cybercrime research topics

140 Interesting Cybercrime Research Topics To Focus On

Table of Contents

Do you have to submit a cybercrime research paper? Are you looking for the best cybercrime research topics for your law assignments? Well, to help you out, here, we have compiled a list of interesting essays and research topic ideas on cybercrimes. Continue reading this blog post and gain unique ideas for writing a cybercrime research paper or an essay.

What is a Cybercrime?

Cybercrime is a criminal activity that is committed using a computer, a network, or a networked device. In recent times, the internet plays a vital role in the daily life of an individual. Particularly, a lot of financial transactions and data sharing are happening over the internet. So, considering that many cybercrimes are being carried out by cybercriminals for generating a profit. Basically, cybercrimes are of three categories.

• Crimes in which the computer is used as a weapon. E.g., launching a denial-of-service (DoS) attack, or malware attack.
• Crimes in which a computer or networked device is a target. E.g., gaining network access.
• Crimes in which a computer is used as an accessory to a crime. E.g., data theft, cyberstalking.

Under the above-mentioned categories, different types of cybercrimes are being carried out by cybercriminals. Cybercrimes include both monetary and non-monetary offenses. Mostly, cybercrimes result in damage to an individual, a device, or a government.

List of Cybercrimes

In the entire world, plenty of cybercrimes are happening. The masterminds behind all those dangerous crimes are the hackers with strong hacking and technical knowledge. Mainly, cybercrimes are carried out at locations where there is digital data.

Here is a list of some widely carried out cybercrimes across the world.

• Cyber Bullying
• Cyber Grooming
• Child Pornography
• Cyber Stalking
• Online Job Fraud
• Online Sextortion
• SIM Swap Scam
• Credit Card/Debit Card Fraud
• Impersonation/Identity Theft
• Viruses, Trojans, and Worms
• Online Drug Trafficking
• Data Breach
• Cryptojacking
• Cyber-Squatting
• Website Defacement

In order to prevent cybercrimes and reduce the risk of cyberattacks, cyber security is practiced. Also, to handle all the cybercrimes, each country has a separate cybercrime department and they follow strict cyber laws.

Cybercrime Research Topics and Ideas

Nowadays, a lot of questions are being raised about cybercrimes. To get answers for them all, conducting research is the only option. In case, you are asked to craft a cybercrime research paper on the topic of your preference, consider any topic related to common cybercrime cases such as personal data theft, financial theft, cyber-extortion, drug trafficking, and terrorism.

Are you a law student who has a keen interest to analyze and study cybercrimes? If yes, then the list of the best cybercrime research topics recommended below will be helpful to you. Without any hesitation, explore the full list and select any topic that is comfortable for you to analyze and write about.

Best Cybercrime Research Topics

• What is the role of America in protecting corporations from cybercrime?
• Have a close look at cybercrime, cyber forensics, and digital evidence.
• Is cybercrime the top IT threat?
• Write about the necessity of cyber security in preventing cybercrimes.
• Discuss the international laws and regulations related to cybercrime.
• Explain the effects of the UAE Cybercrime policy.
• What are the toolkits used in cybercrimes?
• Discuss the cybercrimes in Singapore.
• Write about UAE cybercrime laws.
• Explain the impact of cybercrime on the global criminal justice system.
• Have a detailed look at international cyberwar.
• Talk about Cybercrimes in the US.
• Discuss identity theft and cybercrime in contemporary society.
• Explain the significance of digital education and creating awareness of cybercrime.
• What are the effects of cybercrime on the world’s major countries?
• Explain UAE cybercrime laws.
• What is the need for cyber security in preventing cybercrimes?
• Discuss the role of America in protecting corporations from cybercrime.
• Importance of raising cybercrime awareness and digital education
• Analyze some recent cases of cybercrime in the banking industry and its consequences
• Discuss the impact of IP (intellectual property) rights, cyber piracy, and cybercrime on domestic and international business with the latest examples
• Critically analyze the degree and frequency of cybercrime in the United States
• Analyse the Cybercrime Legislation Amendment Act 2012(Cth) (CLAA)
• Compare and contrast the cybercrime prevention laws in India and the United Kingdom
• Analyze the Cybersecurity Laws and Regulations Report 2023 USA
• What are the key measures to undertake by a company to protect the cloud computing environment from cybersecurity issues?
• Identify and analyze the components of broadband industry structure and cybercrime
• Discuss the relationship between cybercrime, the economy, privacy, hacking, and terrorism

Good Cybercrime Essay Topics

• What are all the effects of cybercrime on the world’s major countries?
• Discuss the cybercrimes in the healthcare industry.
• Explain the developments in hacking.
• Discuss the trends of the future of good cybercrime.
• Write about Cybercrimes in Australia.
• What are the impacts of cybercrime on the banking industry?
• Is identity theft a cybercrime?
• Should capital punishment be given for cybercrime?
• Discuss the solutions for cybercrimes in Information Technology.
• Talk about cybercrime and social media.
• Explain the cybercrime challenges in public universities.
• Have a closer look at business fraud and cybercrime.
• Write about cybercrimes in India.
• Discuss terrorist cyberattacks with an example.
• Explain the impact of cybercrime on a government.
• Discuss the five biggest cyber security trends in 2022
• Remote working risks of cybersecurity
• Importance of Password-only Authentication in restricting cybercrime
• The Rise of Ransomware: Discuss

Unique Cybercrime Research Topics

• How to explain cybercrime using criminological theories ?
• How does crypto jacking work?
• Track the evolution of online scams.
• Analyze the implications of the Cyberpunk 2077 leak.
• How do cybercrimes afflict retail shops?
• What are man-in-the-middle attacks?
• What are the various phases of a DDoS attack?
• How to mitigate a denial-of-service attack?
• Analyze the success rate of email scams.
• Describe the working of WannaCry malware.
• Describe what happens during a Brute Force attack.
• How does ransomware work?
• How to protect children from cyberbullying?
• Have a closer look at big data and increased cybercrimes.
• Compare various types of fraud methods.
• What are identity theft and cybercrime in contemporary society
• Discuss the statistics on cybercrime as well as Fraud

Outstanding Cybercrime Essay Questions

• How to fight cybercrimes?
• Discuss the predictive models in cybercrime investigation.
• What are the major reasons for cybercrimes?
• What is hacking?
• How to avoid hacking?
• Whose responsibility is cybercrime?
• Discuss the cost of cybercrime and digital spying.
• How does cybercrime affect domestic and foreign business?
• How to investigate cybercrime?
• Discuss the link between fraud and invisible attackers.

Top-rated Cybercrime Research Topics

• Explain the difference between pharming and phishing.
• Explain the term “cyberwarfare.”
• Can hacking be ethical?
• How can online consumers protect themselves from fraud?
• Is jailbreaking a crime?
• How can parents monitor their children’s behavior on the web?
• How to prevent cyberbullying in the online learning environment?
• Would cyber communism decrease bullying?
• Discuss the connection between political protests and hacking.
• Talk about the mental health effects of internet bullying.
• Who is responsible for online misbehavior?
• Who are white hat and black hat hackers?
• Explain the effects and solutions of catfishing.
• Should schools teach online etiquette?
• Does internet anonymity bring out the worst in people?
• How to stay safe online?
• How does a firewall help to protect the network?
• Explain how cyberbullying differs from in-person harassment.
• How to cope with online harassment?
• Write about phishing and scam on the internet.

Also read: Best Cybersecurity Research Topics for Students to Consider

Excellent Research Topics on Cybercrime

• Write about the importance of cybercrime management.
• Explain the history of cybercrime.
• Discuss the effects of cybercrime on the Internet economy.
• Talk about the cyberattack on Sony Pictures in 2014.
• Explain how technology has influenced the evolution of cybercrime.
• Discuss the social effects of cyberbullying on children.
• What are the signs of phishing attempts?
• What emergency action should an individual take after being hacked?
• Research and explain the significant cyber threats to US national security.
• Different types of cybercriminals.
• How do private sectors battle cybercrimes?
• Discuss the impacts of mobile devices on cyber security.
• Take a closer look at cyberfeminism and social media.
• Compare the functions of various antivirus programs.
• Discuss the pros and cons of various InfoSec certificates.

Amazing Cybercrime Research Paper Topics

• Evaluate the issues related to botnets.
• What are the phases of a Trojan horse attack?
• Discuss the effective policy of cyberspace.
• Talk about cyber terrorism in the aviation sector.
• Explain the types of scams associated with cybercrime.
• Discuss the potential effects the cyber currencies have on South African Businesses.
• How the automotive software of smart cars can be protected from cyberattacks?
• Discuss the effects of cyberbullying on teen suicides.
• Have a closer look at the cyber policy and strategy of the United Kingdom.
• What are the dangers of public Wi-Fi networks?

High-quality Cybercrime Research Ideas

• Describe the technology of unlocking a phone through facial recognition and the fingerprint of the owner of the phone
• Select a company from the United States and discuss their efforts and strategies to ensure cyber security
• Discuss the reasons that make every individual aware when it comes to safeguarding and protecting personal data and information from hackers
• Face recognition vs. a simple security code vs. fingerprint: Which is the safest locking option for smart devices and why?
• The increasing use of the internet consecutively increases the likelihood of adolescents and young adults engaging in cybercrime-related activities (e.g., email and internet fraud, identify fraud)
• Compare and contrast the effects of Phishing Emails, DoS (Denial of Service) Attacks, and Social Engineering
• Describe the history of cybercrime and the way cybercriminals have introduced different strategies to commit such crimes over the past decades
• Discuss the similarities and differences between distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks and DoS (Denial of service) attacks
• Examination of the consequences a community or society would have to bear in case a hacker targeted the entire state
• Is purchasing from e-commerce sites such as eBay, Amazon, and Craigslist more ethical and safe compared to buying from other online marketplaces? Explain with reasons and the cyber security strategies of the aforementioned sites.

Impressive Cybercrime Research Topics

• Explain the importance of parental control mechanisms on children’s computers.
• What are effective strategies to cope with online harassment?
• Establish a link between feminism and the fight against cyberstalking.
• Analyze online gaming behavior from a psychological standpoint.
• How did industrial espionage evolve into hacking?
• Describe how an SQL injection attack unfolds.
• What are the safest ways to ensure data integrity?
• Discuss the pros and Cons of various cryptographic methods.
• How can a person reach maximum technological security?
• Explain the mechanics of password protection.

From the list of ideas suggested above, choose any topic that matches your requirements and craft a detailed cybercrime research paper with proper citations and proofs to prove your thesis statement. In case, you need an expert to offer you help with cybercrime research paper topic selection and writing, get in touch with us immediately.

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Research trends in cybercrime victimization during 2010–2020: a bibliometric analysis

Huong thi ngoc ho.

1 School of Journalism and Communication, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei China

Hai Thanh Luong

2 School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia

Associated Data

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Research on cybercrime victimization is relatively diversified; however, no bibliometric study has been found to introduce the panorama of this subject. The current study aims to address this research gap by performing a bibliometric analysis of 387 Social Science Citation Index articles relevant to cybercrime victimization from Web of Science database during the period of 2010–2020. The purpose of the article is to examine the research trend and distribution of publications by five main fields, including time, productive authors, prominent sources, active institutions, and leading countries/regions. Furthermore, this study aims to determine the global collaborations and current gaps in research of cybercrime victimization. Findings indicated the decidedly upward trend of publications in the given period. The USA and its authors and institutions were likely to connect widely and took a crucial position in research of cybercrime victimization. Cyberbullying was identified as the most concerned issue over the years and cyber interpersonal crimes had the large number of research comparing to cyber-dependent crimes. Future research is suggested to concern more about sample of the elder and collect data in different countries which are not only European countries or the USA. Cross-nation research in less popular continents in research map was recommended to be conducted more. This paper contributed an overview of scholarly status of cybercrime victimization through statistical evidence and visual findings; assisted researchers to optimize their own research direction; and supported authors and institutions to build strategies for research collaboration.

Introduction

To date, the debate of cybercrime definition has been controversial which is considered as one of the five areas of cyber criminology (Ngo and Jaishankar 2017 ; Drew 2020 ). 1 Several terms are used to illustrate ‘cybercrime’, such as ‘high-tech crime’ (Insa 2007 ), ‘computer crime’ (Choi 2008 ; Skinner and Fream 1997 ), ‘digital crime’ (Gogolin 2010 ), or ‘virtual crime’ (Brenner 2001 ). ‘Cybercrime’, however, has been the most popular in the public parlance (Wall 2004 ). A propensity considers crime directly against computer as cybercrime, while other tendency asserts that any crime committed via internet or related to a computer is cybercrime (Marsh and Melville 2008 ; Wall 2004 ). Hence, there is a distinction between ‘true cybercrime’ or ‘high-tech’ cybercrime and ‘low-tech’ cybercrime (Wagen and Pieters 2020 ). Council of Europe defines ‘any criminal offense committed against or with the help of a computer network’ as cybercrime (Abdullah and Jahan 2020 , p. 90). Despite different approaches, cybercrime generally includes not only new types of crimes which have just occurred after the invention of computer and internet (Holt and Bossler 2014 ; Drew 2020 ) but also traditional types of crimes which took the advantages of information communication technology (ICT) as vehicle for illegal behaviors (Luong 2021 ; Nguyen and Luong 2020 ; Luong et al. 2019 ). Two main cybercrime categories identified, respectively, are cyber-dependent crime (hacking, malware, denial of service attacks) and cyber-enable crime (phishing, identity theft, cyber romance scam, online shopping fraud). Nevertheless, there are several different classifications of cybercrime such as cybercrime against certain individuals, groups of individuals, computer networks, computer users, critical infrastructures, virtual entities (Wagen and Pieters 2020 ); cyber-trespass, cyber-deceptions, cyber-pornography, and cyber-violence (Wall 2001 ).

Due to the common prevalence of cybercrime, the increasing threats of cybercrime victimization are obviously serious. Cybercrime victimization has become a crucial research subfield in recent years (Wagen and Pieters 2020 ). It is difficult to differ “forms of online victimization” and “acts that actually constitute a crime”, then it is usual for researchers to focus less on perspective of criminal law and consider any negative experiences online as cybercrime (Näsi et al. 2015 , p. 2). It was likely to lead to practical gaps between theory and practice in terms of investigating the nexus of offender and victims on cyberspace. In the light of literature review, numerous specific aspects of cybercrime victimization were investigated by questionnaire surveys or interview survey such as the prevalence of cybercrime victimization (Näsi et al. 2015 ; Whitty and Buchanan 2012 ); causes and predictors of cybercrime victimization (Abdullah and Jahan 2020 ; Algarni et al. 2017 ; Ilievski 2016 ; Jahankhani 2013 ; Kirwan et al. 2018 ; Näsi et al. 2015 ; Reyns et al. 2019 ; Saad et al. 2018 ); and the relationship between social networking sites (SNS) and cybercrime victimization (Das and Sahoo 2011 ; Algarni et al. 2017 ; Benson et al. 2015 ; Seng et al. 2018 ). To some extent, therefore, the current study examines cybercrime victimization in the large scale, referring to any negative experiences on cyberspace or computer systems. Nevertheless, no bibliometric analysis was found to show the research trend and general landscape of this domain.

Bibliometric is a kind of statistical analysis which uses information in a database to provide the depth insight into the development of a specified area (Leung et al. 2017 ). The present study aims to address this research gap by providing a bibliometric review of the relevant SSCI articles in WoS database during the period of 2010–2020. The pattern of publications, the productivity of main elements (authors, journals, institutions, and countries/regions), statistic of citations, classification of key terms, research gaps, and other collaborations will be presented and discussed in section four and five after reviewing literatures and presenting our methods conducted. This article contributes an overview of research achievements pertaining to cybercrime victimization in the given period through statistical evidence and visual findings; assists researchers to perceive clearly about the key positions in research maps of this field, and obtain more suggestions to develop their own research direction.

Literature review

Cybercrime victimization.

Cybercrime victimization may exist in two levels including institutional and individual level (Näsi et al. 2015 ). For the former, victim is governments, institutions, or corporations, whereas for the latter, victim is a specific individual (Näsi et al. 2015 ). A wide range of previous studies concerned about individual level of victim and applied Lifestyle Exposure Theory (LET), Routine Activity Theory (RAT) and General Theory of Crime to explain cybercrime victimization (Choi 2008 ; Holt and Bossler 2009 ; Ngo and Paternoster 2011 ). Basing on these theories, situational and individual factors were supposed to play an important role in understanding cybercrime victimization (Choi 2008 ; Van Wilsem 2013 ). However, there was another argument that situational and individual factors did not predict cybercrime victimization (Ngo and Paternoster 2011 ; Wagen and Pieters 2020 ). Overall, most of those studies just focused only one distinctive kind of cybercrime such as computer viruses, malware infection, phishing, cyberbullying, online harassment, online defamation, identity theft, cyberstalking, online sexual solicitation, cyber romance scams or online consumer fraud. Referring to results of the prior research, some supported for the applicability of mentioned theories but other did not share the same viewpoint (Leukfeldt and Yar 2016 ). It was hard to evaluate the effect of LET or RAT for explanation of cybercrime victimization because the nature of examined cybercrime were different (Leukfeldt and Holt 2020 ; Leukfeldt and Yar 2016 ).

Previous research determined that cybercrime victimization was more common in younger group compared to older group because the young is the most active online user (Näsi et al. 2015 ; Oksanen and Keipi 2013 ) and males tended to become victims of cybercrime more than females in general (Näsi et al. 2015 ). However, findings might be different in research which concerned specific types of cybercrime. Women were more likely to be victims of the online romance scam (Whitty and Buchanan 2012 ) and sexual harassment (Näsi et al. 2015 ), while men recorded higher rate of victimization of cyber-violence and defamation. Other demographic factors were also examined such as living areas (Näsi et al. 2015 ), education (Oksanen and Keipi 2013 ; Saad et al. 2018 ) and economic status (Oksanen and Keipi 2013 ; Saad et al. 2018 ). Furthermore, several prior studies focus on the association of psychological factors and cybercrime victimization, including awareness and perception (Ariola et al. 2018 ; Saridakis et al. 2016 ), personality (Kirwan et al. 2018 ; Orchard et al. 2014 ; Parrish et al. 2009 ), self-control (Ilievski 2016 ; Ngo and Paternoster 2011 ; Reyns et al. 2019 ), fear of cybercrime (Lee et al. 2019 ), online behaviors (Al-Nemrat and Benzaïd 2015 ; Saridakis et al. 2016 ). Psychological factors were assumed to have effects on cybercrime victimization at distinctive levels.

Another perspective which was much concerned by researchers was the relationship between cybercrime victimization and SNS. SNS has been a fertile land for cybercriminals due to the plenty of personal information shared, lack of guard, the availability of communication channels (Seng et al. 2018 ), and the networked nature of social media (Vishwanath 2015 ). When users disclosed their personal information, they turned themselves into prey for predators in cyberspace. Seng et al. ( 2018 ) did research to understand impact factors on user’s decision to react and click on suspicious posts or links on Facebook. The findings indicated that participants’ interactions with shared contents on SNS were affected by their relationship with author of those contents; they often ignored the location of shared posts; several warning signals of suspicious posts were not concerned. Additionally, Vishwanath ( 2015 ) indicated factors that led users to fall victims on the SNS; Algarni et al. ( 2017 ) investigated users’ susceptibility to social engineering victimization on Facebook; and Kirwan et al. ( 2018 ) determined risk factors resulting in falling victims of SNS scam.

Bibliometric of cybercrime victimization

“Bibliometric” is a term which was coined by Pritchard in 1969 and a useful method which structures, quantifies bibliometric information to indicate the factors constituting the scientific research within a specific field (Serafin et al. 2019 ). Bibliometric method relies on some basic types of analysis, namely co-authorship, co-occurrence, citation, co-citation, and bibliographic coupling. This method was employed to various research domains such as criminology (Alalehto and Persson 2013 ), criminal law (Jamshed et al. 2020 ), marketing communication (Kim et al. 2019 ), social media (Chen et al. 2019 ; Gan and Wang 2014 ; Leung et al. 2017 ; Li et al. 2017 ; You et al. 2014 ; Zyoud et al. 2018 ), communication (Feeley 2008 ), advertising (Pasadeos 1985 ), education (Martí-Parreño et al. 2016 ).

Also, there are more and more scholars preferring to use bibliometric analysis on cyberspace-related subject such as: cyber behaviors (Serafin et al. 2019 ), cybersecurity (Cojocaru and Cojocaru 2019 ), cyber parental control (Altarturi et al. 2020 ). Serafin et al. ( 2019 ) accessed the Scopus database to perform a bibliometric analysis of cyber behavior. All documents were published by four journals: Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking (ISSN: 21522723), Cyberpsychology and Behavior (ISSN: 10949313) , Computers in Human Behavior (ISSN: 07475632) and Human–Computer Interaction (ISSN: 07370024), in duration of 2000–2018. Findings indicated the use of Facebook and other social media was the most common in research during this period, while psychological matters were less concerned (Serafin et al. 2019 ). Cojocaru and Cojocaru ( 2019 ) examined the research status of cybersecurity in the Republic of Moldavo, then made a comparison with the Eastern Europe countries’ status. This study employed bibliometric analysis of publications from three data sources: National Bibliometric Instrument (database from Republic of Moldavo), Scopus Elsevier and WoS. The Republic of Moldavo had the moderate number of scientific publications on cybersecurity; Russian Federation, Poland, Romania, Czech Republic, and Ukraine were the leading countries in Eastern Europe area (Cojocaru and Cojocaru 2019 ). Altarturi et al. ( 2020 ) was interested in bibliometric analysis of cyber parental control, basing on publications between 2000 and 2019 in Scopus and WoS. This research identified some most used keywords including ‘cyberbullying’, ‘bullying’, ‘adolescents’ and ‘adolescence’, showing their crucial position in the domain of cyber parental control (Altarturi et al. 2020 ). ‘Cyber victimization’ and ‘victimization’ were also mentioned as the common keywords by Altarturi et al. ( 2020 ). Prior research much focus on how to protect children from cyberbullying. Besides, four online threats for children were determined: content, contact, conduct and commercial threats (Altarturi et al. 2020 ).

