Editorial introduction to the special issue: Supporting future scholarship on cybercrime

This editorial introduction will present an overview of the three papers published in this special issue of the International Journal of Cybersecurity Intelligence and Cybercrime. The winners of the student paper competition during the 2021 Whitehat Conference have prepared their papers for this special issue. Their research directs our attention to key issues regarding cybercrime that have often been overlooked in the literature ranging from North Korean cyberterrorism to the relationship between COVID-19 and cybercrime and to fear of online victimization.

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.

Level of Engagement with Social Networking Services and Fear of Online Victimization: The Role of Online Victimization Experiences

Prior research indicates that fear of crime may lessen a person’s quality of life by leading them to avoid participating in social activities. The current study explores the relationship between fear of online victimization and participants’ levels of engagement with social networking services (SNS). Using data from a survey of 1,000 adolescents and adults aged 14 to 59 years, the direct relationship between the level of engagement on SNS and fear of online victimization and the indirect relationship through prior victimization were assessed. Findings show that the direct effect of the level of engagement on SNS on victimization experience was significant. In addition, the relationship between the level of engagement and the fear of victimization on SNS was significantly mediated through prior victimization experiences on SNS. These findings support the hypothesis that greater exposure on SNS increases online victimization, leading to a greater fear of victimization on SNS. Considering the large role SNS play in social activities and relationships, the findings are important for understanding how victimization impacts fear and may help inform policymakers how to help people stay engaged freely in socializing in a safer online environment.

North Korean Cyber Attacks and Policy Responses: An Interdisciplinary Theoretical Framework

Study conducts a qualitative analysis of the objectives, forms, current trends, and characteristics of North Korean cyber terror attacks and suggests a way to ensure further progress towards a successful international policy response. Despite the capricious changes that have recently occurred within the international political atmosphere, North Korea continues to constitute a threat to international stability through its ongoing advancement of nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic missiles. The difficulty of attribution and the relatively low costs associated with launching cyber offensives make cyber terrorism an attractive option for North Korea. In an effort to direct attention to these circumstances, this study aims to share explicit experts’ perspectives in the field of cyberterrorism in South Korea. Consequently, the study purports to contribute to existing academic discussion and practices on cyber terror and cybercrime. Furthermore, this study adopts perspectives from criminological theoretical frameworks and the network theory of world politics to substantiate a more comprehensive view of North Korea’s cyberterrorism which considers the multifaceted and asymmetrical nature of cyberterrorism within the context of postmodern international politicsfections.

Assessing the Credibility of Cyber Adversaries

Online communications are ever increasing, and we are constantly faced with the challenge of whether online information is credible or not. Being able to assess the credibility of others was once the work solely of intelligence agencies. In the current times of disinformation and misinformation, understanding what we are reading and to who we are paying attention to is essential for us to make considered, informed, and accurate decisions, and it has become everyone’s business. This paper employs a literature review to examine the empirical evidence across online credibility, trust, deception, and fraud detection in an effort to consolidate this information to understand adversary online credibility – how do we know with whom we are conversing is who they say they are? Based on this review, we propose a model that includes examining information as well as user and interaction characteristics to best inform an assessment of online credibility. Limitations and future opportunities are highlighted.

Cyber-victimization Trends in Trinidad & Tobago: The Results of An Empirical Research

Cybertechnology has brought benefits to the Caribbean in the form of new regional economic and social growth. In the last years, Caribbean countries have also become attractive targets for cybercrime due to increased economic success and online presence with a low level of cyber resilience. This study examines the online-related activities that affect cybercrime victimization by using the Routine Activity Theory (RAT). The present study seeks to identify activities that contribute to different forms of cybercrime victimization and develop risk models for these crimes, particularly the understudied cyber-dependent crimes of Hacking and Malware. It also aims to explore if there are similarities or differences in factors leading to victimization, which correlate to the classification of crimes as either cyber-dependent or cyber-enabled. The data analysis suggests that there is significant applicability for RAT in explaining Online Harassment victimization, while the usability of the RAT for predicting Malware victimization proved to be minimal, with only two significant variables being identified, with both being associated with Capable Guardianship.

The Challenges of Identifying Dangers Online and Predictors of Victimization

This short paper will provide an overview of the impressive pieces included in this issue of the International Journal of Cybersecurity Intelligence and Cybercrime. This issue includes articles on the following pertinent topic, utilizing a range of approaches and methodologies: 1) online credibility; 2) cyberbullying; and 3) unauthorized access of information. An emphasis on the importance of policy development and better protection of potential victims is a common thread throughout the issue.

Cyberbullying: Its Social and Psychological Harms Among Schoolers

Criminal justice around the world has prioritized the prevention and protection of bullying and its victims due to the rapid increases in peer violence. Nevertheless, relatively few studies have examined what treatments or assistance are effective for peer victims to reduce and recover from their social and psychological suffering, especially in cyberbullying cases. Using data derived from the National Crime Victimization Survey-School Crime Supplement data in 2011 and 2013 (N=823), the current study examined the impact of two emotional support groups (i.e., adult and peer groups) on cyberbullying victims' social and psychological harm. The findings indicated that both adult and peer support reduced social and psychological harm inflicted by cyberbullying victimization. Based on these findings, the study recommends developing or modifying existing adult and peer support groups to minimize victims' social and psychological distress.

Proposal for the Development and Addition of a Cybersecurity Assessment Section into Technology Involving Global Public Health

This paper discusses and proposes the inclusion of a cyber or security risk assessment section during the course of public health initiatives involving the use of information and communication computer technology. Over the last decade, many public health research efforts have included information technologies such as Mobile Health (mHealth), Electronic Health (eHealth), Telehealth, and Digital Health to assist with unmet global development health needs. This paper provides a background on the lack of documentation on cybersecurity risks or vulnerability assessments in global public health areas. This study suggests existing frameworks and policies be adopted for public health. We also propose to incorporate a simple assessment toolbox and a research paper section intended to help minimize cybersecurity and information security risks for public, non-profit, and healthcare organizations.