the seven forms of cybercrime victimization (computer virus, harassment by nonstranger unwanted porn, sex solicitation, and phishing). Implications for our findings and directions for future research are discussed