Cybercrime and Threats PDF

CYBERCRIMES AND THREATS MUHANNAD ALRIHALI 2. Criminology OUTLINE Criminology Criminology Theory Applying Criminological Theories Cyber Crimes VS Traditional Crimes Cyber Harassment Q/A CRIMINOLOGY Criminology is the scientific study of crime, criminal behavior, and the crim...

CYBERCRIMES AND THREATS MUHANNAD ALRIHALI 2. Criminology OUTLINE Criminology Criminology Theory Applying Criminological Theories Cyber Crimes VS Traditional Crimes Cyber Harassment Q/A CRIMINOLOGY Criminology is the scientific study of crime, criminal behavior, and the criminal justice system. It involves examining the causes, prevention, and control of crime, as well as the social, psychological, and economic factors that contribute to criminal activity. Criminology also explores the impact of crime on victims and society, the effectiveness of laws and law enforcement, and the functioning of the penal and correctional systems. Criminologists use various theories and research methods to understand why individuals commit crimes and how society responds to criminal behavior. The field is interdisciplinary, drawing on knowledge from sociology, psychology, law, and other disciplines to analyze and address issues related to crime and justice. APPLYING CRIMINOLOGICAL THEORIES ON CYBER CRIMES Criminology Theory refers to a set of ideas and principles that aim to explain the causes of criminal behavior, the functioning of the criminal justice system, and the social responses to crime. These theories are used by criminologists to understand why individuals commit crimes, how criminal behavior can be prevented, and how society can best respond to crime and its consequences. Examples of criminological theories: Routine Activity Theory Social Learning Theory Victim Participation Theory ROUTINE ACTIVITY THEORY Routine Activity Theory is explained by the intersection of three factors. 1. Motivated offenders. 2. Availability of suitable target or victims. 3. The absence of capable guardians. Researchers have used this theory to gain an understanding of the relationship and/or interaction between the criminal and the victim (Cox, Johnson and Richards, 2009). This theory has been used for almost three decades to effectively explain causation across several categories of crime and continues to serve as the theoretical base for several practical explanations of contemporary criminal behavior. EXAMPLE OF ROUTINE ACTIVITY THEORY Motivated Offender: In cybercrime, motivated offenders could be hackers, cybercriminals, or malicious insiders who seek financial gain, data theft, or disruption. Suitable Target: Suitable targets in the cyber realm include individuals or organizations with valuable data, weak security practices, or vulnerabilities in their systems (e.g., unpatched software, weak passwords). I Absence of a Capable Guardian: The “guardian” could be robust cybersecurity measures like firewalls, encryption, multi-factor authentication, and security awareness training. A lack of these protections makes targets more vulnerable to attacks. Example: Phishing attacks often succeed because they target users who are unaware of security practices (suitable target) and lack strong cybersecurity defenses (absence of capable guardian), allowing a motivated offender to easily exploit them. SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY Ing Social Learning Theory is often combined with the cognitive learning theory which theorizes that learning is influenced by psychological factors and behavioral learning based on responses to environmental stimuli. For this theory to imply, there are four key requirements for learning: 1. Observation (environmental) 2. Retention (cognitive) 3. Reproduction (cognitive) 4. Motivation EXAMPLE OF SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY Observation (Environmental): Cybercriminals often learn by observing others in online environments, such as hacking forums, dark web marketplaces, or social media platforms where cybercrime techniques are discussed and demonstrated. Retention (Cognitive): After observing criminal behavior, the individual must retain this information. This involves remembering the steps, techniques, and strategies involved in committing cybercrimes, which are stored in memory for future use. Reproduction (Cognitive): The observed and retained behavior must be translated into action. This involves the ability to replicate the criminal techniques learned from others, which may require practice and refinement. Motivation: The key to whether the individual will actually commit the cybercrime. Motivation can stem from various factors, including financial gain, a desire for recognition in hacker communities, or ideological reasons. EXAMPLE OF SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY A young individual interested in technology stumbles upon a hacking forum where cybercriminal activities are regularly discussed and demonstrated (Observation). They become intrigued and start following tutorials on hacking techniques, storing this information for future use (Retention). After learning the basics, they start experimenting with hacking tools, attempting to replicate what they have learned (Reproduction). Their motivation is driven by the potential financial rewards of selling stolen data and the thrill of outsmarting security systems (Motivation). Eventually, this individual successfully executes a cyber attack, having fully internalized and acted on the behaviors they observed and learned. VICTIM PARTICIPATION THEORY Victim Participation Theory holds that certain victims make themselves targets for crime by engaging in actions that are confrontational or risky (active); or by simply being present in a location that provides a motivated offender with the opportunity to commit an offense (passive); or by engaging provocative behavior in a criminogenic environment. The victim may knowingly act in a provocative manner, uses fighting words or threats, or attacks first. The victim can display specific attributes, characteristics, or mannerism that unknowingly motivates or threatens the attacker. Victim precipitation may exist when an individual is part of a particular group that offends or threatens someone’s political, social, and economic security, status or reputation. EXAMPLE OF VICTIM PARTICIPATION THEORY Active Par ticipation: In some cases, victims might unintentionally facilitate cybercrimes through their actions. For example, clicking on a malicious link or downloading an unverified attachment can result in a