Prior research on network attacks is predominantly technical, yet little is known about behavioral patterns of attackers inside computer systems. This study adopts a criminological perspective to examine these patterns, with a particular focus on data thieves targeting organizational networks. By conducting …

Previous quantitative studies applying Routine Activity Theory (RAT) to cybercrime victimization produced mixed results. Through semi-structured interviews with cybersecurity experts, the current study aims to qualitatively reevaluate the applicability of RAT to cyber-dependent crime, specifically data …

This dissertation focuses on the question how money mules are recruited and which mechanisms play a role. Money mules are people who receive money from victims of online fraud. They are an indispensable link in the commission of financial-economic cybercrimes, such as phishing and bank helpdesk fraud, …

Crime script analysis as a methodology to analyse criminal processes is underdeveloped. This is apparent from the various approaches in which scholars apply crime scripting and present their cybercrime scripts. The plethora of scripting methods raise significant concerns about the reliability and validity …

Criminal expertise plays a crucial role in the choices offenders make when committing a crime, including their modus operandi. However, our knowledge about criminal decision making online remains limited. Drawing on insights from cyber security, we conceptualize the cybercrime commission process as the …

Hacktivism represents the promotion in the cyber landscape of ideo-logically motivated agendas using hacking techniques. Despiteresearch on the topic has provided some clues on how hacktivistnetworks develop, the processes behind their evolution remain mostlyunknown. This gap in the literature prompted …

The organizational aspects of hacktivist networks are seldom studied, withresearch mainly focused on exploratory and descriptive case studies. Tonarrow the gap, we have used the sociological model for the social organiza-tion of deviants developed by Best and Luckenbill (1994). Said model illus-trates …

The outbreak of the COVID-19 virus in December 2019 and the restrictive measures that were implemented to slow down the spread of the virus have had a significant impact on our way of life. The sudden shift from offline to online activities and work may have resulted in new cybersecurity risks. The present …

Wat kenmerkt de cybercriminele netwerken die verantwoordelijk zijn voor geldezeldelicten en wat zijn aangrijpingspunten voor de aanpak van deze cybercriminele netwerken?

Online fraude is een veelvoorkomende vorm van criminaliteit. De gevolgen hiervan kunnen groot zijn. Slachtoffers rapporteren niet alleen financiële problemen, nog vaker leidt het volgens slachtoffers tot emotionele problemen zoals een afgenomen vertrouwen en gevoelens van schuld, schaamte en boosheid. …