Generally, it has been recorded several published bibliometric analyses of cyber-related issues but remained a lack of bibliometric research targeting cybercrime victimization. Thus, the present study attempts to fill this gap, reviewing the achievements of existed publications as well as updating the research trend in this field.

In detail, our current study aims to address four research questions (RQs):

What is overall distribution of publication based on year, institutions and countries, sources, and authors in cybercrime victimization?

Which are the topmost cited publications in terms of cybercrime victimization?

Who are the top co-authorships among authors, institutions, and countries in research cybercrime victimization?

What are top keywords, co-occurrences and research gaps in the field of cybercrime victimization?

Data collection procedure

Currently, among specific approaches in cybercrime’s fileds, WoS is “one of the largest and comprehensive bibliographic data covering multidisciplinary areas” (Zyoud et al. 2018 , p. 2). This paper retrieved data from the SSCI by searching publications of cybercrime victimization on WoS database to examine the growth of publication; top keywords; popular topics; research gaps; and top influential authors, institutions, countries, and journals in the academic community.

This paper employed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) for data collection procedure. For timeline, we preferred to search between 2010 and 2020 on the WoS system with two main reasons. First, when the official update of the 2009 PRISMA Statement had ready upgraded with the specific guidelines and stable techniques, we consider beginning since 2010 that is timely to test. Secondly, although there are several publications from the early of 2021 to collect by the WoS, its updated articles will be continued until the end of the year. Therefore, we only searched until the end of 2020 to ensure the full updates.

To identify publications on cybercrime victimization, the study accessed WoS and used two keywords for searching: ‘cybercrime victimization’ or ‘cyber victimization’ after testing and looking for some terminology-related topics. Accordingly, the paper applied a combination of many other searching terms besides two selected words such as “online victimization”, “victim of cybercrime”, “phishing victimization”, “online romance victimization”, “cyberstalking victim”, “interpersonal cybercrime victimization”, or “sexting victimization”, the results, however, were not really appropriate. A lot of papers did not contain search keywords in their titles, abstracts, keywords and were not relavant to study topic. After searching with many different terms and comparing the results, the current study selected the two search terms for the most appropriate articles. The query result consisted of 962 documents. Basing on the result from preliminary searching, retrieved publications were refined automatically on WoS by criteria of timespan, document types, language, research areas, and WoS Index as presented in Table ​ Table1. 1 . Accordingly, the criteria for automatic filter process were basic information of an articles and classified clearly in WoS system so the results reached high accuracy. The refined results are 473 articles.

Criteria for automatic filter

After automatic filters, file of data was converted to Microsoft Excel 2016 for screening. The present study examined titles and abstracts of 473 articles to assess the eligibility of each publication according to the relevance with given topic. There are 387 articles are eligible,while 86 irrelevant publications were excluded.

Data analysis

Prior to data analysis, the raw data were cleaned in Microsoft Excel 2016. Different forms of the same author’s name were corrected for consistency, for example “Zhou, Zong-Kui” and “Zhou Zongkui”, “Van Cleemput, Katrien” and “Van Cleemput, K.”, “Williams, Matthew L.” and “Williams, Matthew”. Similarly, different keywords (single/plural or synonyms) used for the same concept were identified and standardized such as “victimization” and “victimisation”; “adolescent” and “adolescents”; “cyber bullying”, “cyber-bullying” and “cyberbullying”; “routine activity theory” and “routine activities theory”.

The data were processed by Microsoft Excel 2016 and VOS Viewer version 1.6.16; then it was analyzed according to three main aspects. First, descriptive statistic provided evidence for yearly distribution and growth trend of publications, frequency counts of citations, the influential authors, the predominant journals, the top institutions and countries/territories, most-cited publications. Second, co-authorship and co-occurrence analysis were constructed and visualized by VOS Viewer version 1.6.16 to explore the network collaborations. Finally, the current study also investigated research topics through content analysis of keywords. The authors’ keywords were classified into 15 themes, including: #1 cybercrime; #2 sample and demographic factors; #3 location; #4 theory; #5 methodology; #6 technology, platforms and related others; #7 psychology and mental health; #8 physical health; #9 family; #10 school; #11 society; #12 crimes and deviant behaviors; #13 victim; #14 prevention and intervention; and #15 others. Besides, the study also added other keywords from titles and abstracts basing on these themes, then indicated aspects examined in previous research.

In this section, all findings corresponding with four research questions identified at the ouset of this study would be illustrated (Fig.  1 ).

PRISMA diagram depicts data collection from WoS database

Distribution of publication

Distribution by year, institutions and countries.

Basing on retrieved data, it was witnessed an increasing trend of articles relevant to cybercrime victimization in SSCI list during the time of 2010–2020 but it had slight fluctuations in each year as shown in Fig.  2 . The total number of articles over this time was 387 items, which were broken into two sub-periods: 2010–2014 and 2015–2020. It is evident that the latter period demonstrated the superiority of the rate of articles (79.33%) compared to the previous period (20.67%). The yearly quantity of publications in this research subject was fewer than forty before 2015. Research of cybercrime victimization reached a noticeable development in 2016 with over fifty publications, remained the large number of publications in the following years and peaked at 60 items in 2018.

Annual distribution of publications

Distribution by institutions and countries

Table ​ Table2 2 shows the top contributing institutions according to the quantity of publications related to cybercrime victimization. Of the top institutions, four universities were from the USA, two ones were from Spain, two institutions were from Australia and the rest ones were from Czech Republic, Belgium, Greece, and Austria. Specifically, Masaryk University (17 documents) became the most productive publishing institution, closely followed by Michigan State University (16 documents). The third and fourth places were University of Antwerp (13 documents) and Weber State University (10 documents). Accordingly, the institutions from The USA and Europe occupied the vast majority.

Top contributing institutions based on total publications

TP total publications, TC total citations for the publications reviewed, AC average citations per document

In Table ​ Table2, 2 , University of Seville (total citations: 495, average citations: 70.71) ranked first and University of Cordoba (total citations: 484, average citations: 60.50) stayed at the second place in both total citations and average citations.

Referring to distribution of publications by countries, there were 45 countries in database contributing to the literature of cybercrime victimization. The USA recorded the highest quantity of papers, creating an overwhelming difference from other countries (159 documents) as illustrated in Fig.  3 . Of the top productive countries, eight European countries which achieved total of 173 publications were England (39 documents), Spain (34 documents), Germany (22 documents), Netherlands (18 documents), Italy (17 documents) and Czech Republic (17 documents), Belgium (14 documents), Greece (12 documents). Australia ranked the fourth point (32 documents), followed by Canada (30 documents). One Asian country which came out seventh place, at the same position with Netherlands was China (18 documents).

Top productive countries based on the number of publications

Distribution by sources

Table ​ Table3 3 enumerates the top leading journals in the number of publications relevant to cybercrime victimization. The total publications of the first ranking journal— Computers in Human Behavior were 56, over twice as higher as the second raking journal— Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking (24 articles). Most of these journals have had long publishing history, starting their publications before 2000. Only three journals launched after 2000, consisting of Journal of School Violence (2002), Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace (2007) and Frontiers in Psychology (2010). Besides, it is remarked that one third of the top journals focuses on youth related issues: Journal of Youth and Adolescence , Journal of Adolescence, School Psychology International and Journal of School Violence .

Top leading journals based on the quantity of publications

SPY Started Publication Year

In Table ​ Table3, 3 , relating to total citations, Computers in Human Behavior remained the first position with 2055 citations. Journal of Youth and Adolescence had total 1285 citations, ranked second and followed by Aggressive Behavior with 661 citations. In terms of average citations per documents, an article of Journal of Youth and Adolescence was cited 67.63 times in average, much higher than average citations of one in Computers in Human Behavior (36.70 times). The other journals which achieved the high number of average citations per document were School Psychology International (59.00 times), Journal of Adolescence (44.83 times) and Aggressive Behavior (44.07 times).

Distribution by authors

Table ​ Table4 4 displays ten productive authors based on article count; total citations of each author and their average citations per document are also included. Michelle F. Wright from Pennsylvania State University ranked first with twenty publications, twice as higher as the second positions, Thomas J. Holt (10 articles) from Michigan State University and Bradford W. Reyns (10 articles) from Weber State University. Rosario Ortega-Ruiz from University of Cordoba stayed at the third place in terms of total publications but the first place in aspect of total citations (483 citations) and the average citations (60.38 times).

Top productive authors based on article count

Of the most productive authors based on total publications, there were three authors from universities in the USA; one from the university in Canada (Brett Holfeld); the others were from institutions in Euro, including Spain (Rosario Ortega-Ruiz), Greece (Constantinos M. Kokkinos) and Belgium (Heidi Vandebosch), Netherlands (Rutger Leukfeldt) and Austria (Takuya Yanagida and Christiane Spiel).

Most-cited publications

The most-cited literature items are displayed in Table ​ Table5. 5 . The article which recorded the highest number of citations was ‘Psychological, Physical, and Academic Correlates of Cyberbullying and Traditional Bullying’ (442 citations) by Robin M. Kowalski et al. published in Journal of Adolescent Health , 2013. Seven of ten most-cited articles were about cyberbullying; focused on youth population; made comparisons between cyberbullying and traditional bullying; analyzed the impact of several factors such as psychological, physical, academic factors or use of Internet; discussed on preventing strategies. The other publications studied victimization of cyberstalking and cyber dating abuse. All most-cited articles were from 2015 and earlier.

The most-cited publications in subject of cybercrime victimization during 2010–2020

Of the top productive authors, only Bradford W. Reyns had an article appeared in the group of most-cited publications. His article ‘Being Pursued Online: Applying Cyberlifestyle-Routine Activities Theory to Cyberstalking Victimization’ (2011) was cited 172 times.

Co-authorship analysis

“Scientific collaboration is a complex social phenomenon in research” (Glänzel and Schubert 2006 , p. 257) and becomes the increasing trend in individual, institutional and national levels. In bibliometric analysis, it is common to assess the productivity and international collaboration of research; identify key leading researchers, institutions, or countries (E Fonseca et al. 2016 ) as well as potential collaborators in a specific scientific area (Romero and Portillo-Salido 2019 ) by co-authorship analysis which constructs networks of authors and countries (Eck and Waltman 2020 ).

This section analyses international collaboration relevant to research of cybercrime victimization among authors, institutions, and countries during 2010–2020 through visualization of VOS Viewer software.

Collaboration between authors

Referring to the threshold of choose in this analysis, minimum number of documents of author is three and there were 80 authors for final results. Figure  4 illustrates the relationships between 80 scientists who study in subject of cybercrime victimization during 2010–2020. It shows several big groups of researchers (Wright’s group, Vandebosch’s group, or Holt’s group), while numerous authors had limited or no connections to others (Sheri Bauman, Michelle K. Demaray or Jennifer D. Shapka).

Collaboration among authors via network visualization (threshold three articles for an author, displayed 80 authors)

Figure  5 displayed a significant network containing 23 authors who were active in collaboration in detail. The displayed items in Fig.  5 are divided into five clusters coded with distinctive colors, including red, green, blue, yellow, and purple. Each author item was represented by their label and a circle; the size of label and circle are depended on the weight of the item, measured by the total publications (Eck and Waltman 2020 ). The thickness of lines depends on the strength of collaboration (Eck and Waltman 2020 ).

Collaboration among authors via network visualization (threshold three articles for an author, displayed 23 authors)

The most significant cluster was red one which is comprised of six researchers: Michelle F. Wright, Sebastian Wachs, Yan Li, Anke Gorzig, Manuel Gamez-Guadix and Esther Calvete. The remarked author for the red cluster was Michelle F. Wright whose value of total link strength is 24. She had the strongest links with Sebastian Wachs; closely link with Yan Li, Anke Gorzig, Manuel Gamez-Guadix and collaborated with authors of yellow cluster, including Shanmukh V. Kamble, Li Lei, Hana Machackova, Shruti Soudi as well as Takuya Yanagida of blue cluster. Michelle F. Wright who obtained the largest number of published articles based on criteria of this study made various connections with other scholars who were from many different institutions in the world. This is also an effective way to achieve more publications.

Takuya Yanagida was the biggest node for the blue cluster including Petra Gradinger, Daniel Graf, Christiane Spiel, Dagmar Strohmeier. Total link strength for Takuya Yanagida was 28; twelve connections. It is observed that Takuya Yanagida’ s research collaboration is definitely active. Besides, other research groups showed limited collaborations comparing with the red and blue ones.

Collaboration between institutions

The connections among 156 institutions which published at least two documents per one are shown in Fig.  6 . Interestingly, there is obvious connections among several distinctive clusters which were coded in color of light steel blue, orange, purple, steel blue, green, red, yellow, light red, dark turquoise, light blue, brown and light green. These clusters created a big chain of connected institutions and were in the center of the figure, while other smaller clusters or unlinked bubbles (gray color) were distributed in two sides. The biggest chain consisted of most of productive institutions such as Masaryk University, Michigan State University, University of Antwerp, Weber State University, University of Cordoba, Edith Cowan University, University of Cincinnati, University of Victoria, University of Vienna, and University of Seville.

Collaboration among institutions via network visualization (threshold two articles for an institution, 156 institutions were displayed)

Light steel blue and orange clusters presented connections among organizations from Australia. Light green included institutions from Netherland, while turquoise and light blue consisted of institutions from the USA. Yellow cluster was remarked by the various collaborations among institutions from China and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (Renmin University of China and South China Normal University, University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the Chinese University of Hong Kong), the USA (University of Virginia), Cyprus (Eastern Mediterranean University), Japan (Shizuoka University), India (Karnataka University) and Austria (University Applied Sciences Upper Austria). Central China Normal University is another Chinese institution which appeared in Fig.  5 , linking with Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China, Suny Stony Brook and University of Memphis from the USA.

Masaryk University and Michigan State University demonstrated their productivity in both the quantity of publications and the collaboration network. They were active in research collaboration, reaching twelve and eleven links, respectively, with different institutions, but focused much on networking with institutions in the USA and Europe.

Collaboration between countries

The collaboration among 45 countries which published at least one SSCI documents of cybercrime victimization during the given period was examined in VOS Viewer but just 42 items were displayed via overlay visualization. Figure  7 depicts the international collaborations among significant countries. The USA is the biggest bubble due to its biggest number of documents and shows connections with 26 countries/regions in Euro, Asia, Australia, Middle East. Excepting European countries, England collaborate with the USA, Australia, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Colombia. Spain and Germany almost focus on research network within Euro. China has the strongest tie with the USA, link with Australia, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Cyprus and Turkey, Japan, Indian, Vietnam.

Collaboration among countries via overlay visualization

Color bar in Fig.  7 is determined by the average publication year of each country and the color of circles based on it. It is unsurprised that the USA, Australia, England, or Spain shows much research experience in this field and maintain the large number of publications steadily. Interestingly, although the average publication year of South Korea or Cyprus was earlier than other countries (purple color), their quantities of documents were moderate. The new nodes (yellow circles) in the map included Vietnam, Norway, Pakistan, Ireland, Scotland, Switzerland.

Keywords and co-occurrence

The present paper examined the related themes and contents in research of cybercrime victimization during 2010–2020 through collecting author keywords, adding several keywords from tiles and abstracts. Besides, this study also conducted co-occurrence analysis of author keywords to show the relationships among these keywords.

The keywords were collected and categorized into 15 themes in Table ​ Table6, 6 , including cybercrime; sample and demographic factors; location; theory; methodology; technology, platform, and related others; psychology and mental health; physical health; family; school; society; crimes and other deviant behaviors; victim; prevention and intervention; and others.

Statistic of keywords in themes

These keywords were most of author keyword, adding a few selected keywords from the titles and abstracts by the author of this current study

In the theme of cybercrime, there were numerous types of cybercrimes such as cyberbullying, cyber aggression, cyberstalking, cyber harassment, sextortion and other cyber dating crimes, cyber fraud, identity theft, phishing, hacking, malware, or ransomware. Generally, the frequency of interpersonal cybercrimes or cyber-enable crimes was much higher than cyber-dependent crimes. Cyberbullying was the most common cybercrime in research.

Relating to sample and demographic factors, there were sample of children, adolescent, adults, and the elder who were divided into more detail levels in each research; however, adolescent was the most significant sample. Besides, demographic factor of gender received a remarked concern from scholars.

It is usual that most of the research were carried out in one country, in popular it was the USA, Spain, Germany, England, Australia, Canada or Netherland but sometimes the new ones were published such as Chile, Vietnam, Thailand or Singapore. It was witnessed that some studies showed data collected from a group of countries such as two countries (Canada and the United State), three countries (Israel, Litva, Luxembourg), four countries (the USA, the UK, Germany, and Finland), or six Europe countries (Spain, Germany, Italy, Poland, the United Kingdom and Greece).

A wide range of theories were applied in this research focusing on criminological and psychological theories such as Routine Activities Theory, Lifestyle—Routine Activities Theory, General Strain Theory, the Theory of Reasoned Action or Self-control Theory.

Table ​ Table6 6 indicated a lot of different research methods covering various perspective of cybercrime victimization: systematic review, questionnaire survey, interview, experiment, mix method, longitudinal study, or cross-national research; many kinds of analysis such as meta-analysis, social network analysis, latent class analysis, confirmatory factor analysis; and a wide range of measurement scales which were appropriate for each variable.

Topic of cybercrime victimization had connections with some main aspects of technology (information and communication technologies, internet, social media or technology related activities), psychology (self-esteem, fear, attitude, personality, psychological problems, empathy, perceptions or emotion), physical health, family (parents), school (peers, school climate), society (norms, culture, social bonds), victim, other crimes (violence, substance use), prevention and intervention.

Co-occurrence analysis was performed with keywords suggested by authors and the minimum number of occurrences per word is seven. The result showed 36 frequent keywords which clustered into five clusters as illustrated in Fig.  8 .

Co-occurrence between author keywords via network visualization (the minimum number of occurrences per word is seven, 36 keywords were displayed)

Figure  8 illustrates some main issues which were concerned in subject of cybercrime victimization, as well as the relationship among them. Fifteen most frequent keywords were presented by big bubbles, including: ‘cyberbullying’ (174 times), ‘cyber victimization’ (90 times), ‘adolescent’ (79 times), ‘bullying’ (66 times), ‘victimization’ (56 times), ‘cybercrime’ (40 times), ‘cyber aggression’ (37 times), ‘depression’ (23 times), ‘aggression’ (14 times), ‘routine activities theory’ (13 times), ‘cyberstalking’ (11 times), ‘gender’ (11 times), ‘longitudinal’ (10 times), ‘peer victimization’ (10 times) and ‘self-esteem’ (10 times).

‘Cyberbullying’ linked with many other keywords, demonstrating the various perspectives in research of this topic. The thick lines which linked ‘cyberbullying’ and ‘bullying’, ‘adolescent’, ‘cyber victimization’, ‘victimization’ showed the strong connections between them; there were close relationship between ‘cyber aggression’, ‘bystander”, ‘self-esteem’ or ‘moral disengagement’ and ‘cyberbullying’.

‘Cybercrime’ had strong links with ‘victimization’, ‘routine activities theory’. In Fig.  8 , the types of cybercrime which occurred at least seven times were: cyberbullying, cyber aggression, hacking, cyberstalking, and cyber dating abuse.

The increasing trend over the years reveals the increasing concern of scholarly community on this field, especially in the boom of information technology and other communication devices and the upward trend in research of cyberspace-related issues (Altarturi et al. 2020 ; Leung et al. 2017 ; Serafin et al. 2019 ). It predicts the growth of cybercrime victimization research in future.

Psychology was the more popular research areas in database, defeating criminology penology. As part of the ‘human factors of cybercrime’, human decision-making based on their psychological perspectives plays as a hot topic in cyber criminology (Leukfeldt and Holt 2020 ). Then, it is observed that journals in psychology field was more prevalent in top of productive sources. Besides, journal Computers in Human Behavior ranked first in total publications, but Journal of Youth and Adolescence ranked higher place in the average citations per document. Generally, top ten journals having highest number of publications on cybercrime victimization are highly qualified ones and at least 10 years in publishing industry.

The USA demonstrated its leading position in the studied domain in terms of total publications as well as the various collaborations with other countries. The publications of the USA occupied much higher than the second and third countries: England and Spain. It is not difficult to explain for this fact due to the impressive productivity of institutions and authors from the USA. A third of top twelve productive institutions were from the USA. Three leading positions of top ten productive authors based on document count were from institutions of the USA, number one was Michelle F. Wright; others were Thomas J. Holt and Bradford W. Reyns.