malware infection, leading to data breaches or financial loss. BI Passive Par ticipation: Victims might also contribute to their victimization by neglecting basic cybersecurity practices, such as using weak passwords, not updating software, or ignoring security warnings. This passive participation can make them more vulnerable to cyberattacks. Example: A user who shares too much personal information on social media might become a target for social engineering attacks like phishing. Their active sharing of personal data (active participation) and failure to adjust privacy settings (passive participation) contribute to their victimization. CYBERCRIMES VS TRADITIONAL CRIME There are some studies that suggest that cybercrime offenders have the same demographics as traditional offenders. Cybercriminals, for example, are more likely to be men There are limitations to the usage and potential benefits offered by cyber criminology. For example, the absence of robust evidence about the extent, role, and nature of criminal actors in cyber space impedes the development of sound countermeasures Other limitations offered by researchers focus of the argument that cybercrime is not an entirely new form of contemporary and/or innovative genre of crime. For example, most of the cybercrime we see today simply represents the migration of traditional crime to cyberspace where cybercriminals use available technology to commit old crimes in new ways CRIMINOLOGY Watch this video! What is Criminology? A Crash Course CYBER HARASSMENT The use of digital technology has become an integral part of our lives. Any technology can be used for constructive or destructive purposes. Misuse of information and communication technology is an important ingredient of Cyber Crime. Among many offensive acts in cyberspace, online abuse/ harassment is a common phenomenon that directly or indirectly affects cyberspace users of diverse age groups. Cyber Harassment is defined as a repeated, unsolicited, hostile behavior by a person through cyberspace with a intent to terrify, intimidate, humiliate, threaten, harass or stalk someone. Any harassment caused through electronic media is considered to have a similar impact as traditional offence of harassment. It can be done through various means of ICT as depicted. CATEGORIES OF CYBER HARASSMENT Cyber Cyber Cyber bullying Teasing Stalking CYBERBULLYING Cyberbullying is an act of sending, posting or sharing negative, harmful, false or demeaning content regarding others. Sharing personal or private information which could cause embarrassment or humiliation to others too falls under the ambit of Cyberbullying. It takes place through digital devices such as cell phones, computers, and tablets via services such as SMS, texts, Apps, social media platforms, online forums and gaming where people can view, participate or share content. EXAMPLES OF CYBERBULLYING Posting nasty or humiliating content or comments about an individual online Publishing an embarrassing or demeaning photo or video Creating a fake profile of another individual Online threats provoking an individual to harm/kill himself or hurt someone else Triggering religious, racial, regional, ethnic or political vitriol online by posting hate comments or content EXAMPLES OF CYBERBULLYING Using other’s identity online to ask for or post personal or fake, demeaning, embarrassing information about someone Repeatedly harming a player’s character, asking for monetary exchange, ganging up on a player or using personal information to make direct threats Posting online stories, pictures, jokes, or cartoons that are intended to embarrass or humiliate others. MOTIVITIES BEHIND CYBERBULLYING To gain popularity and influence within the dominant social circle Sometimes bullies do it to take revenge Many cyberbullies perform their actions for pure entertainment To isolate the victim CYBER TEASING CYBER TEASING Cyber teasing is an attitude, a mindset, a pattern of behavior and/or actions that are construed as an insult and an act of humiliation to the target. Generally, it is the harassment of women by strangers in public places, streets and public transport but when a similar crime occurs using means of ICT then it is called Cyber Teasing. CYBER TEA SI NG EXAMPLES OF CYBER TEASING Sending, sharing, posting vulgar/defamatory/ embarrassing/ harmful/ false messages or information via the below means: Social Media (Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter etc.) SMS (text messages from the cellular network) Instant Message Services (WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instant Message etc.) E-mail MOTIVITIES BEHIND CYBER TEASING For gaining attention Exacerbate feeling of shame and humiliation Out of revenge CYBER STALKING Cyberstalking is the usage of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to stalk, control, manipulate or habitually threaten a minor, an adult or a business group. Cyberstalking is both an online assailant tactic and typology of psychopathological ICT users. Cyberstalking includes direct or implied threats of physical harm, habitual surveillance and gathering information to manipulate and control a target. EXAMPLES OF CYBER STALKING Leaving harassing or threatening messages in the guestbook, on the victim’s website, social media profile, or blog Sending inappropriate electronic greeting cards to the victim Posting personal advertisements in the victim’s name Creating websites, profiles, or other accounts that contain messages to threaten or harass the victim or creating circumstances as if the victim created a particular website that contains provocative or pornographic photographs Hate speech, i.e. the language that denigrates, insults, threatens or targets an individual based on their identity and other traits (such disability or religion etc.) EXAMPLES OF CYBER STALKING Accessing the victim’s e-mail or social media accounts to find the victim’s personal information, read e-mails and messages, or change passwords Impersonating the victim’s online identity to harm reputation or relationships Monitoring the victim’s movements using GPS, tracking apps or spyware Ordering goods or services: Ordering items or subscribe to magazines in the victim’s name MOTIVITIES BEHIND CYBER STALKING Jealousy Obsession and attraction Erotomania Revenge and hatred MEANS OF CYBER HARASSMENT E-mail Social Media/Networking (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Twitter, YouTube etc.) Website Instant Messages Web-based SMS MMS Online Games Q/A THANK YOU FOR LISTENING ANY QUESTIONS?