Interdisciplinary Cybercrime Project

ongoing

The Interdisciplinary Cybercrime Project (iCrime) is an innovative research program incorporating expertise from criminology and computer science to develop and evaluate cybercrime responses. iCrime consists of four major interconnected components to research cybercrime using the offender, the crime type, the place (such as online black markets), and the response as discrete units of analysis. The pathways of cybercrime offenders will be explored, such as how they begin offending, and why they stop, including similarities and differences across populations. The steps and skills required to successfully undertake complex forms of cybercrime will be mapped out. We will also analyse the social dynamics and economies surrounding cybercrime markets and forums, and how these evolve. We will use the findings from the first three components to inform situational and social crime prevention initiatives. In the fourth component, we will use robust experimental designs to evaluate the effects of these interventions, measuring their impact on crime reduction, as well as how offenders and their methods adapt and displace as a result. We will work with law enforcement and industry to build evaluation into their implementation strategy. We will also use natural experiments to measure the effects of interventions ‘in the wild’. The project is flexible in nature, enabling us to respond to new cybercrime issues as they emerge. Cybercrime offenders are innovative and change monetising techniques rapidly. This approach will be valuable for quickly understanding cybercrime techniques. Within iCrime, we will develop tools to identify and measure criminal infrastructure at scale. Difficult challenges will be tackled by using and developing unique datasets, and designing novel methodologies. This is particularly important as cybercrime changes dynamically. We will be at the forefront of new developments as they arise. Overall, our approach will be evaluative, critical, and data driven.