Furthermore, these authors also participated in significant research groups and become the important nodes in those clusters. The most noticeable authors in co-authors network were Michelle F. Wright. The US institutions also had strong links in research network. The USA was likely to be open in collaboration with numerous countries from different continents in the world. It was assessed to be a crucial partner for others in the international co-publication network (Glänzel and Schubert 2006 ).

As opposed to the USA, most of European countries prefer developing research network within Europe and had a limited collaboration with other areas. Australia, the USA, or Japan was in a small group of countries which had connections with European ones. Nevertheless, European countries still showed great contributions for research of cybercrime victimization and remained stable links in international collaboration. The prominent authors from Euro are Rosario Ortega-Ruiz, Constantinos M. Kokkinos or Rutger Leukfeldt.

It is obvious that the limited number of publications from Asia, Middle East, Africa, or other areas resulted in the uncomprehensive picture of studied subject. For example, in the Southeast Asia, Malaysia and Vietnam lacked the leading authors with their empirical studies to review and examine the nature of cybercrimes, though they are facing to practical challenges and potential threats in the cyberspace (Lusthaus 2020a , b ). The present study indicated that Vietnam, Ireland, or Norway was the new nodes and links in research network.

Several nations which had a small number of publications such as Vietnam, Thailand, Sri Lanka, or Chile started their journey of international publications. It is undeniable that globalization and the context of global village (McLuhan 1992 ) requires more understanding about the whole nations and areas. Conversely, each country or area also desires to engage in international publications. Therefore, new nodes and clusters are expected to increase and expand.

The findings indicated that cyberbullying was the most popular topic on research of cybercrime victimization over the given period. Over a half of most-cited publications was focus on cyberbullying. Additionally, ‘cyberbullying’ was the most frequent author keyword which co-occurred widely with distinctive keywords such as ‘victimization’, ‘adolescents’, ‘bullying’, ‘social media’, ‘internet’, ‘peer victimization’ or ‘anxiety’.

By reviewing keywords, several research gaps were indicated. Research samples were lack of population of the children and elders, while adolescent and youth were frequent samples of numerous studies. Although young people are most active in cyberspace, it is still necessary to understand other populations. Meanwhile, the elderly was assumed to use information and communication technologies to improve their quality of life (Tsai et al. 2015 ), their vulnerability to the risk of cybercrime victimization did not reduce. Those older women were most vulnerable to phishing attacks (Lin et al. 2019 ; Oliveira et al. 2017 ). Similarly, the population of children with distinctive attributes has become a suitable target for cybercriminals, particularly given the context of increasing online learning due to Covid-19 pandemic impacts. These practical gaps should be prioritized to focus on research for looking the suitable solutions in the future. Besides, a vast majority of research were conducted in the scope of one country; some studies collected cross-national data, but the number of these studies were moderate and focused much on developed countries. There are rooms for studies to cover several countries in Southeast Asia or South Africa.

Furthermore, although victims may be both individuals and organizations, most of research concentrated much more on individuals rather than organizations or companies. Wagen and Pieters ( 2020 ) indicated that victims include both human and non-human. They conducted research covering cases of ransomware victimization, Bonet victimization and high-tech virtual theft victimization and applying Actor-Network Theory to provide new aspect which did not aim to individual victims. The number of this kind of research, however, was very limited. Additionally, excepting cyberbullying and cyber aggression were occupied the outstanding quantity of research, other types of cybercrime, especially, e-whoring, or social media-related cybercrime should still be studied more in the future.

Another interesting topic is the impact of family on cybercrime victimization. By reviewing keyword, it is clear that the previous studies aimed to sample of adolescent, hence, there are many keywords linking with parents such as ‘parent-adolescent communication’, ‘parent-adolescent information sharing’, ‘parental mediation’, ‘parental monitoring of cyber behavior’, ‘parental style’. As mentioned above, it is necessary to research more on sample of the elder, then, it is also essential to find out how family members affect the elder’s cybercrime victimization.

It is a big challenge to deal with problems of cybercrime victimization because cybercrime forms become different daily (Näsi et al. 2015 ). Numerous researchers engage in understanding this phenomenon from various angles. The current bibliometric study assessed the scholarly status on cybercrime victimization during 2010–2020 by retrieving SSCI articles from WoS database. There is no study that applied bibliometric method to research on the examined subject. Hence, this paper firstly contributed statistical evidence and visualized findings to literature of cybercrime victimization.

Statistical description was applied to measure the productive authors, institutions, countries/regions, sources, and most-cited documents, mainly based on publication and citation count. The international collaborations among authors, institutions, and countries were assessed by co-authors, while the network of author keywords was created by co-occurrence analysis. The overall scholarly status of cybercrime victimization research was drawn clearly and objectively. The research trend, popular issues and current gaps were reviewed, providing numerous suggestions for policymakers, scholars, and practitioners about cyber-related victimization (Pickering and Byrne 2014 ). Accordingly, the paper indicated the most prevalent authors, most-cited papers but also made summary of contributions of previous research as well as identified research gaps. First, this article supports for PhD candidates or early-career researchers concerning about cybercrime victimization. Identifying the leading authors, remarked journals, or influencing articles, gaps related to a specific research topic is important and useful task for new researchers to start their academic journey. Although this information is relatively simple, it takes time and is not easy for newcomers to find out, especially for ones in poor or developing areas which have limited conditions and opportunities to access international academic sources. Thus, the findings in the current paper provided for them basic but necessary answers to conduct the first step in research. Secondly, by indicating research gaps in relevance to sample, narrow topics or scope of country, the paper suggests future study fulfilling them to complete the field of cybercrime victimization, especial calling for publications from countries which has had a modest position in global research map. Science requires the balance and diversity, not just focusing on a few developed countries or areas. Finally, the present study assists researchers and institutions to determined strategy and potential partners for their development of research collaborations. It not only improve productivity of publication but also create an open and dynamic environment for the development of academic field.

Despite mentioned contributions, this study still has unavoidable limitations. The present paper just focused on SSCI articles from WoS database during 2010–2020. It did not cover other sources of databases that are known such as Scopus, ScienceDirect, or Springer; other types of documents; the whole time; or articles in other languages excepting English. Hence it may not cover all data of examined subject in fact. Moreover, this bibliometric study just performed co-authorship and co-occurrence analysis. The rest of analysis such as citation, co-citation and bibliographic coupling have not been conducted. Research in the future is recommended to perform these kinds of assessment to fill this gap. To visualize the collaboration among authors, institutions, countries, or network of keywords, this study used VOS Viewer software and saved the screenshots as illustrations. Therefore, not all items were displayed in the screenshot figures.

Data availability

Declarations.

The authors declare that they have no competing interest.

1 In the ‘commemorating a decade in existence of the International Journal of Cyber Criminoogy’, Ngo and Jaishankar ( 2017 ) called for further research with focusing on five main areas in the Cyber Criminiology, including (1) defining and classifying cybercrime, (2) assessing the prevalence, nature, and trends of cybercrime, (3) advancing the field of cyber criminology, (4) documenting best practices in combating and preventing cybercrime, and (5) cybercrime and privacy issues.

Contributor Information

Huong Thi Ngoc Ho, Email: moc.liamg@252nhgnouH .

Hai Thanh Luong, Email: [email protected] .

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Cyber crime investigation: landscape, challenges, and future research directions.

1. Introduction

2. digital forensics, 2.1. host forensics, 2.2. mobile forensics, 2.2.1. investigation phases, 2.2.2. data extraction, 2.3. network forensics, 2.4. cloud forensics, 2.4.1. forensics as a service, 2.4.2. methods and frameworks, 2.4.3. cloud forensics and mobile devices, 3. online investigations, 3.1. sources of information, 3.1.1. open web, 3.1.2. deep web, 3.1.3. dark web, 3.2. specialized sources of information, 3.2.1. social media, 3.2.2. cryptocurrency flow, 3.3. data mining, 3.3.1. natural language processing, 3.3.2. social network analysis, 3.3.3. information extraction, 3.3.4. computer vision, 4. new forensic technologies, 4.1. automation, 4.2. machine learning (ai), 4.2.1. machine learning as an investigative tool, 4.2.2. machine learning as a criminal tool, 5. open issues and research directions.

• Technical issues (e.g., effectively implementing open-source intelligence tools used in investigations).
• Legal issues (e.g., obtaining legal basis for collecting evidence that is admissible in courts).
• Ethical issues (e.g., criminal profiling).

5.1. Technical Issues

5.2. legal issues, 5.3. ethical issues, 5.4. research directions of open issues, 6. conclusions and further research, author contributions, institutional review board statement, informed consent statement, conflicts of interest.

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Horan, C.; Saiedian, H. Cyber Crime Investigation: Landscape, Challenges, and Future Research Directions. J. Cybersecur. Priv. 2021 , 1 , 580-596. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcp1040029

Horan C, Saiedian H. Cyber Crime Investigation: Landscape, Challenges, and Future Research Directions. Journal of Cybersecurity and Privacy . 2021; 1(4):580-596. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcp1040029

Horan, Cecelia, and Hossein Saiedian. 2021. "Cyber Crime Investigation: Landscape, Challenges, and Future Research Directions" Journal of Cybersecurity and Privacy 1, no. 4: 580-596. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcp1040029

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Collection 

Cybercrime: human and socio-economic perspectives

It often seems as if we are under constant attack in the online world — whether it be from a suspicious email inviting us to click a link to claim a prize, or a fake message supposedly from the bank. At an institutional level, companies and public services are frequently assailed by network intrusions and hacking attempts due to the spread of malware or viruses and DDoS attacks. These attacks have the potential to cause widespread disruption to ICT functionality but also physical infrastructure, such as power plants and medical facilities. Criminal organisations also use digital methods to increase the reach and scale of a variety of illicit activities including scams, fraud, money laundering; identity or data theft; piracy, drugs and weapons trafficking, distribution of counterfeit documents, and human trafficking.

Digital criminals have enormous potential to cause harm to a wide range of victims, including individuals and organisations at all levels around the world. This Collection seeks submissions that focus primarily on the human, and socio-economic impacts of cybercrime and digital security, as well as the underlying psychological, sociological, cultural and anthropological. The Collection welcomes perspectives that consider the following types of questions:

• Who are cyber criminals? What are their motivations? Where do they come from? How are they organised? What kind of psychological techniques do they use alongside technical methods?
• Who are the victims of cybercrime? How do victims come into contact with criminals? Why are they targeted? What kind of disruption to the daily lives and impact on mental well-being do victims experience?
• How does the public react to malicious cyber events? To what extent is the general population aware of the risks of cyber crime? How does society respond to digital crime?
• How does cybercrime impact the economy? How do businesses deal with the theft of intellectual property, financial losses and distrust?
• How do institutions respond to digital crime? How do organisations build trust and security?
• How do cyber security and technical professionals partner with policy makers in governmental and non-governmental organisations to both prevent cybercrime and pursue criminals?
• What are the cultural implications of the increased threats resulting from cybercrime? How does the increased presence of such risks affect human interactions and behaviour? What are human rights concerns associated with cybercrime?

Research that focuses on technical aspects of cybersecurity will not be judged within scope, as this Collection is focused on the human and societal aspects of cybercrime.

This Collection supports and amplifies research related to  SDG 16 - Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions .

Gabriele Baratto, PhD

University of Trento, Italy

Tomáš Diviák, PhD

The University of Manchester, UK

Hai Thanh Luong, PhD

Griffith University, Australia

Peng Wang, PhD

The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

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The relationship between childhood trauma and cyberbullying: a meta-analysis of mainland Chinese adolescents and young adults

• Kelare Ainiwaer
• Yuxuan Zhang

Utilising the communication for development approach to prevent online child trafficking in Thailand

• Naparat Kranrattanasuit

Consensus on community guidelines: an experimental study on the legitimacy of content removal in social media

• Jesús C. Aguerri
• Fernando Miró-Llinares
• Ana B. Gómez-Bellvís

The concepts and laws applicable to hybrid threats, with a special focus on Europe

• Susana Sanz-Caballero

Data security crisis in universities: identification of key factors affecting data breach incidents

• Chong Zhang

Exploring the global geography of cybercrime and its driving forces

• Mengmeng Hao
• Chundong Gao

Cyber violence caused by the disclosure of route information during the COVID-19 pandemic

• Yueting Zhou
• Xuefan Dong

Exploring cybersecurity-related emotions and finding that they are challenging to measure

• Karen Renaud
• Verena Zimmermann
• Carlos Böhm

Divide and rule: ten lessons about Russian political influence activities in Europe

• Geir Hågen Karlsen

Cyberweapons: an emerging global governance architecture

• Tim Stevens

Gender, law and revenge porn in Sub-Saharan Africa: a review of Malawi and Uganda

• Sarai Chisala-Tempelhoff
• Monica Twesiime Kirya

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Cybercrime Research: A Review of Research Themes, Frameworks, Methods, and Future Research Directions

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Research trends in cybercrime victimization during 2010–2020: a bibliometric analysis

• Review Paper
• Published: 06 January 2022
• Volume 2 , article number  4 , ( 2022 )

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• Huong Thi Ngoc Ho 1 &
• Hai Thanh Luong   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-2421-9149 2  

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Research on cybercrime victimization is relatively diversified; however, no bibliometric study has been found to introduce the panorama of this subject. The current study aims to address this research gap by performing a bibliometric analysis of 387 Social Science Citation Index articles relevant to cybercrime victimization from Web of Science database during the period of 2010–2020. The purpose of the article is to examine the research trend and distribution of publications by five main fields, including time, productive authors, prominent sources, active institutions, and leading countries/regions. Furthermore, this study aims to determine the global collaborations and current gaps in research of cybercrime victimization. Findings indicated the decidedly upward trend of publications in the given period. The USA and its authors and institutions were likely to connect widely and took a crucial position in research of cybercrime victimization. Cyberbullying was identified as the most concerned issue over the years and cyber interpersonal crimes had the large number of research comparing to cyber-dependent crimes. Future research is suggested to concern more about sample of the elder and collect data in different countries which are not only European countries or the USA. Cross-nation research in less popular continents in research map was recommended to be conducted more. This paper contributed an overview of scholarly status of cybercrime victimization through statistical evidence and visual findings; assisted researchers to optimize their own research direction; and supported authors and institutions to build strategies for research collaboration.

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Introduction

To date, the debate of cybercrime definition has been controversial which is considered as one of the five areas of cyber criminology (Ngo and Jaishankar 2017 ; Drew 2020 ). Footnote 1 Several terms are used to illustrate ‘cybercrime’, such as ‘high-tech crime’ (Insa 2007 ), ‘computer crime’ (Choi 2008 ; Skinner and Fream 1997 ), ‘digital crime’ (Gogolin 2010 ), or ‘virtual crime’ (Brenner 2001 ). ‘Cybercrime’, however, has been the most popular in the public parlance (Wall 2004 ). A propensity considers crime directly against computer as cybercrime, while other tendency asserts that any crime committed via internet or related to a computer is cybercrime (Marsh and Melville 2008 ; Wall 2004 ). Hence, there is a distinction between ‘true cybercrime’ or ‘high-tech’ cybercrime and ‘low-tech’ cybercrime (Wagen and Pieters 2020 ). Council of Europe defines ‘any criminal offense committed against or with the help of a computer network’ as cybercrime (Abdullah and Jahan 2020 , p. 90). Despite different approaches, cybercrime generally includes not only new types of crimes which have just occurred after the invention of computer and internet (Holt and Bossler 2014 ; Drew 2020 ) but also traditional types of crimes which took the advantages of information communication technology (ICT) as vehicle for illegal behaviors (Luong 2021 ; Nguyen and Luong 2020 ; Luong et al. 2019 ). Two main cybercrime categories identified, respectively, are cyber-dependent crime (hacking, malware, denial of service attacks) and cyber-enable crime (phishing, identity theft, cyber romance scam, online shopping fraud). Nevertheless, there are several different classifications of cybercrime such as cybercrime against certain individuals, groups of individuals, computer networks, computer users, critical infrastructures, virtual entities (Wagen and Pieters 2020 ); cyber-trespass, cyber-deceptions, cyber-pornography, and cyber-violence (Wall 2001 ).

Due to the common prevalence of cybercrime, the increasing threats of cybercrime victimization are obviously serious. Cybercrime victimization has become a crucial research subfield in recent years (Wagen and Pieters 2020 ). It is difficult to differ “forms of online victimization” and “acts that actually constitute a crime”, then it is usual for researchers to focus less on perspective of criminal law and consider any negative experiences online as cybercrime (Näsi et al. 2015 , p. 2). It was likely to lead to practical gaps between theory and practice in terms of investigating the nexus of offender and victims on cyberspace. In the light of literature review, numerous specific aspects of cybercrime victimization were investigated by questionnaire surveys or interview survey such as the prevalence of cybercrime victimization (Näsi et al. 2015 ; Whitty and Buchanan 2012 ); causes and predictors of cybercrime victimization (Abdullah and Jahan 2020 ; Algarni et al. 2017 ; Ilievski 2016 ; Jahankhani 2013 ; Kirwan et al. 2018 ; Näsi et al. 2015 ; Reyns et al. 2019 ; Saad et al. 2018 ); and the relationship between social networking sites (SNS) and cybercrime victimization (Das and Sahoo 2011 ; Algarni et al. 2017 ; Benson et al. 2015 ; Seng et al. 2018 ). To some extent, therefore, the current study examines cybercrime victimization in the large scale, referring to any negative experiences on cyberspace or computer systems. Nevertheless, no bibliometric analysis was found to show the research trend and general landscape of this domain.

Bibliometric is a kind of statistical analysis which uses information in a database to provide the depth insight into the development of a specified area (Leung et al. 2017 ). The present study aims to address this research gap by providing a bibliometric review of the relevant SSCI articles in WoS database during the period of 2010–2020. The pattern of publications, the productivity of main elements (authors, journals, institutions, and countries/regions), statistic of citations, classification of key terms, research gaps, and other collaborations will be presented and discussed in section four and five after reviewing literatures and presenting our methods conducted. This article contributes an overview of research achievements pertaining to cybercrime victimization in the given period through statistical evidence and visual findings; assists researchers to perceive clearly about the key positions in research maps of this field, and obtain more suggestions to develop their own research direction.

Literature review

• Cybercrime victimization

Cybercrime victimization may exist in two levels including institutional and individual level (Näsi et al. 2015 ). For the former, victim is governments, institutions, or corporations, whereas for the latter, victim is a specific individual (Näsi et al. 2015 ). A wide range of previous studies concerned about individual level of victim and applied Lifestyle Exposure Theory (LET), Routine Activity Theory (RAT) and General Theory of Crime to explain cybercrime victimization (Choi 2008 ; Holt and Bossler 2009 ; Ngo and Paternoster 2011 ). Basing on these theories, situational and individual factors were supposed to play an important role in understanding cybercrime victimization (Choi 2008 ; Van Wilsem 2013 ). However, there was another argument that situational and individual factors did not predict cybercrime victimization (Ngo and Paternoster 2011 ; Wagen and Pieters 2020 ). Overall, most of those studies just focused only one distinctive kind of cybercrime such as computer viruses, malware infection, phishing, cyberbullying, online harassment, online defamation, identity theft, cyberstalking, online sexual solicitation, cyber romance scams or online consumer fraud. Referring to results of the prior research, some supported for the applicability of mentioned theories but other did not share the same viewpoint (Leukfeldt and Yar 2016 ). It was hard to evaluate the effect of LET or RAT for explanation of cybercrime victimization because the nature of examined cybercrime were different (Leukfeldt and Holt 2020 ; Leukfeldt and Yar 2016 ).

Previous research determined that cybercrime victimization was more common in younger group compared to older group because the young is the most active online user (Näsi et al. 2015 ; Oksanen and Keipi 2013 ) and males tended to become victims of cybercrime more than females in general (Näsi et al. 2015 ). However, findings might be different in research which concerned specific types of cybercrime. Women were more likely to be victims of the online romance scam (Whitty and Buchanan 2012 ) and sexual harassment (Näsi et al. 2015 ), while men recorded higher rate of victimization of cyber-violence and defamation. Other demographic factors were also examined such as living areas (Näsi et al. 2015 ), education (Oksanen and Keipi 2013 ; Saad et al. 2018 ) and economic status (Oksanen and Keipi 2013 ; Saad et al. 2018 ). Furthermore, several prior studies focus on the association of psychological factors and cybercrime victimization, including awareness and perception (Ariola et al. 2018 ; Saridakis et al. 2016 ), personality (Kirwan et al. 2018 ; Orchard et al. 2014 ; Parrish et al. 2009 ), self-control (Ilievski 2016 ; Ngo and Paternoster 2011 ; Reyns et al. 2019 ), fear of cybercrime (Lee et al. 2019 ), online behaviors (Al-Nemrat and Benzaïd 2015 ; Saridakis et al. 2016 ). Psychological factors were assumed to have effects on cybercrime victimization at distinctive levels.

Another perspective which was much concerned by researchers was the relationship between cybercrime victimization and SNS. SNS has been a fertile land for cybercriminals due to the plenty of personal information shared, lack of guard, the availability of communication channels (Seng et al. 2018 ), and the networked nature of social media (Vishwanath 2015 ). When users disclosed their personal information, they turned themselves into prey for predators in cyberspace. Seng et al. ( 2018 ) did research to understand impact factors on user’s decision to react and click on suspicious posts or links on Facebook. The findings indicated that participants’ interactions with shared contents on SNS were affected by their relationship with author of those contents; they often ignored the location of shared posts; several warning signals of suspicious posts were not concerned. Additionally, Vishwanath ( 2015 ) indicated factors that led users to fall victims on the SNS; Algarni et al. ( 2017 ) investigated users’ susceptibility to social engineering victimization on Facebook; and Kirwan et al. ( 2018 ) determined risk factors resulting in falling victims of SNS scam.

