The Cybercrime Triangle

Information technology can increase the convergence of three dimensions of the crime triangle due to the spatial and temporal confluence in the virtual world. In other words, its advancement can lead to facilitating criminals with more chances to commit a crime against suitable targets living in different real-world time zones without temporal and spatial orders. However, within this mechanism, cybercrime can be discouraged “…if the cyber-adversary is handled, the target/victim is guarded, or the place is effectively managed” (Wilcox & Cullen, 2018, p. 134). In fact, Madensen and Eck (2013) assert that only one effective controller is enough to prevent a crime. Given this condition of the crime triangle, it must be noted that each of these components (the offender, the target, and the place) or controllers (i.e., handler, guardian, and manager) can play a pivotal role in reducing cybercrime. To date, scholars and professionals have analyzed the phenomenon of cybercrime and developed cybercrime prevention strategies relying predominantly on cybercrime victimization (suitable targets) but have yet to utilize the broader framework of the crime triangle commonly used in the analysis and prevention of crime. More specifically, the dimensions of cybercrime offenders, places, or controllers have been absent in prior scientific research and in guiding the establishment and examination of cybercrime prevention strategies. Given this gap, much remains to be known as to how these conceptual entities operate in the virtual realm and whether they share similarities with what we know about other crimes in the physical world. Thus, the purpose of this study is to extend the application of the “Crime Triangle,” a derivative of Routine Activity Theory, to crime events in the digital realm to provide scholars, practitioners, and policy makers a more complete lens to improve understanding and prevention of cybercrime incidents. In other words, this dissertation will endeavor to devise a comprehensive framework for our society to use to form cybersecurity policies to implement a secure and stable digital environment that supports continued economic growth as well as national security. The findings of this study suggest that both criminological and technical perspectives are crucial in comprehending cybercrime incidents. This dissertation attempts to independently explore these three components in order to portray the characteristics of cybercriminals, cybercrime victims, and place management. Specifically, this study first explores the characteristics of cybercriminals via a criminal profiling method primarily using court criminal record documents (indictments/complaints) provided by the FIU law library website. Second, the associations between cybercrime victims, digital capable guardianship, perceived risks of cybercrime, and online activity are examined using Eurobarometer survey data. Third, the associations between place management activities and cybercrime prevention are examined using “Phishing Campaign” and “Cybersecurity Awareness Training Program” data derived from FIU’s Division of Information Technology

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

Empirical Assessment of Cyber Harassment Victimization via Cyber-Routine Activities Theory

Over the decades, the advance of the social networking sites and computer-mediated communication tools has facilitated cybercriminals to expand their scope of criminal activities from the physical world to the virtual realm. Cybercriminals can easily leverage the Internet to operate sexual crime such as cyber-harassment. This study aims to empirically assess cyber-harassment victimization in South Korea via Cyber-Routine Activities Theory (2008). Cyber-Routine Activities Theory includes five major tenets: 1) digital capable guardianship, 2) motivated offender online, 3) suitable target online, 4) online risky behavior, and 5) online vocational and leisure activities. Data were derived from the 2013 Korean Institute of Criminology’s survey, which is dedicated to examining Koreans’ social networking sites usages and its related online behaviors. The results suggest that risky online behaviors and inadequate cyber security on social networking sites substantially contribute to the overall cyber harassment victimization

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

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