CybercrimeCybercriminals are not as “anonymous” as we think

Understanding a cybercriminal’s backstory - where they live, what they do and who they know, is key to cracking cybercrime, new research suggests.

Online crime is of course online, but there is also a surprisingly strong offline and local dimension. Cybercriminals are often seen as faceless, international, computer masterminds, who are almost impossible to identify or understand as a result. But, according to new Oxford University research, contextualizing their threat and motivations is key to stopping them. The culprits exist within certain locations, and understanding these locales and the economic situation of those living in them, would help the police to better understand, investigate and counter cybercrime.

In new research published in the journal Policing, researchers working on the Human Cybercriminal Project in Oxford’s Department of Sociology explored the local and offline dimension of cybercrime. The work suggests hubs of cybercrime are underpinned by frameworks that to a degree, explain how the crime has become so prevalent there. Co-author Dr. Jonathan Lusthaus, said: “understanding the human aspects of cybercriminals -where they live, what they do, who they know, how they are organized and operate - is key to addressing the problem in a more complete way”.

Oxford notes that while cybercrime is a global problem, it is clear that certain regions like Eastern Europe play an outsize role. The study focuses on Romania and certain towns within it. The paper investigates why Internet fraud is such a problem in the country and finds a number of key factors at play. Understanding a country’s infrastructure, economic situation and level of corruption, is vital. Considered together, these factors may help make sense of why cybercrime is so rampant in some societies and not others.