Bibliometric of cybercrime victimization

“Bibliometric” is a term which was coined by Pritchard in 1969 and a useful method which structures, quantifies bibliometric information to indicate the factors constituting the scientific research within a specific field (Serafin et al. 2019 ). Bibliometric method relies on some basic types of analysis, namely co-authorship, co-occurrence, citation, co-citation, and bibliographic coupling. This method was employed to various research domains such as criminology (Alalehto and Persson 2013 ), criminal law (Jamshed et al. 2020 ), marketing communication (Kim et al. 2019 ), social media (Chen et al. 2019 ; Gan and Wang 2014 ; Leung et al. 2017 ; Li et al. 2017 ; You et al. 2014 ; Zyoud et al. 2018 ), communication (Feeley 2008 ), advertising (Pasadeos 1985 ), education (Martí-Parreño et al. 2016 ).

Also, there are more and more scholars preferring to use bibliometric analysis on cyberspace-related subject such as: cyber behaviors (Serafin et al. 2019 ), cybersecurity (Cojocaru and Cojocaru 2019 ), cyber parental control (Altarturi et al. 2020 ). Serafin et al. ( 2019 ) accessed the Scopus database to perform a bibliometric analysis of cyber behavior. All documents were published by four journals: Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking (ISSN: 21522723), Cyberpsychology and Behavior (ISSN: 10949313) , Computers in Human Behavior (ISSN: 07475632) and Human–Computer Interaction (ISSN: 07370024), in duration of 2000–2018. Findings indicated the use of Facebook and other social media was the most common in research during this period, while psychological matters were less concerned (Serafin et al. 2019 ). Cojocaru and Cojocaru ( 2019 ) examined the research status of cybersecurity in the Republic of Moldavo, then made a comparison with the Eastern Europe countries’ status. This study employed bibliometric analysis of publications from three data sources: National Bibliometric Instrument (database from Republic of Moldavo), Scopus Elsevier and WoS. The Republic of Moldavo had the moderate number of scientific publications on cybersecurity; Russian Federation, Poland, Romania, Czech Republic, and Ukraine were the leading countries in Eastern Europe area (Cojocaru and Cojocaru 2019 ). Altarturi et al. ( 2020 ) was interested in bibliometric analysis of cyber parental control, basing on publications between 2000 and 2019 in Scopus and WoS. This research identified some most used keywords including ‘cyberbullying’, ‘bullying’, ‘adolescents’ and ‘adolescence’, showing their crucial position in the domain of cyber parental control (Altarturi et al. 2020 ). ‘Cyber victimization’ and ‘victimization’ were also mentioned as the common keywords by Altarturi et al. ( 2020 ). Prior research much focus on how to protect children from cyberbullying. Besides, four online threats for children were determined: content, contact, conduct and commercial threats (Altarturi et al. 2020 ).

Generally, it has been recorded several published bibliometric analyses of cyber-related issues but remained a lack of bibliometric research targeting cybercrime victimization. Thus, the present study attempts to fill this gap, reviewing the achievements of existed publications as well as updating the research trend in this field.

In detail, our current study aims to address four research questions (RQs):

What is overall distribution of publication based on year, institutions and countries, sources, and authors in cybercrime victimization?

Which are the topmost cited publications in terms of cybercrime victimization?

Who are the top co-authorships among authors, institutions, and countries in research cybercrime victimization?

What are top keywords, co-occurrences and research gaps in the field of cybercrime victimization?

Data collection procedure

Currently, among specific approaches in cybercrime’s fileds, WoS is “one of the largest and comprehensive bibliographic data covering multidisciplinary areas” (Zyoud et al. 2018 , p. 2). This paper retrieved data from the SSCI by searching publications of cybercrime victimization on WoS database to examine the growth of publication; top keywords; popular topics; research gaps; and top influential authors, institutions, countries, and journals in the academic community.

This paper employed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) for data collection procedure. For timeline, we preferred to search between 2010 and 2020 on the WoS system with two main reasons. First, when the official update of the 2009 PRISMA Statement had ready upgraded with the specific guidelines and stable techniques, we consider beginning since 2010 that is timely to test. Secondly, although there are several publications from the early of 2021 to collect by the WoS, its updated articles will be continued until the end of the year. Therefore, we only searched until the end of 2020 to ensure the full updates.

To identify publications on cybercrime victimization, the study accessed WoS and used two keywords for searching: ‘cybercrime victimization’ or ‘cyber victimization’ after testing and looking for some terminology-related topics. Accordingly, the paper applied a combination of many other searching terms besides two selected words such as “online victimization”, “victim of cybercrime”, “phishing victimization”, “online romance victimization”, “cyberstalking victim”, “interpersonal cybercrime victimization”, or “sexting victimization”, the results, however, were not really appropriate. A lot of papers did not contain search keywords in their titles, abstracts, keywords and were not relavant to study topic. After searching with many different terms and comparing the results, the current study selected the two search terms for the most appropriate articles. The query result consisted of 962 documents. Basing on the result from preliminary searching, retrieved publications were refined automatically on WoS by criteria of timespan, document types, language, research areas, and WoS Index as presented in Table 1 . Accordingly, the criteria for automatic filter process were basic information of an articles and classified clearly in WoS system so the results reached high accuracy. The refined results are 473 articles.

After automatic filters, file of data was converted to Microsoft Excel 2016 for screening. The present study examined titles and abstracts of 473 articles to assess the eligibility of each publication according to the relevance with given topic. There are 387 articles are eligible,while 86 irrelevant publications were excluded.

Data analysis

Prior to data analysis, the raw data were cleaned in Microsoft Excel 2016. Different forms of the same author’s name were corrected for consistency, for example “Zhou, Zong-Kui” and “Zhou Zongkui”, “Van Cleemput, Katrien” and “Van Cleemput, K.”, “Williams, Matthew L.” and “Williams, Matthew”. Similarly, different keywords (single/plural or synonyms) used for the same concept were identified and standardized such as “victimization” and “victimisation”; “adolescent” and “adolescents”; “cyber bullying”, “cyber-bullying” and “cyberbullying”; “routine activity theory” and “routine activities theory”.

The data were processed by Microsoft Excel 2016 and VOS Viewer version 1.6.16; then it was analyzed according to three main aspects. First, descriptive statistic provided evidence for yearly distribution and growth trend of publications, frequency counts of citations, the influential authors, the predominant journals, the top institutions and countries/territories, most-cited publications. Second, co-authorship and co-occurrence analysis were constructed and visualized by VOS Viewer version 1.6.16 to explore the network collaborations. Finally, the current study also investigated research topics through content analysis of keywords. The authors’ keywords were classified into 15 themes, including: #1 cybercrime; #2 sample and demographic factors; #3 location; #4 theory; #5 methodology; #6 technology, platforms and related others; #7 psychology and mental health; #8 physical health; #9 family; #10 school; #11 society; #12 crimes and deviant behaviors; #13 victim; #14 prevention and intervention; and #15 others. Besides, the study also added other keywords from titles and abstracts basing on these themes, then indicated aspects examined in previous research.

In this section, all findings corresponding with four research questions identified at the ouset of this study would be illustrated (Fig.  1 ).

PRISMA diagram depicts data collection from WoS database

Distribution of publication

Distribution by year, institutions and countries.

Basing on retrieved data, it was witnessed an increasing trend of articles relevant to cybercrime victimization in SSCI list during the time of 2010–2020 but it had slight fluctuations in each year as shown in Fig.  2 . The total number of articles over this time was 387 items, which were broken into two sub-periods: 2010–2014 and 2015–2020. It is evident that the latter period demonstrated the superiority of the rate of articles (79.33%) compared to the previous period (20.67%). The yearly quantity of publications in this research subject was fewer than forty before 2015. Research of cybercrime victimization reached a noticeable development in 2016 with over fifty publications, remained the large number of publications in the following years and peaked at 60 items in 2018.

Annual distribution of publications

Distribution by institutions and countries

Table 2 shows the top contributing institutions according to the quantity of publications related to cybercrime victimization. Of the top institutions, four universities were from the USA, two ones were from Spain, two institutions were from Australia and the rest ones were from Czech Republic, Belgium, Greece, and Austria. Specifically, Masaryk University (17 documents) became the most productive publishing institution, closely followed by Michigan State University (16 documents). The third and fourth places were University of Antwerp (13 documents) and Weber State University (10 documents). Accordingly, the institutions from The USA and Europe occupied the vast majority.

In Table 2 , University of Seville (total citations: 495, average citations: 70.71) ranked first and University of Cordoba (total citations: 484, average citations: 60.50) stayed at the second place in both total citations and average citations.

Referring to distribution of publications by countries, there were 45 countries in database contributing to the literature of cybercrime victimization. The USA recorded the highest quantity of papers, creating an overwhelming difference from other countries (159 documents) as illustrated in Fig.  3 . Of the top productive countries, eight European countries which achieved total of 173 publications were England (39 documents), Spain (34 documents), Germany (22 documents), Netherlands (18 documents), Italy (17 documents) and Czech Republic (17 documents), Belgium (14 documents), Greece (12 documents). Australia ranked the fourth point (32 documents), followed by Canada (30 documents). One Asian country which came out seventh place, at the same position with Netherlands was China (18 documents).

Top productive countries based on the number of publications

Distribution by sources

Table 3 enumerates the top leading journals in the number of publications relevant to cybercrime victimization. The total publications of the first ranking journal— Computers in Human Behavior were 56, over twice as higher as the second raking journal— Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking (24 articles). Most of these journals have had long publishing history, starting their publications before 2000. Only three journals launched after 2000, consisting of Journal of School Violence (2002), Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace (2007) and Frontiers in Psychology (2010). Besides, it is remarked that one third of the top journals focuses on youth related issues: Journal of Youth and Adolescence , Journal of Adolescence, School Psychology International and Journal of School Violence .

In Table 3 , relating to total citations, Computers in Human Behavior remained the first position with 2055 citations. Journal of Youth and Adolescence had total 1285 citations, ranked second and followed by Aggressive Behavior with 661 citations. In terms of average citations per documents, an article of Journal of Youth and Adolescence was cited 67.63 times in average, much higher than average citations of one in Computers in Human Behavior (36.70 times). The other journals which achieved the high number of average citations per document were School Psychology International (59.00 times), Journal of Adolescence (44.83 times) and Aggressive Behavior (44.07 times).

Distribution by authors

Table 4 displays ten productive authors based on article count; total citations of each author and their average citations per document are also included. Michelle F. Wright from Pennsylvania State University ranked first with twenty publications, twice as higher as the second positions, Thomas J. Holt (10 articles) from Michigan State University and Bradford W. Reyns (10 articles) from Weber State University. Rosario Ortega-Ruiz from University of Cordoba stayed at the third place in terms of total publications but the first place in aspect of total citations (483 citations) and the average citations (60.38 times).

Of the most productive authors based on total publications, there were three authors from universities in the USA; one from the university in Canada (Brett Holfeld); the others were from institutions in Euro, including Spain (Rosario Ortega-Ruiz), Greece (Constantinos M. Kokkinos) and Belgium (Heidi Vandebosch), Netherlands (Rutger Leukfeldt) and Austria (Takuya Yanagida and Christiane Spiel).

Most-cited publications

The most-cited literature items are displayed in Table 5 . The article which recorded the highest number of citations was ‘Psychological, Physical, and Academic Correlates of Cyberbullying and Traditional Bullying’ (442 citations) by Robin M. Kowalski et al. published in Journal of Adolescent Health , 2013. Seven of ten most-cited articles were about cyberbullying; focused on youth population; made comparisons between cyberbullying and traditional bullying; analyzed the impact of several factors such as psychological, physical, academic factors or use of Internet; discussed on preventing strategies. The other publications studied victimization of cyberstalking and cyber dating abuse. All most-cited articles were from 2015 and earlier.

Of the top productive authors, only Bradford W. Reyns had an article appeared in the group of most-cited publications. His article ‘Being Pursued Online: Applying Cyberlifestyle-Routine Activities Theory to Cyberstalking Victimization’ (2011) was cited 172 times.

• Co-authorship analysis

“Scientific collaboration is a complex social phenomenon in research” (Glänzel and Schubert 2006 , p. 257) and becomes the increasing trend in individual, institutional and national levels. In bibliometric analysis, it is common to assess the productivity and international collaboration of research; identify key leading researchers, institutions, or countries (E Fonseca et al. 2016 ) as well as potential collaborators in a specific scientific area (Romero and Portillo-Salido 2019 ) by co-authorship analysis which constructs networks of authors and countries (Eck and Waltman 2020 ).

This section analyses international collaboration relevant to research of cybercrime victimization among authors, institutions, and countries during 2010–2020 through visualization of VOS Viewer software.

Collaboration between authors

Referring to the threshold of choose in this analysis, minimum number of documents of author is three and there were 80 authors for final results. Figure  4 illustrates the relationships between 80 scientists who study in subject of cybercrime victimization during 2010–2020. It shows several big groups of researchers (Wright’s group, Vandebosch’s group, or Holt’s group), while numerous authors had limited or no connections to others (Sheri Bauman, Michelle K. Demaray or Jennifer D. Shapka).

Collaboration among authors via network visualization (threshold three articles for an author, displayed 80 authors)

Figure  5 displayed a significant network containing 23 authors who were active in collaboration in detail. The displayed items in Fig.  5 are divided into five clusters coded with distinctive colors, including red, green, blue, yellow, and purple. Each author item was represented by their label and a circle; the size of label and circle are depended on the weight of the item, measured by the total publications (Eck and Waltman 2020 ). The thickness of lines depends on the strength of collaboration (Eck and Waltman 2020 ).

Collaboration among authors via network visualization (threshold three articles for an author, displayed 23 authors)

The most significant cluster was red one which is comprised of six researchers: Michelle F. Wright, Sebastian Wachs, Yan Li, Anke Gorzig, Manuel Gamez-Guadix and Esther Calvete. The remarked author for the red cluster was Michelle F. Wright whose value of total link strength is 24. She had the strongest links with Sebastian Wachs; closely link with Yan Li, Anke Gorzig, Manuel Gamez-Guadix and collaborated with authors of yellow cluster, including Shanmukh V. Kamble, Li Lei, Hana Machackova, Shruti Soudi as well as Takuya Yanagida of blue cluster. Michelle F. Wright who obtained the largest number of published articles based on criteria of this study made various connections with other scholars who were from many different institutions in the world. This is also an effective way to achieve more publications.

Takuya Yanagida was the biggest node for the blue cluster including Petra Gradinger, Daniel Graf, Christiane Spiel, Dagmar Strohmeier. Total link strength for Takuya Yanagida was 28; twelve connections. It is observed that Takuya Yanagida’ s research collaboration is definitely active. Besides, other research groups showed limited collaborations comparing with the red and blue ones.

Collaboration between institutions

The connections among 156 institutions which published at least two documents per one are shown in Fig.  6 . Interestingly, there is obvious connections among several distinctive clusters which were coded in color of light steel blue, orange, purple, steel blue, green, red, yellow, light red, dark turquoise, light blue, brown and light green. These clusters created a big chain of connected institutions and were in the center of the figure, while other smaller clusters or unlinked bubbles (gray color) were distributed in two sides. The biggest chain consisted of most of productive institutions such as Masaryk University, Michigan State University, University of Antwerp, Weber State University, University of Cordoba, Edith Cowan University, University of Cincinnati, University of Victoria, University of Vienna, and University of Seville.

Collaboration among institutions via network visualization (threshold two articles for an institution, 156 institutions were displayed)

Light steel blue and orange clusters presented connections among organizations from Australia. Light green included institutions from Netherland, while turquoise and light blue consisted of institutions from the USA. Yellow cluster was remarked by the various collaborations among institutions from China and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (Renmin University of China and South China Normal University, University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the Chinese University of Hong Kong), the USA (University of Virginia), Cyprus (Eastern Mediterranean University), Japan (Shizuoka University), India (Karnataka University) and Austria (University Applied Sciences Upper Austria). Central China Normal University is another Chinese institution which appeared in Fig.  5 , linking with Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China, Suny Stony Brook and University of Memphis from the USA.

Masaryk University and Michigan State University demonstrated their productivity in both the quantity of publications and the collaboration network. They were active in research collaboration, reaching twelve and eleven links, respectively, with different institutions, but focused much on networking with institutions in the USA and Europe.

Collaboration between countries

The collaboration among 45 countries which published at least one SSCI documents of cybercrime victimization during the given period was examined in VOS Viewer but just 42 items were displayed via overlay visualization. Figure  7 depicts the international collaborations among significant countries. The USA is the biggest bubble due to its biggest number of documents and shows connections with 26 countries/regions in Euro, Asia, Australia, Middle East. Excepting European countries, England collaborate with the USA, Australia, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Colombia. Spain and Germany almost focus on research network within Euro. China has the strongest tie with the USA, link with Australia, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Cyprus and Turkey, Japan, Indian, Vietnam.

Collaboration among countries via overlay visualization

Color bar in Fig.  7 is determined by the average publication year of each country and the color of circles based on it. It is unsurprised that the USA, Australia, England, or Spain shows much research experience in this field and maintain the large number of publications steadily. Interestingly, although the average publication year of South Korea or Cyprus was earlier than other countries (purple color), their quantities of documents were moderate. The new nodes (yellow circles) in the map included Vietnam, Norway, Pakistan, Ireland, Scotland, Switzerland.

Keywords and co-occurrence

The present paper examined the related themes and contents in research of cybercrime victimization during 2010–2020 through collecting author keywords, adding several keywords from tiles and abstracts. Besides, this study also conducted co-occurrence analysis of author keywords to show the relationships among these keywords.

The keywords were collected and categorized into 15 themes in Table 6 , including cybercrime; sample and demographic factors; location; theory; methodology; technology, platform, and related others; psychology and mental health; physical health; family; school; society; crimes and other deviant behaviors; victim; prevention and intervention; and others.

In the theme of cybercrime, there were numerous types of cybercrimes such as cyberbullying, cyber aggression, cyberstalking, cyber harassment, sextortion and other cyber dating crimes, cyber fraud, identity theft, phishing, hacking, malware, or ransomware. Generally, the frequency of interpersonal cybercrimes or cyber-enable crimes was much higher than cyber-dependent crimes. Cyberbullying was the most common cybercrime in research.

Relating to sample and demographic factors, there were sample of children, adolescent, adults, and the elder who were divided into more detail levels in each research; however, adolescent was the most significant sample. Besides, demographic factor of gender received a remarked concern from scholars.

It is usual that most of the research were carried out in one country, in popular it was the USA, Spain, Germany, England, Australia, Canada or Netherland but sometimes the new ones were published such as Chile, Vietnam, Thailand or Singapore. It was witnessed that some studies showed data collected from a group of countries such as two countries (Canada and the United State), three countries (Israel, Litva, Luxembourg), four countries (the USA, the UK, Germany, and Finland), or six Europe countries (Spain, Germany, Italy, Poland, the United Kingdom and Greece).

A wide range of theories were applied in this research focusing on criminological and psychological theories such as Routine Activities Theory, Lifestyle—Routine Activities Theory, General Strain Theory, the Theory of Reasoned Action or Self-control Theory.

Table 6 indicated a lot of different research methods covering various perspective of cybercrime victimization: systematic review, questionnaire survey, interview, experiment, mix method, longitudinal study, or cross-national research; many kinds of analysis such as meta-analysis, social network analysis, latent class analysis, confirmatory factor analysis; and a wide range of measurement scales which were appropriate for each variable.

Topic of cybercrime victimization had connections with some main aspects of technology (information and communication technologies, internet, social media or technology related activities), psychology (self-esteem, fear, attitude, personality, psychological problems, empathy, perceptions or emotion), physical health, family (parents), school (peers, school climate), society (norms, culture, social bonds), victim, other crimes (violence, substance use), prevention and intervention.

Co-occurrence analysis was performed with keywords suggested by authors and the minimum number of occurrences per word is seven. The result showed 36 frequent keywords which clustered into five clusters as illustrated in Fig.  8 .

Co-occurrence between author keywords via network visualization (the minimum number of occurrences per word is seven, 36 keywords were displayed)

Figure  8 illustrates some main issues which were concerned in subject of cybercrime victimization, as well as the relationship among them. Fifteen most frequent keywords were presented by big bubbles, including: ‘cyberbullying’ (174 times), ‘cyber victimization’ (90 times), ‘adolescent’ (79 times), ‘bullying’ (66 times), ‘victimization’ (56 times), ‘cybercrime’ (40 times), ‘cyber aggression’ (37 times), ‘depression’ (23 times), ‘aggression’ (14 times), ‘routine activities theory’ (13 times), ‘cyberstalking’ (11 times), ‘gender’ (11 times), ‘longitudinal’ (10 times), ‘peer victimization’ (10 times) and ‘self-esteem’ (10 times).

‘Cyberbullying’ linked with many other keywords, demonstrating the various perspectives in research of this topic. The thick lines which linked ‘cyberbullying’ and ‘bullying’, ‘adolescent’, ‘cyber victimization’, ‘victimization’ showed the strong connections between them; there were close relationship between ‘cyber aggression’, ‘bystander”, ‘self-esteem’ or ‘moral disengagement’ and ‘cyberbullying’.

‘Cybercrime’ had strong links with ‘victimization’, ‘routine activities theory’. In Fig.  8 , the types of cybercrime which occurred at least seven times were: cyberbullying, cyber aggression, hacking, cyberstalking, and cyber dating abuse.

The increasing trend over the years reveals the increasing concern of scholarly community on this field, especially in the boom of information technology and other communication devices and the upward trend in research of cyberspace-related issues (Altarturi et al. 2020 ; Leung et al. 2017 ; Serafin et al. 2019 ). It predicts the growth of cybercrime victimization research in future.

Psychology was the more popular research areas in database, defeating criminology penology. As part of the ‘human factors of cybercrime’, human decision-making based on their psychological perspectives plays as a hot topic in cyber criminology (Leukfeldt and Holt 2020 ). Then, it is observed that journals in psychology field was more prevalent in top of productive sources. Besides, journal Computers in Human Behavior ranked first in total publications, but Journal of Youth and Adolescence ranked higher place in the average citations per document. Generally, top ten journals having highest number of publications on cybercrime victimization are highly qualified ones and at least 10 years in publishing industry.

The USA demonstrated its leading position in the studied domain in terms of total publications as well as the various collaborations with other countries. The publications of the USA occupied much higher than the second and third countries: England and Spain. It is not difficult to explain for this fact due to the impressive productivity of institutions and authors from the USA. A third of top twelve productive institutions were from the USA. Three leading positions of top ten productive authors based on document count were from institutions of the USA, number one was Michelle F. Wright; others were Thomas J. Holt and Bradford W. Reyns.

Furthermore, these authors also participated in significant research groups and become the important nodes in those clusters. The most noticeable authors in co-authors network were Michelle F. Wright. The US institutions also had strong links in research network. The USA was likely to be open in collaboration with numerous countries from different continents in the world. It was assessed to be a crucial partner for others in the international co-publication network (Glänzel and Schubert 2006 ).

As opposed to the USA, most of European countries prefer developing research network within Europe and had a limited collaboration with other areas. Australia, the USA, or Japan was in a small group of countries which had connections with European ones. Nevertheless, European countries still showed great contributions for research of cybercrime victimization and remained stable links in international collaboration. The prominent authors from Euro are Rosario Ortega-Ruiz, Constantinos M. Kokkinos or Rutger Leukfeldt.

It is obvious that the limited number of publications from Asia, Middle East, Africa, or other areas resulted in the uncomprehensive picture of studied subject. For example, in the Southeast Asia, Malaysia and Vietnam lacked the leading authors with their empirical studies to review and examine the nature of cybercrimes, though they are facing to practical challenges and potential threats in the cyberspace (Lusthaus 2020a , b ). The present study indicated that Vietnam, Ireland, or Norway was the new nodes and links in research network.

Several nations which had a small number of publications such as Vietnam, Thailand, Sri Lanka, or Chile started their journey of international publications. It is undeniable that globalization and the context of global village (McLuhan 1992 ) requires more understanding about the whole nations and areas. Conversely, each country or area also desires to engage in international publications. Therefore, new nodes and clusters are expected to increase and expand.

The findings indicated that cyberbullying was the most popular topic on research of cybercrime victimization over the given period. Over a half of most-cited publications was focus on cyberbullying. Additionally, ‘cyberbullying’ was the most frequent author keyword which co-occurred widely with distinctive keywords such as ‘victimization’, ‘adolescents’, ‘bullying’, ‘social media’, ‘internet’, ‘peer victimization’ or ‘anxiety’.

By reviewing keywords, several research gaps were indicated. Research samples were lack of population of the children and elders, while adolescent and youth were frequent samples of numerous studies. Although young people are most active in cyberspace, it is still necessary to understand other populations. Meanwhile, the elderly was assumed to use information and communication technologies to improve their quality of life (Tsai et al. 2015 ), their vulnerability to the risk of cybercrime victimization did not reduce. Those older women were most vulnerable to phishing attacks (Lin et al. 2019 ; Oliveira et al. 2017 ). Similarly, the population of children with distinctive attributes has become a suitable target for cybercriminals, particularly given the context of increasing online learning due to Covid-19 pandemic impacts. These practical gaps should be prioritized to focus on research for looking the suitable solutions in the future. Besides, a vast majority of research were conducted in the scope of one country; some studies collected cross-national data, but the number of these studies were moderate and focused much on developed countries. There are rooms for studies to cover several countries in Southeast Asia or South Africa.

Furthermore, although victims may be both individuals and organizations, most of research concentrated much more on individuals rather than organizations or companies. Wagen and Pieters ( 2020 ) indicated that victims include both human and non-human. They conducted research covering cases of ransomware victimization, Bonet victimization and high-tech virtual theft victimization and applying Actor-Network Theory to provide new aspect which did not aim to individual victims. The number of this kind of research, however, was very limited. Additionally, excepting cyberbullying and cyber aggression were occupied the outstanding quantity of research, other types of cybercrime, especially, e-whoring, or social media-related cybercrime should still be studied more in the future.

Another interesting topic is the impact of family on cybercrime victimization. By reviewing keyword, it is clear that the previous studies aimed to sample of adolescent, hence, there are many keywords linking with parents such as ‘parent-adolescent communication’, ‘parent-adolescent information sharing’, ‘parental mediation’, ‘parental monitoring of cyber behavior’, ‘parental style’. As mentioned above, it is necessary to research more on sample of the elder, then, it is also essential to find out how family members affect the elder’s cybercrime victimization.

It is a big challenge to deal with problems of cybercrime victimization because cybercrime forms become different daily (Näsi et al. 2015 ). Numerous researchers engage in understanding this phenomenon from various angles. The current bibliometric study assessed the scholarly status on cybercrime victimization during 2010–2020 by retrieving SSCI articles from WoS database. There is no study that applied bibliometric method to research on the examined subject. Hence, this paper firstly contributed statistical evidence and visualized findings to literature of cybercrime victimization.

Statistical description was applied to measure the productive authors, institutions, countries/regions, sources, and most-cited documents, mainly based on publication and citation count. The international collaborations among authors, institutions, and countries were assessed by co-authors, while the network of author keywords was created by co-occurrence analysis. The overall scholarly status of cybercrime victimization research was drawn clearly and objectively. The research trend, popular issues and current gaps were reviewed, providing numerous suggestions for policymakers, scholars, and practitioners about cyber-related victimization (Pickering and Byrne 2014 ). Accordingly, the paper indicated the most prevalent authors, most-cited papers but also made summary of contributions of previous research as well as identified research gaps. First, this article supports for PhD candidates or early-career researchers concerning about cybercrime victimization. Identifying the leading authors, remarked journals, or influencing articles, gaps related to a specific research topic is important and useful task for new researchers to start their academic journey. Although this information is relatively simple, it takes time and is not easy for newcomers to find out, especially for ones in poor or developing areas which have limited conditions and opportunities to access international academic sources. Thus, the findings in the current paper provided for them basic but necessary answers to conduct the first step in research. Secondly, by indicating research gaps in relevance to sample, narrow topics or scope of country, the paper suggests future study fulfilling them to complete the field of cybercrime victimization, especial calling for publications from countries which has had a modest position in global research map. Science requires the balance and diversity, not just focusing on a few developed countries or areas. Finally, the present study assists researchers and institutions to determined strategy and potential partners for their development of research collaborations. It not only improve productivity of publication but also create an open and dynamic environment for the development of academic field.

Despite mentioned contributions, this study still has unavoidable limitations. The present paper just focused on SSCI articles from WoS database during 2010–2020. It did not cover other sources of databases that are known such as Scopus, ScienceDirect, or Springer; other types of documents; the whole time; or articles in other languages excepting English. Hence it may not cover all data of examined subject in fact. Moreover, this bibliometric study just performed co-authorship and co-occurrence analysis. The rest of analysis such as citation, co-citation and bibliographic coupling have not been conducted. Research in the future is recommended to perform these kinds of assessment to fill this gap. To visualize the collaboration among authors, institutions, countries, or network of keywords, this study used VOS Viewer software and saved the screenshots as illustrations. Therefore, not all items were displayed in the screenshot figures.

Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Ho, H.T.N., Luong, H.T. Research trends in cybercrime victimization during 2010–2020: a bibliometric analysis. SN Soc Sci 2 , 4 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-021-00305-4

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5 Dissertation Topics on Cyber Crime

Published by Owen Ingram at January 9th, 2023 , Revised On August 15, 2023

Introduction

Any crime that is conducted using a computer and a network is known as cybercrime. Cybercrimes can target individuals in their personal capacity by targeting their property, the person himself, harming their mental health, and can even cause damage to governments.

Everyone using a computer and the internet can fall victim to cybercrime; however, understanding these crimes’ nature and how these are conducted can help people keep themselves safe and avoid falling victim.

Networks have weak spots, thus identifying those that can help you in determining possible attack points. This will eventually enable you to keep yourself safe from cybercrimes. Keeping your personal information safe at all times is critically important.

Never give out your passwords or any other personal information openly on any forum. This is one of the most effective ways of avoiding falling victim to cybercrime.

Being a pressing issue, cybercrime is continuously explored as to how it is conducted, what its types are, how it can be detected, how people can stay safe, etc. Here are five dissertation topics on cybercrime that will help gain an in-depth understanding of the issue.

These topics have been developed by PhD-qualified writers of our team , so you can trust to use these topics for drafting your dissertation.

You may also want to start your dissertation by requesting  a brief research proposal  from our writers on any of these topics, which includes an  introduction  to the topic,  research question , aim and objectives ,  literature review  along with the proposed  methodology  of research to be conducted.  Let us know  if you need any help in getting started.

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Review the full list of dissertation topics for 2022 here.

5 Dissertation Topics on Cyber Crime 2022

Topic 1: is cybercrime a threat to banking sector in developing countries a case study of banking sector in pakistan.

Research Aim: This study aims to analyze the impact of cybercrime on the banking sector in developing countries. It will identify the possible threats faced by the banking sector due to increasing cybercrimes. These threats are related to the information security of the banks in developing countries. This research will be using Pakistan as a case study to find the threats posed by cybercrime to fragile banking. And after identifying the threats, the study will try to recommend possible solutions to ensure information security.

Topic 2: Impact of Cybercrime on E-Governance. Is cybercrime affecting the Confidentiality of Government Data?

Research Aim:  This research aims to find the impact of cybercrime on modern-day governance systems or e-governance. It will identify the possible hindrances caused by cybercrime in implementing effective e-governance. This research will also investigate the impact of cybercrime on the confidentiality of government data. And after investigating the impact of cybercrime on the confidentiality of government data, this research will recommend the modern-day practices used to maintain the security of the information.

Topic 3: Is Information Safe Today? A survey to find the impact of cybercrime on the information security of the businesses

Research Aim: This study aims to find the impact of cybercrime on the information security of modern-day businesses. It will be a survey-based study to find out the problems faced by modern-day businesses due to cybercrime. These problems include confidential information leakage, which can benefit the competitors in the market. And another major problem is data stealing. This study will identify all these problems. And it will also recommend modern-day solutions to increase the security of the information.

Topic 4: A Socio-Technological Examination of Cybercrime and Information Security in Nigeria

Research Aim: This current research intends to determine Nigerian society’s vulnerabilities to cybercrime and exploitation and the global information infrastructure in general. It also aims to determine the informal, social, and technical drivers of Nigerian cybercrime and cybersecurity. To examine Nigerian law enforcement agencies and cybersecurity stakeholders’ efforts to combat cybercrime and guarantee cybersecurity. This analysis provides an opportunity for legislators, policymakers, and law enforcement agencies can utilize the law to establish legally valid definitions of cybercrime and information security from sociological and technological points of view

Topic 5: Impact of Cyber laws on Information Security. A Cross-Country Analysis

Research Aim: This study aims to analyse the impact of cyber laws on information security. This study is a cross-country analysis that will find the effectiveness of cyber laws across countries. It will see how over time, the introduction of cyber laws has affected information security after the find out the relationship between cyber laws and information security. This research will identify the most effective cyber laws in the countries under study. And after identifying the best laws among the countries under study. This study will recommend the best laws from individual countries or a set of laws from different countries.

Covid-19 Cyber Crime Research Topics

Topic 1: cybercrimes and coronavirus pandemic.

Research Aim: This study will focus on the increased cybercrimes during the coronavirus pandemic and the effective ways to overcome them.

Topic 2: Cybersecurity and COVID-19

Research Aim: This study will focus on the role of cybersecurity in minimizing cybercrimes during the crisis of the pandemic.

Topic 3: Cyber threats can harm industries

Research Aim: This study will address the growing cyber threats during COVID-19, where remote work has been adopted to combat the pandemic. It’ll highlight the threats, their harmful effect, and their solution.

Cyber Crime Research Topics 2021

Topic 1: importance of password security.

Research Aim: This research aims to identify the importance of Password security in safe computing.

Topic 2: Phishing scams

Research Aim: This research aims to highlight phishing scams issues and suggest various tips to avoid such scams.

Topic 3: Mobile protection

Research Aim: This research aims to highlight mobile security threats and suggest possible ways to protect mobile phones from hackers.

Topic 4: How to ensure safe computing?

Research Aim: This research will focus on types of hackings, scams and suggests possible ways to ensure safe computing

Topic 5: Cybercrime Dissertation Topics – The Evolution of Cyber Crime and the Attacks that Led to the Formation of Cyber Crime Policies

Research Aim: This dissertation will focus on the history of how this crime came into existence. The thesis’s main focus will be on understanding cybercrime, how it is being conducted worldwide, and what has led to an increase in these types of attacks.

The thesis will also discuss the initial attacks due to which cybercrime policies came into place. All policies will be discussed as to how they help curb cybercrimes and the extent to which they have been successful in reducing them.

Finally, the thesis will suggest if any new policies must be developed. What aspects need to be focused on, are there any new areas that need attention, or do the existing policies need to be revised?

Topic 6: Cybercrime Dissertation Topics – Cyber Crime: How it Impacts Young Adults

Research Aim: Cybercrime can have a great impact on the younger generation. Young adults use the internet more than any other age group, which is why they are the first victims of cybercrime. This dissertation will explore how cybercrime affects the younger generation and how it causes problems for them.

Issues such as health, specifically mental health, will be discussed to understand the many problems caused by cybercrime. Many individuals from the younger generation have attempted suicide after falling victim to cybercrime.

This research study will discuss all such effects of cybercrime, including cyberbullying (a form of cybercrime). The study will also present ways as to how they can avoid falling victim to cybercrime.

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Topic 7: Cybercrime Dissertation Topics – Investigating Various Approaches and Ways to Detect Cyber Crime

Research Aim: Cybercrime, one of the most secret crimes, is spread all over the world. The number of cybercrimes worldwide is on the rise. Thus, every individual using a computer and connected to a network must be aware of the different types of cybercrimes.

Before discussing the different ways to detect cybercrime, this dissertation study will briefly discuss the many cybercrime types. Essentially, the research will focus on various ways through which each form of cybercrime can be detected.

Different forms of cybercrimes can be detected differently. For instance, data theft can be determined by asking for a password or other sensitive information through a call or an email. The research will then conclude how people can identify different forms of cybercrime and not fall victim to any of them.

Topic 8: Cybercrime Dissertation Topics – Evaluating Existing Cyber Crime Policies: Do They Suffice in Today’s World?

Research Aim: Cybercrime, being a major cause of concern throughout the world, is controlled and curbed by different policies in place. These policies are designed to make sure that cybercrime is reduced and gradually eliminated from society. However, with the increased numbers, the need for a policy change or amendment seems inevitable.

This means that the existing policies need to be reworked or revised, or abandoned completely, and new policies should be formed. This dissertation will investigate both these options and emphasize whether policies should be revised or new policies should be formed.

If new policies should be formed, the research will explain how these should be shaped, and if they need to be revised, then which aspects need to be considered for amendments will be the main focus of the dissertation. A detailed analysis will be presented to make an informed decision.

Topic 9: Cybercrime Dissertation Topics – Understanding the Different Types of Cyber Crime

Research Aim: Cybercrime, undoubtedly, is one of the most deadly forms of crime. Without causing physical harm, the crime causes the victim to attempt suicide or suffer from mental diseases such as anxiety, depression, etc.

This research will focus on the different types of cybercrimes that impact people in today’s world. This research will highlight almost all cybercrime forms while emphasising the most common forms such as cyberbullying, hacking, data theft, child pornography, etc.

In-depth research will be conducted through surveys and by using numbers and percentages of cybercrime from credible resources such as government websites, etc.

This will help understand the various forms of cybercrime, how widespread the crime is, and how many people are impacted by cybercrime throughout the world.

Important Notes:

As a cybercrime student looking to get good grades, it is essential to develop new ideas and experiment with existing cybercrime theories – i.e., to add value and interest to your research topic.

The field of cybercrime is vast and interrelated to so many other academic disciplines like Facebook , Instagram , Cryptocurrency , Twitter , civil engineering , facial recognition , construction ,  project management , engineering management , healthcare , finance and accounting , artificial intelligence , tourism , physiotherapy , sociology , management , and project management , graphic design , and nursing . That is why it is imperative to create a project management dissertation topic that is articular, sound, and actually solves a practical problem that may be rampant in the field.

We can’t stress how important it is to develop a logical research topic based on your entire research. There are several significant downfalls to getting your topic wrong; your supervisor may not be interested in working on it, the topic has no academic creditability, the research may not make logical sense, and there is a possibility that the study is not viable.

This impacts your time and efforts in writing your dissertation as you may end up in the cycle of rejection at the initial stage of the dissertation. That is why we recommend reviewing existing research to develop a topic, taking advice from your supervisor, and even asking for help in this particular stage of your dissertation.

Keeping our advice in mind while developing a research topic will allow you to pick one of the best cyber crime dissertation topics that fulfil your requirement of writing a research paper and add to the body of knowledge.

Therefore, it is recommended that when finalizing your dissertation topic, you read recently published literature to identify gaps in the research that you may help fill.

Remember- dissertation topics need to be unique, solve an identified problem, be logical, and be practically implemented. Please look at some of our sample cybercrime dissertation topics to get an idea for your own dissertation.

How to Structure your Cyber Crime Dissertation

A well-structured dissertation can help students to achieve a high overall academic grade.

• A Title Page
• Acknowledgements
• Declaration
• Abstract: A summary of the research completed
• Table of Contents
• Introduction : This chapter includes the project rationale, research background, key research aims and objectives, and the research problems. An outline of the structure of a dissertation can also be added to this chapter.
• Literature Review : This chapter presents relevant theories and frameworks by analysing published and unpublished literature available on the chosen research topic to address research questions . The purpose is to highlight and discuss the selected research area’s relative weaknesses and strengths whilst identifying any research gaps. Break down the topic, and key terms that can positively impact your dissertation and your tutor.
• Methodology : The data collection and analysis methods and techniques employed by the researcher are presented in the Methodology chapter which usually includes research design , research philosophy, research limitations, code of conduct, ethical consideration, data collection methods, and data analysis strategy .
• Findings and Analysis : Findings of the research are analysed in detail under the Findings and Analysis chapter. All key findings/results are outlined in this chapter without interpreting the data or drawing any conclusions. It can be useful to include graphs, charts, and tables in this chapter to identify meaningful trends and relationships.
• Discussion and Conclusion : The researcher presents his interpretation of the results in this chapter, and states whether the research hypothesis has been verified or not. An essential aspect of this section of the paper is to draw a linkage between the results and evidence from the literature. Recommendations with regards to implications of the findings and directions for the future may also be provided. Finally, a summary of the overall research, along with final judgments, opinions, and comments, must be included in the form of suggestions for improvement.
• References : This should be completed following your University’s requirements
• Bibliography
• Appendices : Any additional information, diagrams, and graphs used to complete the dissertation but not part of the dissertation should be included in the Appendices chapter. Essentially, the purpose is to expand the information/data.

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How to find dissertation topics on cyber crime.

To find dissertation topics on cybercrime:

• Study recent cyber threats and attacks.
• Analyze legal and ethical aspects.
• Explore technological advancements.
• Investigate prevention measures.
• Consider international perspectives.
• Select a focused area of interest for in-depth research.

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105 Latest Cyber Security Research Topics in 2024

Home Blog Security 105 Latest Cyber Security Research Topics in 2024

The concept of cybersecurity refers to cracking the security mechanisms that break in dynamic environments. Implementing Cyber Security Project topics and cybersecurity thesis topics helps overcome attacks and take mitigation approaches to security risks and threats in real-time. Undoubtedly, it focuses on events injected into the system, data, and the whole network to attack/disturb it.

The network can be attacked in various ways, including Distributed DoS, Knowledge Disruptions, Computer Viruses / Worms, and many more. Cyber-attacks are still rising, and more are waiting to harm their targeted systems and networks. Detecting Intrusions in cybersecurity has become challenging due to their Intelligence Performance. Therefore, it may negatively affect data integrity, privacy, availability, and security. 

This article aims to demonstrate the most current Cyber Security Research Topics for Projects and areas of research currently lacking. We will talk about cyber security research questions, cyber security topics for the project, latest research titles about cyber security.

List of Trending Cyber Security Research Topics in 2024

Digital technology has revolutionized how all businesses, large or small, work, and even governments manage their day-to-day activities, requiring organizations, corporations, and government agencies to utilize computerized systems. To protect data against online attacks or unauthorized access, cybersecurity is a priority. There are many Cyber Security Courses online where you can learn about these topics. With the rapid development of technology comes an equally rapid shift in Cyber Security Research Topics and cybersecurity trends, as data breaches, ransomware, and hacks become almost routine news items. In 2024, these will be the top cybersecurity trends .

A. Exciting Mobile Cyber Security Research Paper Topics

• The significance of continuous user authentication on mobile gadgets. 
• The efficacy of different mobile security approaches. 
• Detecting mobile phone hacking. 
• Assessing the threat of using portable devices to access banking services. 
• Cybersecurity and mobile applications. 
• The vulnerabilities in wireless mobile data exchange. 
• The rise of mobile malware. 
• The evolution of Android malware.
• How to know you’ve been hacked on mobile. 
• The impact of mobile gadgets on cybersecurity. 

B. Top Computer and Software Security Topics to Research

• Learn algorithms for data encryption 
• Concept of risk management security 
• How to develop the best Internet security software 
• What are Encrypting Viruses- How does it work? 
• How does a Ransomware attack work? 
• Scanning of malware on your PC 
• Infiltrating a Mac OS X operating system 
• What are the effects of RSA on network security ? 
• How do encrypting viruses work?
• DDoS attacks on IoT devices

C. Trending Information Security Research Topics

• Why should people avoid sharing their details on Facebook? 
• What is the importance of unified user profiles? 
• Discuss Cookies and Privacy  
• White hat and black hat hackers 
• What are the most secure methods for ensuring data integrity? 
• Talk about the implications of Wi-Fi hacking apps on mobile phones 
• Analyze the data breaches in 2024
• Discuss digital piracy in 2024
• critical cyber-attack concepts 
• Social engineering and its importance 

D. Current Network Security Research Topics

• Data storage centralization
• Identify Malicious activity on a computer system. 
• Firewall 
• Importance of keeping updated Software  
• wireless sensor network 
• What are the effects of ad-hoc networks
• How can a company network be safe? 
• What are Network segmentation and its applications? 
• Discuss Data Loss Prevention systems  
• Discuss various methods for establishing secure algorithms in a network. 
• Talk about two-factor authentication

E. Best Data Security Research Topics

• Importance of backup and recovery 
• Benefits of logging for applications 
• Understand physical data security 
• Importance of Cloud Security 
• In computing, the relationship between privacy and data security 
• Talk about data leaks in mobile apps 
• Discuss the effects of a black hole on a network system. 

F. Important Application Security Research Topics

• Detect Malicious Activity on Google Play Apps 
• Dangers of XSS attacks on apps 
• Discuss SQL injection attacks. 
• Insecure Deserialization Effect 
• Check Security protocols 

G. Cybersecurity Law & Ethics Research Topics

• Strict cybersecurity laws in China 
• Importance of the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act. 
• USA, UK, and other countries' cybersecurity laws  
• Discuss The Pipeline Security Act in the United States 

H. Recent Cyberbullying Topics

• Protecting your Online Identity and Reputation 
• Online Safety 
• Sexual Harassment and Sexual Bullying 
• Dealing with Bullying 
• Stress Center for Teens 

I. Operational Security Topics

• Identify sensitive data 
• Identify possible threats 
• Analyze security threats and vulnerabilities 
• Appraise the threat level and vulnerability risk 
• Devise a plan to mitigate the threats 

J. Cybercrime Topics for a Research Paper

• Crime Prevention. 
• Criminal Specialization. 
• Drug Courts. 
• Criminal Courts. 
• Criminal Justice Ethics. 
• Capital Punishment.
• Community Corrections. 
• Criminal Law.

Cyber Security Future Research Topics

• Developing more effective methods for detecting and responding to cyber attacks
• Investigating the role of social media in cyber security
• Examining the impact of cloud computing on cyber security
• Investigating the security implications of the Internet of Things
• Studying the effectiveness of current cyber security measures
• Identifying new cyber security threats and vulnerabilities
• Developing more effective cyber security policies
• Examining the ethical implications of cyber security

Cyber Security Topics For Research Paper

• Cyber security threats and vulnerabilities
• Cyber security incident response and management
• Cyber security risk management
• Cyber security awareness and training
• Cyber security controls and countermeasures
• Cyber security governance
• Cyber security standards
• Cyber security insurance

Top 5 Current Research Topics in Cybersecurity

Below are the latest 5 cybersecurity research topics. They are:

• Artificial Intelligence
• Digital Supply Chains
• Internet of Things
• State-Sponsored Attacks
• Working From Home

Research Area in Cyber Security

The field of cyber security is extensive and constantly evolving. Its research covers a wide range of subjects, including: 

• Quantum & Space  
• Data Privacy  
• Criminology & Law 
• AI & IoT Security
• RFID Security
• Authorization Infrastructure
• Digital Forensics
• Autonomous Security
• Social Influence on Social Networks

How to Choose the Best Research Topics in Cyber Security?

A good cybersecurity assignment heading is a skill that not everyone has, and unfortunately, not everyone has one. You might have your teacher provide you with the topics, or you might be asked to come up with your own. If you want more cyber security research topics, you can take references from Certified Ethical Hacker Certification, where you will get more hints on new topics. If you don't know where to start, here are some tips. Follow them to create compelling cybersecurity assignment topics. 

1. Brainstorm

In order to select the most appropriate heading for your cybersecurity assignment, you first need to brainstorm ideas. What specific matter do you wish to explore? In this case, come up with relevant topics about the subject and select those relevant to your issue when you use our list of topics. You can also go to cyber security-oriented websites to get some ideas. Using any blog post on the internet can prove helpful if you intend to write a research paper on security threats in 2024. Creating a brainstorming list with all the keywords and cybersecurity concepts you wish to discuss is another great way to start. Once that's done, pick the topics you feel most comfortable handling. Keep in mind to stay away from common topics as much as possible. 

2. Understanding the Background

In order to write a cybersecurity assignment, you need to identify two or three research paper topics. Obtain the necessary resources and review them to gain background information on your heading. This will also allow you to learn new terminologies that can be used in your title to enhance it. 

3. Write a Single Topic

Make sure the subject of your cybersecurity research paper doesn't fall into either extreme. Make sure the title is neither too narrow nor too broad. Topics on either extreme will be challenging to research and write about. 

4. Be Flexible

There is no rule to say that the title you choose is permanent. It is perfectly okay to change your research paper topic along the way. For example, if you find another topic on this list to better suit your research paper, consider swapping it out. 

The Layout of Cybersecurity Research Guidance

It is undeniable that usability is one of cybersecurity's most important social issues today. Increasingly, security features have become standard components of our digital environment, which pervade our lives and require both novices and experts to use them. Supported by confidentiality, integrity, and availability concerns, security features have become essential components of our digital environment.  

In order to make security features easily accessible to a wider population, these functions need to be highly usable. This is especially true in this context because poor usability typically translates into the inadequate application of cybersecurity tools and functionality, resulting in their limited effectiveness. 

Cyber Security Research Topic Writing Tips from Expert

Additionally, a well-planned action plan and a set of useful tools are essential for delving into Cyber Security research topics. Not only do these topics present a vast realm of knowledge and potential innovation, but they also have paramount importance in today's digital age. Addressing the challenges and nuances of these research areas will contribute significantly to the global cybersecurity landscape, ensuring safer digital environments for all. It's crucial to approach these topics with diligence and an open mind to uncover groundbreaking insights.

• Before you begin writing your research paper, make sure you understand the assignment. 
• Your Research Paper Should Have an Engaging Topic 
• Find reputable sources by doing a little research 
• Precisely state your thesis on cybersecurity 
• A rough outline should be developed 
• Finish your paper by writing a draft 
• Make sure that your bibliography is formatted correctly and cites your sources. 

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Studies in the literature have identified and recommended guidelines and recommendations for addressing security usability problems to provide highly usable security. The purpose of such papers is to consolidate existing design guidelines and define an initial core list that can be used for future reference in the field of Cyber Security Research Topics.

The researcher takes advantage of the opportunity to provide an up-to-date analysis of cybersecurity usability issues and evaluation techniques applied so far. As a result of this research paper, researchers and practitioners interested in cybersecurity systems who value human and social design elements are likely to find it useful. You can find KnowledgeHut’s Cyber Security courses online and take maximum advantage of them.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Businesses and individuals are changing how they handle cybersecurity as technology changes rapidly - from cloud-based services to new IoT devices. 

Ideally, you should have read many papers and know their structure, what information they contain, and so on if you want to write something of interest to others. 

Inmates having the right to work, transportation of concealed weapons, rape and violence in prison, verdicts on plea agreements, rehab versus reform, and how reliable are eyewitnesses? 

The field of cyber security is extensive and constantly evolving. Its research covers various subjects, including Quantum & Space, Data Privacy, Criminology & Law, and AI & IoT Security. 

Mrinal Prakash

I am a B.Tech Student who blogs about various topics on cyber security and is specialized in web application security

Avail your free 1:1 mentorship session.

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• University of Wisconsin–Madison
• University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Research Guides
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• Internet and Online Culture: An Undergraduate Research Guide

Internet and Online Culture: An Undergraduate Research Guide : Cybercrime

• Writing, Citing, & Research Help
• Artificial Intelligence
• Copyright/Intellectual Property
• Cyberbullying
• Net Neutrality
• Online Privacy
• Social Media
• Surveillance
• Video Games
• Newspaper Source Plus Newspaper Source Plus includes 1,520 full-text newspapers, providing more than 28 million full-text articles.
• CQ Researcher Contains weekly in-depth reports that cover the most current and controversial issues of the day with complete summaries, insight into all sides of the issues, bibliographies and more.
• Newspaper Research Guide This guide describes sources for current and historical newspapers available in print, electronically, and on microfilm through the UW-Madison Libraries. These sources are categorized by pages: Current, Historical, Local/Madison, Wisconsin, US, Alternative/Ethnic, and International.

Organizations

• National Fraud Information Center "The NFIC was originally established in 1992 by the National Consumers League, the oldest nonprofit consumer organization in the United States, to fight the growing menace of telemarketing fraud by improving prevention and enforcement."
• National Crime Prevention Council NCPC is a national non-profit dedicated to the prevention of crime. There is specific information on cybercrime as well.
• Computer Crime Research Center Founded in 2001, the Computer Crime Research Center (CCRC) is an independent institute dedicated to the research of cyber crime, cyber terrorism and other issues of computer crimes and internet fraud phenomena.
• The International Association of Computer Investigative Specialists IACIS is an international volunteer non-profit corporation composed of law enforcement professionals dedicated to education in the field of forensic computer science.
• Electronic Frontier Foundation The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading nonprofit organization defending civil liberties in the digital world. Founded in 1990, EFF champions user privacy, free expression, and innovation through impact litigation, policy analysis, grassroots activism, and technology development.
• Centre for International Governance Innovation The Global Commission on Internet Governance’s One Internet report makes practical recommendations for the international community to ensure that the future of the Internet remains open, secure, trustworthy and inclusive. The recommendations continue to gain traction on cybersecurity, multi-stakeholder governance and accessibility.

About Cybercrime

This guide focuses on cybercrime, a term used to describe electronic or computer crimes. This broad term covers issues such as hacking, identity theft, doxxing, cracking, spam, computer security, privacy invasion, viruses, and piracy.

Try searching these terms using the resources linked on this page: computer software piracy, computer crime, computer viruses, Internet crimes, identity theft, cracker* and computer*, internet terroris*, phreaker*, doxxing, computer hacker*, cybercriminal*, cybercrime*

Overview Resources - Background Information

• U.S. Department of Justice - Computer Crime and Intellectual Property This is the homepage of the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section of the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.
• Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center (OVRC) provides viewpoint articles, topic overviews, statistics, primary documents, links to websites, and full-text magazine and newspaper articles related to controversial social issues.
• Department of Homeland Security - Cybersecurity The Department of Homeland Security's overview page about topics related to cybersecurity and cybercrime.

Articles - Scholarly and Popular

• Academic Search Complete A general/multi-disciplinary database with articles on many topics.
• INSPEC (via Web of Knowledge) Includes articles on computer and cyber-related topics.
• Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics Online A collaboration between the Hindelang Criminal Justice Research Center and the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics that has presented over 10,000 tables displaying statistical data from over 2,500 public and private agencies, academic institutions, research organizations, public opinion polling firms, and other groups.
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107 Cybercrime Essay Topics

🏆 best essay topics on cybercrime, ✍️ cybercrime essay topics for college, 🎓 most interesting cybercrime research titles, 💡 simple cybercrime essay ideas, ❓ cybercrime research questions.

• The Hacking of Yahoo in 2013 and 2014
• Ethics of Hacking and Cracking
• Significance of Computer Forensics to Law Enforcement
• Cybercrime and Its Impact on Society
• Cyber Security: The Nature and Scope of Cybercrime
• Effects of Cybercrime on Businesses
• Trends in Cybercrime and Society
• Cyber Crime : Issues and Threats Cyber crime involves the stealing or manipulation of information effectively distorting its values across global networks.
• Cybercrime From the Religious Viewpoint The paper focuses on identifying the points at which the religious worldview would be the most fitting for the cybercrime problem examination.
• Digital Forensic Examination of Counterfeit Documents A citizen has contacted the police regarding the selling of counterfeit public documents. The investigator contacted the computer forensic laboratory to examine the evidence.
• Computer Forensics Laboratory’ Legal Requirements Computer forensics scientists assess digital media to identify, preserve, recover, analyze, and present facts about the information under investigation.
• Black Hat vs White Hat Hacking This paper explores hacking from the perspective of ethics. In this paper, white hat and black hat hackers are the ethical players and their actions will be tested for ethicality.
• Cyber Law and Digital Forensic Science The advantage and disadvantage of external media at the same time is that information is easy to hide, steal, or destroy since it is located on a small object.
• Computer Forensics for Solving Cyber Crimes This paper presents research about the deployment of computer forensics in solving cybercrime. The paper brings out a number of cases concerning crimes in the cyberspace.
• St. Louis County’s Cybercrime Task Force Plan The current paper presents a plan for the development of a cybercrime task force for St. Louis County to assign priorities for the task force.
• Cybercrime Legislation in the UAE, US and India The paper will narrow down to present similarities and differences between the cybercrime laws in UAE and the United States, and between the cybercrime laws in the UAE and India.
• The Development of New Technologies: Wireless Hacking Techniques With the rapid development of new technologies, the safety of personal data is expected to increase. The purpose of this paper is to discuss some wireless hacking techniques.
• Computer Forensics and Investigations A computer forensics examiner may be called to provide evidence and advice in a court of law. Before logs disappear, digital forensics investigators are required to capture them.
• Unveiling Cyber Mysteries: The Art of Digital Forensics Explore the intricate world of digital forensics, unraveling cyber mysteries with advanced tools and techniques.
• The Justifiability of Hacking and the Government’s Role This paper discusses privacy in the age of technologies, government hacking, the human right to privacy, and the need for government surveillance.
• Digital Forensics in Law Enforcement The paper shows that digital forensics in law enforcement is useful in collecting extra proof after an occurrence to support charges against a suspect.
• IT Security: Hacking and Its Components The aim of this paper is to analyze hacking and its components, such as ethical hacking, and to manage cyber security, on the example of the University’s data break-in.
• Social Issues Surrounding Cybercrime Among many social problems that have already been discussed, the issue of rising cybercrime has been on my mind the most.
• Cybercrime and Ransomware: Literature Analysis Criminal justice and the processes that it involves is one of the most multi-layered, controversial, and ever topical areas of legal procedures in general.
• The Cybercrime Effect on Public Administration Cybercrime incidents occur in almost all government and public sectors and in the daily lives of individuals; such moments violate stability and the usual way of life.
• Researching of Cybersecurity and Cybercrime The paper will discuss the technology transfer processes followed by the funding sources for technologies in the cybersecurity field
• Network Security and Cyber Crime, Super-Highway Metaphor Some of the major practices that can be done in ensuring maximum data security and integrity is through making all the servers only accessible by the administrators of networks.
• Digital Forensics and Deoxyribonucleic Acid The practice of digital forensics involves analysis of data collected computing devices from a particular crime scene.
• Computer Forensics and Investigations: Basic Procedures In this paper, the author is going to show the basic procedures that ought to be undertaken while performing a digital forensic examination.
• Computer Forensics in the FCC vs. Jack Brown Case In the case of the FCC vs. Jack Brown, this will involve accessing the information that has been stored in different file formats.
• The Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime of 2001 The Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime was created to deal with what is well-thought-out to be a unique attribute of cybercrime.
• Cybercrime Legislation in the UAE, the US and the EU Cyber and computer crime definitions were developed after the enhancement of technology, and they improved after years of making proposals.
• Cybercrime: Categories and Challenges This essay introduces the concept of cybercrime, informs the reader of its categories, and mentions several challenges that cybercrime presents.
• Sexting and Related Cybercrime Legislation Sexting represents a relatively law phenomenon on the law, with specific legislation dealing with sexting and minors not being present in a majority of US states.
• Cybercrime and the Culture of Fear Sexual exploitation and other offenses against children remain tragic—in spite of their frequency—and those numbers have been diminishing since the advent of the internet.
• The Phone Hacking Scandal Among the major news event in the recent few days was the phone hacking scandal that was linked to the News of the World; a tabloid newspaper in the United Kingdom (UK).
• Gathering, Analyzing, and Presenting Digital Evidence: Computer Forensic Investigators This paper aims at accomplishing four tasks, which are to providing HCC Partners in Life with computer forensic services that would support a case in a court of law.
• Computer Forensics Investigation Plan The US Constitution prohibits employers from conducting searches on employees. However, the protection does not apply to private organizations.
• The Greater Threat of Cybercrime Versus Cyberattack
• Cyber Bullying: Old Problem in New-Age Packaging – Cybercrime
• Capital Punishment for Cybercrime: The Case in Nigeria
• Bargaining Interpersonal Organization Accounts as a Form of Cybercrime
• Canada and China: Cybercrime and Cryptocurrency
• Corruption, Fraud, and Cybercrime as Dehumanizing Phenomena
• Cybercrime and Its Impact on International Business
• Explaining Cybercrime Using Criminological Theories
• Cybercrime: Fraud and Powerful Invisible Attacker
• Growth, Development, and Policing of Cybercrime in the 21st Century
• Cybercrime Has Become One of the Most Threatening Issues
• How Social Media Has Contributed to the Spread of Cybercrime
• Cybercrime: Identity Theft and New Criminal Opportunities
• The Crime Scene Characteristics for Cybercrime and the Process of Investigating It
• Cybercrime: Preventing the Horrific Crimes on the Internet
• The Protection From Cyberattacks and Cybercrime in Bangladesh
• Does the Pandemic Explain Recent Spikes in Cyber Crime?
• Cybercrime Prevention Measures: How to Avoid Hacking
• The Role of Digital Forensics in Solving Cybercrimes
• Cybercrime: The Latest Ways of Stealing Identity and Money
• Potential Impact of Cyber Crime on the Economy
• Cybercrime and Cyberpiracy Impact on Domestic and Foreign Business
• Cybercrime in the Banking Sector and Its Impact on the Banking Industry
• Development of the Prevention of Cyber Crime in Malaysia
• Good Cybercrime: Trends and Future
• The Solutions for Cybercrimes in Information Technology
• Cybercrimes, Their Types, and Measures That We Take to Keep Us Safe From the Happenings
• Peculiarities of Cybercrime and Security
• How Technology Has Influenced the Evolution of Cybercrime
• The Impact of Cybercrime on the Global Criminal Justice System
• Cybercrime and Society: Identity Theft
• Closing the Space Between Cybercrime and Cybersecurity
• A Fast-Growing Area of Cybercrime
• Cybercrimes: An Unprecedented Threat to Society
• Key Steps to Managing a Cybercrime Scene
• Rights to Anonymity in Cybercrime
• What Is the Role of America in Protecting Corporations From Cybercrime?
• Cybercrime and Its Effects on the World’s Major Countries
• Exploring Cybercrime: Realities and Challenges
• Cybercrime Trends: How to Protect Your Business
• The Rise of Cybercrime in the United States
• How the Russia-Ukraine Conflict Is Impacting Cybercrime
• Cybercrime: A Complete Guide to All Things Criminal on the Web
• Top 5 Cybercrimes and Prevention Tips
• How Does Cybercrime Impact Small Businesses?
• What Are the Different Types of Cybercrimes and Cybercriminals?
• Can We Tackle the Ever-Evolving Threat of Cybercrime?
• What Is the Difference Between Crime and Cybercrime?
• Is Cybercrime Civil or Criminal?
• Why Is Cybercrime Considered a Crime?
• When Did Cybercrime Become a Crime?
• How Can Cybercrimes Be Prevented?
• What Was the First Cybercrime?
• How Does Cybercrime Affect Human Rights?
• Who Is Responsible for Cybercrime?
• What Was the Biggest Cybercrime Ever?
• How Does Cybercrime Affect the Victim?
• What Are the Effects of Cybercrime on Society?
• Which Country Is Top in Cybercrime?
• Does Cybercrime Affect Social Media?
• Where Was the First Cybercrime?
• What Are the Major Categories of Cybercrimes?
• How Does Cybercrime Impact the Economy?
• Which City Is Famous for Cybercrime?
• Who Are the Victims of Cybercrime and Why?
• Are There Defining Characteristics of a Cybercrime?
• What Theory Best Explains Cybercrime?
• Is There a Difference Between Computer Crimes and Cybercrimes?
• What Is the Overlap Between Criminal Justice and Cybercrime?

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These essay examples and topics on Cybercrime were carefully selected by the StudyCorgi editorial team. They meet our highest standards in terms of grammar, punctuation, style, and fact accuracy. Please ensure you properly reference the materials if you’re using them to write your assignment.

This essay topic collection was updated on June 21, 2024 .

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77 Cybercrime Research Topics & Essay Examples

📝 cybercrime research papers examples, 💡 essay ideas on cybercrime, ❓ cybercrime research questions.

• Computer Crimes: Viewing the Future Law essay sample: Computer forensic methods are always pursuing the goal of discovering new ways of collecting and examining the evidence.
• Identity Theft: Definition, Consequences, Prevention Law essay sample: The aim of this paper is to explore the issues surrounding identity theft in order to recommend ways of stopping the crime.
• Computer-Based Crime: Identification and Investigation Law essay sample: The paper states that the emergence of cybercrime due to the development of computer technologies has become a significant issue in recent years.
• Criminal Justice System Policy on Digital Crime Law essay sample: Crime measurements have a significant impact on the efficiency of the criminal justice system as they provide valuable data regarding specific criminal activity in the region.
• National Security Threat - Cybercrime Law essay sample: Today, the United States faces multiple national security threats emanating from internal and external sources.
• Risk Factors of Becoming a Victim of a Cybercrime Law essay sample: There is a high ambiguity about how to define the term cybercrime. Formally, it means computer activities that are either illegal or considered illegal by some parties.
• Cyberterrorism and the Department of Homeland Security Law essay sample: The Department of Homeland Security leader should engage in research to understand evolving terrorism and the targeted violence threat environment to combat cyberterrorism.
• Defining Cybercrime: Navigating Legal Parameters in the Digital Age
• Legislation Across Jurisdictions: A Comparative Analysis of Cybercrime Laws
• The Influence of Cybercrime on the Global Criminal Justice System
• Global Cooperation: Role of International Treaties in Combating Cybercrime
• Digital Evidence Admissibility: Considerations in Cybercrime Cases
• The Importance of Raising Cybercrime Awareness and Digital Education
• Cybercrime and Human Rights: Balancing Security and Privacy
• Legal Challenges in the Digital Forensics Field for Cybercrime
• Financial Regulations and Cybercrime: Legal Perspectives
• Comparison of the Cybercrime Prevention Laws in India and the United Kingdom
• Investigating Cybercrime: Legal Hurdles and Forensic Strategies
• Legal Protections for Whistleblowers Reporting Cybercrime
• Healthcare Sector: Privacy Laws and Legal Measures in Cybercrime
• Legal Strategies for Securing Air Transportation Systems in Cybercrime
• Jurisdictional Challenges in Prosecuting International Cybercrime Offenses
• Intellectual Property Theft in Cyberspace: Enforcement and Protections Against Cybercrime
• Analyzing the Relationship Between Cybercrime, the Economy, Privacy, Hacking, and Terrorism
• Legislation on Offensive Cyber Operations: Power, Responsibility, and Ethics in the Context of Cybercrime
• Overview of the Predictive Models in Cybercrime Investigation
• Cybercrime in Autonomous Systems: Legal Challenges in Securing AI-driven Technologies
• The Role of Legal Systems in Combatting IoT-based Cybercrime
• Legal Protections for Data Privacy in the Era of Big Data and Cybercrime
• The Intersection of Cybercrime and the Dark Side of Gaming: Virtual Crimes and Real Consequences
• Cybercrime and Virtual Kidnapping: Legal Responses to Online Threats
• The Effects of Cybercrime on the Internet Economy
• Responses to Cyber Threats on Critical Infrastructure: A Comprehensive Approach Against Cybercrime
• Development of the Cybercrime Prevention in Malaysia
• An Emerging Need for Legislations and Policies to Protect Women Against Cybercrime
• Cybercrime: The Meaning, Types, and Ways to Avoid
• Frameworks in Addressing Cyber Warfare and State-Sponsored Cybercrime Attacks
• The Role of Digital Forensic in Solving Cybercrimes
• Ethical and Practical Implications of Cybersecurity Breach Notifications in the Fight Against Cybercrime
• Explaining the Impact of Cybercrime on a Government
• Navigating the Intersection of Cybersecurity and International Business Law: Challenges in Cybercrime
• International Cybercrime Law: Past, Present, Future Perspectives
• The Role of International Treaties in Combating Cybercrime
• Cybercrime and the Fourth Amendment: Balancing Privacy and Security
• Legal Challenges in Prosecuting Cybercrime in Developing Countries
• Digital Evidence Admissibility in Cybercrime Prosecutions
• Regulating Artificial Intelligence in Cybercrime Prevention
• What Role Do Regulations Play in Governing Cybercrime in the Context of the Gaming Industry?
• How Has the Definition of “Cybercrime” Evolved Over the Years?
• What Role Does International Cooperation Play in Combating Cybercrime?
• How Do International Norms and Treaties Shape Legal Responses to Cybercrime?
• Why Are Cybercrimes Hard to Prosecute?
• What Legal Measures Are in Place to Preserve National Security Against Cybercrime?
• Who Are the Main Victims of Cybercrime?
• What Is the Difference Between India and USA in Terms of Cybercrime?
• How Do Advancements in Technology Contribute to the Escalation of Cybercrime?
• What Legal Challenges Arise in Prosecuting State-Sponsored Cybercrime Activities?
• How Does the Legal Landscape Address Cybercrime’s Impact on E-commerce?
• What Regulatory Strategies Can Effectively Combat Cybercrime in Cryptocurrency Transactions?
• In What Ways Does Cybercrime Impact the Financial Sector, and What Legal Measures Can Be Implemented to Address It?
• What Is the Aim of the Perpetrators of Cybercrimes?
• Why Does Cybercrime Often Go Unpunished Today?
• What Is the Role of America in Protecting Corporations from Cybercrime?
• How Do Laws Balance Privacy Rights with the Need to Prevent and Prosecute Cybercrime?
• What Legal Considerations Govern the Intersection of Cybercrime and Social Media?
• Should Capital Punishment Be Given for Cybercrime?
• What Ethical Considerations Arise in Cybercrime Investigations?
• Who Was the First Person to Commit Cybercrime?
• What Is the Difference Between Cybercrime, Cyber Espionage and Cyberwar?
• How Has Technology Influenced the Evolution of Cybercrime?
• What Are the Effects of Cybercrime on the World’s Major Countries?
• How to Explain Cybercrime Using Criminological Theories?
• What Is the Need for Cyber Security in Preventing Cybercrimes?
• How Common Is Cybercrime in the UK, and What Kind of Cybercrimes Are There?
• Will Cybercrime Come to an End in the Future?
• What Regulatory Strategies Can Be Implemented to Address the Intersection of Cybercrime and Identity Theft?
• What Anticipated Legal Challenges Lie Ahead in the Future of Cybercrime Laws?

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75 Cyber Security Research Topics in 2024

Introduction to Cybersecurity Research

Cybersecurity research aims to protect computer systems, networks, and data from unauthorised access, theft, or damage. It involves studying and developing methods and techniques to identify, understand, and mitigate cyber threats and vulnerabilities. 

The field can be divided into theoretical and applied research and faces challenges such as

• Increasing complexity 
• New forms of malware 
• The growing sophistication of cyber attacks

On a daily basis, approximately 2,200 cyber attacks occur, with an average of one cyber attack happening every 39 seconds. This is the reason why researchers must stay up-to-date and collaborate with others in the field. 

In this article, let’s discuss the different cybersecurity research topics and how they will help you become an expert in the field.

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Here are some of the latest research topics in cyber security – 

Emerging Cyber Threats and Vulnerabilities in 2024

Continual technological advancements lead to changes in cybersecurity trends, with data breaches, ransomware, and hacks becoming more prevalent. 

• Cyber Attacks and Their Countermeasures – Discuss – This research paper will discuss various cyber attacks and their corresponding countermeasures. It aims to provide insights on how organisations can better protect themselves from cyber threats.
• Is Cryptography Necessary for Cybersecurity Applications? – Explore the role of cryptography in ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data and information in cybersecurity. It would examine the various cryptographic techniques used in cybersecurity and their effectiveness in protecting against cyber threats.

Here are some other cyber security topics that you may consider – 

• Discuss the Application of Cyber Security for Cloud-based Applications 
• Data Analytics Tools in Cybersecurity
• Malware Analysis
• What Are the Behavioural Aspects of Cyber Security? 
• Role of Cyber Security on Intelligent Transporation Systems
• How to Stop and Spot Different Types of Malware?

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Machine Learning and AI in Cybersecurity Research

Machine learning and AI are research topics in cybersecurity, aiming to develop algorithms for threat detection, enhance intelligence and automate risk mitigation. However, security risks like adversarial attacks require attention.

• Using AI/ML to Analyse Cyber Threats – This cyber security research paper analyses cyber threats and could include an overview of the current state of cyber threats and how AI/ML can help with threat detection and response. The paper could also discuss the challenges and limitations of using AI/ML in cybersecurity and potential areas for further research.

Here are some other topics to consider – 

• Developing Cognitive Systems for Cyber Threat Detection and Response
• Developing Distributed Ai Systems to Enhance Cybersecurity
• Developing Deep Learning Architectures for Cyber Defence
• Exploring the Use of Computational Intelligence and Neuroscience in Enhancing Security and Privacy
• How is Cyber Security Relevant for Everyone? Discuss
• Discuss the Importance of Network Traffic Analysis
• How to Build an App to Break Ceasar Cipher

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IoT Security and Privacy

IoT security and privacy research aim to develop secure and privacy-preserving architectures, protocols, and algorithms for IoT devices, including encryption, access control, and secure communication. The challenge is to balance security with usability while addressing the risk of cyber-attacks and compromised privacy.

• Service Orchestration and Routing for IoT – It may focus on developing efficient and secure methods for managing and routing traffic between IoT devices and services. The paper may explore different approaches for optimising service orchestration. 
• Efficient Resource Management, Energy Harvesting, and Power Consumption in IoT – This paper may focus on developing strategies to improve energy use efficiency in IoT devices. This may involve investigating the use of energy harvesting technologies, optimising resource allocation and management, and exploring methods to reduce power consumption.

Here are some other cyber security project topics to consider – 

• Computation and Communication Gateways for IoT
• The Miniaturisation of Sensors, Cpus, and Networks in IoT
• Big Data Analytics in IoT
• Semantic Technologies in IoT
• Virtualisation in IoT
• Privacy, Security, Trust, Identity, and Anonymity in IoT
• Heterogeneity, Dynamics, and Scale in IoT
• Consequences of Leaving Unlocked Devices Unattended

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Blockchain Security: Research Challenges and Opportunities

Blockchain security research aims to develop secure and decentralised architectures, consensus algorithms, and privacy-preserving techniques while addressing challenges such as smart contract security and consensus manipulation. Opportunities include transparent supply chain management and decentralised identity management.

• Advanced Cryptographic Technologies in the Blockchain – Explore the latest advancements and emerging trends in cryptographic techniques used in blockchain-based systems. It could also analyse the security and privacy implications of these technologies and discuss their potential impact. 
• Applications of Smart Contracts in Blockchain – Explore the various use cases and potential benefits of using smart contracts to automate and secure business processes. It could also examine the challenges and limitations of smart contracts and propose potential solutions for these issues.

Here are some other topics – 

• Ensuring Data Consistency, Transparency, and Privacy in the Blockchain
• Emerging Blockchain Models for Digital Currencies
• Blockchain for Advanced Information Governance Models
• The Role of Blockchain in Future Wireless Mobile Networks
• Law and Regulation Issues in the Blockchain
• Transaction Processing and Modification in the Blockchain
• Collaboration of Big Data With Blockchain Networks

Cloud Security: Trends and Innovations in Research

Cloud security research aims to develop innovative techniques and technologies for securing cloud computing environments, including threat detection with AI, SECaaS, encryption and access control, secure backup and disaster recovery, container security, and blockchain-based solutions. The goal is to ensure the security, privacy, and integrity of cloud-based data and applications for organisations.

• Posture Management in Cloud Security – Discuss the importance of identifying and addressing vulnerabilities in cloud-based systems and strategies for maintaining a secure posture over time. This could include topics such as threat modelling, risk assessment, access control, and continuous monitoring.
• Are Cloud Services 100% Secure?
• What is the Importance of Cloud Security?
• Cloud Security Service to Identify Unauthorised User Behaviour
• Preventing Theft-of-service Attacks and Ensuring Cloud Security on Virtual Machines
• Security Requirements for Cloud Computing
• Privacy and Security of Cloud Computing

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Cybercrime Investigations and Forensics

Cybercrime investigations and forensics involve analysing digital evidence to identify and prosecute cybercriminals, including developing new data recovery, analysis, and preservation techniques. Research also focuses on identifying cybercriminals and improving legal and regulatory frameworks for prosecuting cybercrime.

• Black Hat and White Hat Hacking: Comparison and Contrast – Explore the similarities and differences between these two approaches to hacking. It would examine the motivations and methods of both types of hackers and their impact on cybersecurity.
• Legal Requirements for Computer Forensics Laboratories
• Wireless Hacking Techniques: Emerging Technologies and Mitigation Strategies
• Cyber Crime: Current Issues and Threats
• Computer Forensics in Law Enforcement: Importance and Challenges
• Basic Procedures for Computer Forensics and Investigations
• Digital Forensic Examination of Counterfeit Documents: Techniques and Tools
• Cybersecurity and Cybercrime: Understanding the Nature and Scope

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Cybersecurity Policy and Regulations

Cybersecurity policy and regulations research aims to develop laws, regulations, and guidelines to ensure the security and privacy of digital systems and data, including addressing gaps in existing policies, promoting international cooperation, and developing standards and best practices for cybersecurity. The goal is to protect digital systems and data while promoting innovation and growth in the digital economy.

• The Ethicality of Government Access to Citizens’ Data – Explore the ethical considerations surrounding government access to citizens’ data for surveillance and security purposes, analysing the potential risks and benefits and the legal and social implications of such access. 
• The Moral Permissibility of Using Music Streaming Services – Explore the ethical implications of using music streaming services, examining issues such as intellectual property rights, artist compensation, and the environmental impact of streaming. 
• Real Name Requirements on Internet Forums
• Restrictions to Prevent Domain Speculation
• Regulating Adult Content Visibility on the Internet
• Justification for Illegal Downloading
• Adapting Law Enforcement to Online Technologies
• Balancing Data Privacy With Convenience and Centralisation
• Understanding the Nature and Dangers of Cyber Terrorism

Human Factors in Cybersecurity

Human factors in cybersecurity research study how human behaviour impacts cybersecurity, including designing interfaces, developing security training, addressing user error and negligence, and examining cybersecurity’s social and cultural aspects. The goal is to improve security by mitigating human-related security risks.

• Review the Human Factors in Cybersecurity –  It explores various human factors such as awareness, behaviour, training, and culture and their influence on cybersecurity, offering insights and recommendations for improving cybersecurity outcomes.
• Integrating Human Factors in Cybersecurity for Better Risk Management
• Address the Human Factors in Cybersecurity Leadership
• Human Factors in IoT Security
• Internal Vulnerabilities: the Human Factor in It Security
• Cyber Security Human Factors – the Ultimate List of Statistics and Data

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Cybersecurity Education and Awareness

Cybersecurity education and awareness aims to educate individuals and organisations about potential cybersecurity threats and best practices to prevent cyber attacks. It involves promoting safe online behaviour, training on cybersecurity protocols, and raising awareness about emerging cyber threats.

• Identifying Phishing Attacks – This research paper explores various techniques and tools to identify and prevent phishing attacks, which are common types of cyber attacks that rely on social engineering tactics to trick victims into divulging sensitive information or installing malware on their devices.
• Risks of Password Reuse for Personal and Professional Accounts – Investigate the risks associated with reusing the same password across different personal and professional accounts, such as the possibility of credential stuffing attacks and the impact of compromised accounts on organisational security. 
• Effective Defence Against Ransomware
• Information Access Management: Privilege and Need-to-know Access
• Protecting Sensitive Data on Removable Media
• Recognising Social Engineering Attacks
• Preventing Unauthorised Access to Secure Areas: Detecting Piggybacking and Tailgating
• E-mail Attack and Its Characteristics
• Safe Wifi Practice: Understanding VPN

With the increasing use of digital systems and networks, avoiding potential cyber-attacks is more important than ever. The 75 research topics outlined in this list offer a glimpse into the different dimensions of this important field. By focusing on these areas, researchers can make significant contributions to enhancing the security and safety of individuals, organisations, and society as a whole.

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The program also includes hands-on projects and case studies to ensure students have practical experience in applying these concepts. Graduates will be well-equipped to take on challenging roles in the rapidly growing field of cyber security.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Artificial intelligence (AI) has proved to be an effective tool in cyber defence. AI is anticipated to gain even more prominence in 2024, mainly in monitoring, resource and threat analysis, and quick response capabilities.

One area of focus is the development of secure quantum and space communications to address the increasing use of quantum technologies and space travel. Another area of research is improving data privacy.

The approach to cybersecurity is expected to change from defending against attacks to acknowledging and managing ongoing cyber risks. The focus will be on improving resilience and recovering from potential cyber incidents.

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Top 152 Cybercrime Research Topics For Students To Consider

Cybercrime has emerged as a constant threat to people, organizations, and governments all over the world in the ever-changing digital landscape. Cybercrime is the term for illegal operations carried out on computers, networks, and the internet that target confidential data, money, and even people's identities. It includes a wide range of criminal actions, such as online fraud, security breaches, identity theft, hacking, and more.

It is impossible to overestimate the importance of cybercrime in the contemporary world. With the widespread use of the web and smart gadgets, cybercriminals have discovered new ways to take advantage of flaws and engage in illegal activity. Digital platforms' ability to connect people and organizations has made it simpler for hackers to access systems, steal data, and cause serious harm.

Countries all around the world have realized the necessity of comprehensive cyber laws and specialized cybercrime agencies to battle the rising flood of cybercrime. These laws seek to create the frameworks necessary to identify cybercrimes, the punishments that apply to them, and the processes for gathering evidence and bringing cases to court. To enforce these laws, carry out investigations, and collaborate with foreign agencies to combat cyber threats, cybercrime departments are essential.

Cybercrimes have an effect beyond the people who become victims of online fraud or identity theft. Due to breaches of data, theft of intellectual property, and interruptions in business operations, organizations suffer enormous financial losses. Governments are major targets for cyberattacks because they are responsible for protecting vital infrastructure and national security. Cybercrimes can have far-reaching effects on the economy, public confidence, and even relationships abroad.

Why Cybercrime is becoming an important topic of discussion

1. Categorizing Cybercrimes

Based on their nature and goal, cybercrimes can be roughly divided into three categories:

Crimes involving weapons: These crimes use technology to facilitate more conventional criminal activity. Examples include the use of technology for physical criminal preparation and execution, cyberterrorism, and the trafficking of weapons online.

Crimes Directly Aimed at Computers or Networks: This group of crimes includes offenses that specifically aim at computers or networks to gain unauthorized access, interfere with services, or steal important data. Hacking, virus assaults, denial-of-service (DoS) attacks, and intrusions into networks are a few examples of common offenses in this area.

Crimes Involving the Use of Technology: These crimes make use of technology to carry out fraudulent acts or hurt people or organizations. These crimes include disseminating malicious content, phishing scams, cyberstalking, and identity theft online.

2. Popular Cybercrimes

• Credit Card Fraud: Cybercrime involving the unauthorized use of credit card data for financial advantage is known as credit card fraud.
• Cyber Stalking: Cyberstalking is the term used to describe the persistent harassment or intimidation of someone utilizing online platforms, which frequently causes emotional anguish and privacy breach.
• Data Breach: A data breach happens when unauthorized people gain access to or take sensitive information, such as personal information or corporate documents.
• Phishing: Phishing is a deceptive tactic used to dupe people into divulging private information, including passwords or financial information, by posing as reliable sources.
• Ransomware: A malicious program that encrypts a victim's files and requests a ransom in return for the decryption key is known as ransomware.

3. Importance of Practicing Cybersecurity

To stop cybercrimes and defend people, businesses, and governments, practicing cybersecurity is essential. It entails carrying out precautionary actions like:

• Strong Passwords: Making use of complicated, one-of-a-kind passwords and turning on multi-factor authentication can greatly lower the risk of unauthorized access.
• Frequent Software Updates: By keeping operating systems and software current, known vulnerabilities are fixed with the newest security patches.
• Firewalls: Utilising firewalls and antivirus software adds an extra layer of protection against malware and unauthorized network access.
• User Knowledge and Education: Raising people's awareness of safe online practices, such as staying away from dubious emails and websites, can assist them avoid being victims of cybercrimes.

4. Strict Cyber Laws and Regulations

Governments around the world have established severe cyber laws and regulations in response to the seriousness of cybercrimes. These laws accomplish the following goals:

• Cyberlaws outline numerous cybercrimes in detail, allowing law enforcement to take the necessary action against offenders.
• Strict punishments, such as jail time and fines, serve as deterrents and serve to stop future hackers from carrying out illicit actions.
• Cyber laws offer rules for investigating and bringing charges of cybercrimes, ensuring that the right procedures are followed.
• Cyber laws also make it possible for extradition to take place and for nations to work together in the fight against cybercrime.

Cybercrime Research Topics

Cybercrime research offers a wide range of opportunities for investigation and analysis. Here, we offer a carefully curated list of 152 cybercrime research topics from several categories, each of which has the potential to be explored further.

Simple cybercrime research topics:

• The rise of social engineering attacks: Strategies for prevention and education
• The impact of cybercrimes on small businesses and startups
• Exploring the Role of user behavior analytics in detecting insider threats
• The vulnerabilities and security risks of Internet of Things (IoT) devices
• Analyzing the effectiveness of antivirus software in combating malware attacks
• The challenges of prosecuting cybercrimes across international borders
• The role of social media platforms in facilitating cyberbullying and online harassment
• Investigating the impact of data breaches on personal privacy and identity theft
• The legal and ethical implications of monitoring employee activities in the workplace
• Analyzing the impact of ransomware attacks on healthcare organizations
• Exploring the psychological motivations behind cybercriminal behavior
• The challenges and potential solutions for securing cloud computing environments
• The Impact of cybercrimes on critical infrastructure and public safety
• Investigating the role of cryptocurrencies in facilitating cybercriminal activities
• Analyzing the effectiveness of cyber hygiene practices in preventing cybercrimes
• The legal and ethical considerations of hacking for ethical purposes (white-hat hacking)
• Exploring the emerging threats and challenges in mobile app security
• The Role of social engineering techniques in identity theft and phishing attacks
• Analyzing the implications of cybercrimes on intellectual property theft
• The challenges and strategies for preventing Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks
• The impact of cybercrimes on financial institutions and online banking security
• Exploring the effectiveness of cyber insurance policies in mitigating financial losses
• The legal frameworks and challenges in prosecuting cyberstalking and online harassment
• The role of artificial intelligence in detecting and preventing cyber threats.
• Analyzing the privacy concerns and ethical implications of facial recognition technology

Easy Cybercrime Research Topics:

• The basics of cybersecurity: Essential practices for protecting personal and organizational data
• Exploring common types of phishing attacks and how to identify and prevent them
• The impact of social media on cybercrimes: Risks and safety measures
• Analyzing the role of encryption in securing digital communication and data
• The emergence of deep fake technology and its implications for cybercrimes
• Understanding the concept of ransomware and strategies for prevention and recovery
• The Role of two-factor authentication in enhancing online security
• Exploring the challenges and solutions for securing personal IoT devices
• Analyzing the risks and benefits of using public Wi-Fi networks
• The importance of regular software updates and patches for cybersecurity
• Investigating the impact of cyberbullying on mental health and well-being
• The role of parental controls in protecting children from online threats
• Understanding the concept of identity theft and strategies for prevention
• Exploring the risks and safety measures associated with online shopping
• Analyzing the effectiveness of antivirus software in detecting and removing malware
• The legal and ethical considerations of monitoring employee Internet usage
• Exploring the concept of hacking and the different types of hackers
• Understanding the basics of data breaches and steps to minimize their impact
• Analyzing the role of cybersecurity awareness training in preventing cybercrimes
• The impact of social engineering attacks on individuals and organizations
• Exploring the challenges and solutions for securing online banking transactions
• Understanding the concept of cyber espionage and its implications for national security
• Analyzing the privacy concerns and legal aspects of facial recognition technology
• The role of cybersecurity in protecting personal information on social media platforms
• Exploring the risks and benefits of using virtual private networks (VPNs) for online privacy

Great Cybercrime Research Topics:

• The dark web: An in-depth analysis of its structure, activities, and Impact on Cybercrimes
• Cyberterrorism: Examining the evolving nature of cyber threats posed by terrorist organizations
• Cryptocurrency and cybercrimes: Investigating the use of digital currencies in illicit activities
• Cyber insurance: Assessing the role of insurance policies in mitigating cybercrime risks
• The psychology of cybercriminals: Understanding the motivations and mindset of individuals involved in cybercrimes
• Cybersecurity in the healthcare industry: Exploring the challenges and strategies for protecting medical data
• Cybersecurity regulations: Analyzing the effectiveness of existing regulatory frameworks in combating cybercrimes
• The Role of artificial intelligence and machine learning in cyber threat detection and Prevention
• Cyber warfare: Examining the use of technology in modern warfare and its implications
• Cybercrimes against critical infrastructure: Assessing the vulnerabilities and potential consequences
• The role of international cooperation in combating transnational cybercrimes.
• Cybersecurity challenges in the Internet of Things (IoT) era: Identifying risks and developing countermeasures
• The impact of cybercrimes on the financial sector: Case studies and preventive measures
• Cybersecurity and cloud computing: Evaluating security risks and best practices for cloud-based services
• Cyber forensics: Investigating digital evidence and its role in cybercrime investigations
• Cybersecurity awareness among individuals: Assessing knowledge gaps and promoting education
• The legal and ethical implications of hacking back in response to cyberattacks
• Cyberbullying and its impact on mental health: Prevention strategies and support systems
• Cybersecurity challenges in the era of artificial intelligence and smart cities
• The role of blockchain technology in enhancing cybersecurity and preventing fraud
• Cyber espionage: Analyzing state-sponsored cyber activities and their implications
• The impact of social engineering techniques on cybercrimes: Case studies and preventive measures
• Cybersecurity in the Era of remote work: Addressing Challenges and securing remote access
• The role of cybersecurity in protecting intellectual property and trade secrets
• Cybersecurity skills gap: Identifying challenges and strategies for developing a skilled workforce

Exam-Oriented Cybercrime Research Topics:

• The role of social media in facilitating cybercrimes: Trends, challenges, and preventive measures
• Cybercrimes and financial institutions: Analyzing risks and implementing security measures
• The impact of data breaches on consumer trust: Case studies and strategies for rebuilding trust
• Cybersecurity policies and regulations: Assessing their effectiveness in reducing cybercrime incidents
• Cybercrime laws and their enforcement: Case studies from different countries and their effectiveness
• Cybercrimes in the era of remote learning: Challenges and strategies for securing online education platforms
• Cybersecurity challenges in the banking sector: Identifying vulnerabilities and enhancing protection measures
• Cybercrime investigation techniques: Analyzing digital evidence and forensic procedures
• Cyber threats to critical infrastructure: Assessing risks and developing resilience strategies
• Cybersecurity in e-commerce: Evaluating risks and implementing secure online transactions
• Cybersecurity challenges in the healthcare industry: Protecting patient data and ensuring privacy
• Cyber threats to government organizations: Analyzing vulnerabilities and developing secure systems
• Cybersecurity in the transportation sector: Addressing risks and ensuring secure communication systems
• The role of encryption in protecting sensitive data from cyberattacks
• Cybercrimes and intellectual property theft: Case studies and preventive measures
• Cybersecurity awareness campaigns: Evaluating their effectiveness in reducing cybercrime incidents
• Cybersecurity challenges in the energy sector: Identifying vulnerabilities and ensuring reliable infrastructure
• Cyber threats to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs): Developing cost-effective security measures
• Cybercrimes and identity theft: Analyzing techniques and preventive measures
• Cybersecurity in the era of the Internet of Things (IoT): Addressing risks and ensuring secure IoT devices
• The role of cybersecurity in protecting personal privacy in the digital age
• Cyber threats to critical national infrastructure: Identifying vulnerabilities and developing robust defense systems
• Cybersecurity challenges in the retail industry: Protecting customer data and preventing breaches
• Cybercrimes and social engineering: Analyzing Techniques and raising awareness
• Cybersecurity in the gaming industry: Addressing risks and ensuring secure online gaming platforms

Best Cybercrime Research Topics:

• The Dark Web and its Role in facilitating cybercrimes: An in-depth analysis
• Cyber espionage and state-sponsored hacking: Case studies and implications for international relations
• The Psychology of Cybercriminals: Understanding Motivations and profiling techniques
• Cybersecurity challenges in the Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem: Risks and mitigation strategies
• Cyber warfare: Analyzing the impact of cyber attacks on national security
• Cyber insurance: Assessing its role in mitigating financial losses due to cybercrimes
• Blockchain technology and its potential to enhance cybersecurity
• Cyber threat intelligence: Developing effective frameworks for proactive defense
• The role of artificial intelligence in combating cybercrimes: Opportunities and challenges
• Cybercrimes and the legal challenges of cross-border investigations
• Ethical Hacking and its Role in strengthening cybersecurity defenses
• Cybersecurity challenges in cloud computing: Analyzing risks and implementing secure solutions
• Cybersecurity in the era of quantum computing: Addressing vulnerabilities and developing post-quantum cryptography
• The role of machine learning algorithms in detecting and preventing cyber attacks
• Cybercrimes and the Challenges of digital evidence collection and Preservation
• Cybersecurity implications of emerging technologies: IoT, 5G, AI, and beyond
• The impact of social engineering attacks on organizational security: Case studies and preventive measures
• Cyberbullying and online harassment: Understanding the psychological and legal consequences
• The Role of international cooperation in combating cybercrimes: Assessing current initiatives
• Cyber threats to critical infrastructure: Vulnerabilities, potential impact, and risk mitigation strategies
• Cybersecurity challenges in the healthcare sector: Protecting patient data and ensuring privacy
• Cybersecurity implications of autonomous vehicles: Risks and securing connected transportation systems
• The role of cryptocurrency in facilitating cybercrimes: Analyzing trends and regulatory measures
• Cyber threat hunting: Proactive approaches to detecting and responding to advanced persistent threats
• Cybersecurity in the era of remote work: Addressing challenges and ensuring secure telecommuting practices

Excellent cybercrime research topics

• Cybersecurity awareness and education programs: Evaluating their effectiveness in preventing cybercrimes
• Cyber insurance policies: Analyzing coverage, limitations, and the impact on organizations' risk management strategies
• Darknet marketplaces: Investigating the sale and distribution of illegal goods and services
• Cyberterrorism: Understanding the evolving landscape and counterterrorism measures
• Cybercrime laws and legislation: Assessing the adequacy of existing legal frameworks in addressing emerging cyber threats
• Cybercriminal profiling techniques: Advancements and challenges in identifying and apprehending offenders
• Cybersecurity Implications of artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies
• Digital forensics in the investigation of cybercrimes: Techniques, challenges, and advancements
• Cybersecurity in the banking sector: Protecting financial institutions and customer data
• Cybersecurity Implications of social media platforms: Privacy, data breaches, and user protection
• Cybersecurity challenges in the aviation industry: Securing critical systems and safeguarding passenger information
• Cyberattacks on critical infrastructure: Assessing vulnerabilities and developing resilient defense mechanisms
• Cybersecurity in smart cities: Challenges and solutions for protecting interconnected urban systems
• Cyberbullying prevention strategies: Promoting online safety and well-being
• Cybersecurity in the e-commerce industry: Ensuring secure transactions and customer trust
• Cyber threats in the healthcare sector: Safeguarding patient data and protecting medical devices
• Cybersecurity challenges in the gaming industry: Addressing cheating, hacking, and data breaches
• The role of artificial intelligence in predicting and preventing cyber attacks
• Cybersecurity Implications of the Internet of Things (IoT) in smart homes
• Cybersecurity in the education sector: Protecting student data and ensuring safe online learning environments
• Cybersecurity challenges in the transportation sector: Securing connected vehicles and transportation networks
• Cybercriminal underground economy: Investigating Its Structure, operations, and economic impact
• Cybersecurity awareness among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs): Identifying gaps and promoting best practices
• Cyber threats to the supply chain: Evaluating risks and implementing secure procurement practices
• Cybersecurity challenges in the defense industry: Protecting sensitive military information and critical systems

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Check Point Research Reports Highest Increase of Global Cyber Attacks seen in last two years – a 30% Increase in Q2 2024 Global Cyber Attacks

Check Point Research (CPR) releases new data on Q2 2024 cyber attack trends. The data is segmented by global volume, industry and geography. These cyber attack numbers were driven by a variety of reasons, ranging from the continued increase in digital transformation and the growing sophistication of cybercriminals using advanced techniques like AI and machine learning. Economic motivation for income from attacks like ransomware and phishing as well as attacks fueled by geopolitical tensions and supply chain vulnerabilities continues to heavily impact this rise in the numbers. 

This increase in global cyberattacks also stems from hacker interest in Education and Research, which saw the largest increase in cyber attacks in Q2 2024, when compared to all other industries. CPR warns that these factors can continue to accelerate the number of cyber attacks in 2024, driving the need for robust cyber security across all industries.

Key Statistics: 

• In Q2 2024, Check Point Research saw a 30% YoY increase in cyber attacks globally, reaching 1,636 attacks per organization per week.
• Top 3 most attacked industries were Education/Research (3,341 attacks per week), Government/Military (2,084 attacks per week) and Healthcare (1,999 attacks per week).
• Latin America, (+53%), Africa (+37%), and Europe (+35%) showed the largest increases in cyber attacks in Q2 2024, compared YoY.
• Africa experienced the highest volume of attacks with 2,960 weekly attacks per organization, followed by Latin America with 2,667 weekly attacks per organization.
• North America accounted for 58% of publicly extorted ransomware attacks victims. The Manufacturing sector represented 29% of the published ransomware victims globally, marking a 56% year-over-year increase.

Cyber-attacks are increasing world-wide, with a 30% increase in weekly attacks on corporate networks in in Q2 2024 compared to Q2 2023, and a 25% rise compared to Q1 2024 . With an average of 1,636 attacks per organization per week, the relentless onslaught of attacks underscores the growing sophistication and persistence of threat actors. Several cyber threat trends are all happening at once.

For instance, the education and research industry has consistently been a prime target for cyber criminals due to its wealth of sensitive information and often inadequate cyber security measures made further complex by multiple groups of online users within and outside of the network expanding the attack vector surface. In fact, the education/research sector was the number one most attacked industry globally, seeing a 53% increase in Q2 2024 compared to Q2 2023, with an average of 3,341 attacks per organization every week.

Government/Military was the second most attacked sector with 2,084 attacks per week, reflecting the high stakes involved in state-level cyber espionage and disruption.

Looking back at cyber attacks for the Healthcare sector in Q2, healthcare organizations saw an average of 1,999 weekly attacks per organization, which was 15% higher than last year. Hackers like to target hospitals because they perceive them as short on cyber security resources with smaller hospitals particularly vulnerable, as they are underfunded and understaffed to handle a sophisticated cyber attack.

Ranking third out of all sectors for the most cyber attacks globally, healthcare is so lucrative to hackers because they aim to retrieve health insurance information, medical records numbers and, sometimes, even social security numbers.

Furthermore, the Hardware Vendor industry experienced largest increase in attacks, with a dramatic rise of 183%. This surge underscores the expanding target range of cyber criminals as they seek to exploit vulnerabilities across various sectors.

Regional Analysis of Cyber Attacks

Regionally, Africa experienced the highest average weekly cyber attacks per organization in Q2 2024 , with an average of 2,960 attacks, marking a 37% increase compared to the same period in 2023. Latin America saw the most significant rise, with attacks increasing by 53% year-over-year to an average of 2,667 per week. The Asia-Pacific (APAC) region followed with a 23% increase, highlighting the global spread of cyber threats.

Ransomware Attacks per Region and Industry

In Q2 2024, ransomware attacks that involved public extortion were reported showing a 13% year-over-year increase, totaling approximately 1,200 incidents. North America was the hardest hit, comprising 58% of all reported ransomware attacks, despite a slight 3% decrease from the previous year. Europe experienced 19% of the incidents, marking a notable 28% decrease, while the APAC region saw the largest increase with a 38% surge, accounting for 16% of the attacks.

In terms of industry impact, the Manufacturing sector was the most affected, representing 29% of publicly extorted ransomware attacks’ victims globally, with a significant 56% year-over-year increase. The Healthcare sector followed, accounting for 11% of the attacks and experiencing a 27% increase. The Retail/Wholesale industry saw 9% of the attacks, with a notable 34% decrease from the previous year. Notably, the Communications and Utilities sectors experienced dramatic rises in ransomware incidents, with increases of 177% and 186%, respectively.

(*) This data draws from ransomware “shame sites” operated by double-extortion ransomware groups, which publicly disclose victim information. While these sources have inherent biases, they provide valuable insights into the ransomware landscape.

Tips for Prevention and Mitigation

Organizations must take proactive steps to safeguard their data and systems. Here are some strategies inspired by best practices from Check Point Software:

• Enhance Security Posture : Regularly update and patch systems to close vulnerabilities. Multi-layered security measures, including firewalls and endpoint protection, are essential.
• Employee Training and Awareness : Regular training sessions can educate employees about the latest cyber threats and phishing tactics, fostering a culture of vigilance.
• Advanced Threat Prevention : Utilize technologies such as sandboxing and anti-ransomware tools to detect and block sophisticated attacks.
• Adopt Zero Trust Architecture : Implement strict identity verification for every person and device attempting to access network resources.
• Regular Backups and Incident Response Planning : Ensure regular backups of critical data and develop comprehensive incident response plans to quickly address and mitigate the impact of attacks.
• Network Segmentation : Isolate critical systems to limit the spread of attacks and protect sensitive information.
• Vulnerability Management : Conduct regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing, prioritizing remediation efforts based on potential impact.

The dramatic rise in cyber-attacks globally, particularly ransomware incidents, signals an urgent need for robust cyber security frameworks. Organizations must prioritize cyber security, adopting customized strategies to effectively combat the evolving threat landscape. By implementing advanced security measures, fostering a culture of awareness, and preparing for potential incidents, businesses can better defend against the relentless tide of cyber threats. The time to act is now, before the next wave of attacks strikes.

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300 arrests made in crackdown of West African cyber fraud group

By AJ Vicens

July 17, 2024

An international law enforcement operation targeting the sprawling West African organized crime and cyber fraud ecosystem led to 300 arrests, $3 million in assets seized and 720 blocked bank accounts, Interpol said Wednesday.

The arrests — made across five continents — came as part of Operation Jackal III, Interpol said in a statement , which ran from April 10 to July 3. 

“The volume of financial fraud stemming from West Africa is alarming and increasing,” Isaac Oginni, the director of Interpol’s Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre, said in a statement. “This operation’s results underscore the critical need for international law enforcement collaboration to combat these extensive criminal networks.”

“By identifying suspects, recovering illicit funds and putting some of West Africa’s most dangerous organized crime leaders behind bars, we are able to weaken their influence and reduce their capacity to harm communities around the world,” he added.

The operation targeted “Black Axe,” a Nigerian “violent mafia-style gang” that’s been operating for decades and conducting all manner of criminal activities, according to a December 2021 BBC report that examined hacked documents linked to the group. Interpol’s statement Wednesday described the group as “one of the most prominent West African transnational organized crime syndicates,” and said it engaged in cyber fraud, human trafficking, drug smuggling and violent crimes within Africa and globally.

The network of criminals used bank accounts around the world to facilitate fraud, Interpol said, with ongoing investigations in 40 countries looking into suspected related money laundering activity.

U.S. officials in 2021 arrested 33 people in Texas linked to the network and accused of business email compromise, investor scams and unemployment insurance fraud, The Record reported at the time. Suspects in that case were accused of stealing and laundering more than $17 million from at least 100 victims.

Business email compromise, also known as BEC, is one of the most “financially damaging” forms of internet-enabled crimes, according to the FBI. International BEC-related losses between June 2016 and December 2021 totalled $43 billion, the bureau said in a May 2022 public service announcement .

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Microsoft 365 remains 'degraded' as Azure outage resolved

Central us region is back in business but office apps still in trouble.

Updated Microsoft's 365 subscription services are down for some users, as the software titan also reports the Central US region of its Azure cloud is experiencing problems.

Azure's status page advises that since approximately 21:56 UTC on July 18 "a subset of customers may experience issues with multiple Azure services in the Central US region including failures with service management operations and connectivity or availability of services."

As of 01:19 UTC on the 19th, the issue remains unresolved – but Microsofties are aware of the problem and are working on it.

Microsoft 365 (the artist formerly known as Office 365) is also down, and its status page warns that customers may not be able to access SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, Teams, Intune, PowerBI, Microsoft Fabric, Microsoft Defender, and Viva Engage.

As of 01:30 UTC on July 19, the M365 status page advises "service availability is gradually returning to a healthy state following our traffic redirection efforts" and that Redmond has "identified a potential root cause that may have contributed to the impact. Our team is currently validating these findings and our mitigation strategy to ensure the issue is resolved as quickly as possible."

The Azure team has made less progress. Its most recent update – from 01:35 on July 19 – offers the following:

As part of the investigation, we have reviewed previous deployments. We've determined the underlying cause and are currently applying mitigation through multiple workstreams.

That sounds a lot like Microsoft broke its own cloud.

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The Central US region is located in Iowa and boasts three availability zones – meaning Microsoft operates three discrete physical facilities that are fewer than two milliseconds apart in terms of network connection speed. Like its hyperscale rivals, Microsoft promotes availability zones as improving resilience and enabling faster disaster recovery.

But that idea relies on at least one availability zone being available – right now all three are out.

Microsoft's Azure status page recommends "Customers with disaster recovery procedures set up can consider trying to take steps to failover their services to other regions, and may consider using programmatic options for this if they experience issues."

Such measures are precisely the thing that use of availability zones is supposed to obviate.

This is a developing story and The Register will update as we learn of changes to the situation. ®

Updated to add at 0530 UTC July 19

Microsoft now advises that the Central US region has resumed operations. Microsoft 365 remains in a degraded condition with many services unavailable to some users.

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