Researchers from Michigan State University and the Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement conducted a study that helped identify common attributes of cybercrime networks and how these crime groups work together.
Organized cybercrime differs from other types of criminal networks — making trails to track them more challenging. Source: Mika BaumeisterAccording to their findings, cybercriminals work in organizations, and those organizations differ depending on the offense. Members tend to only form groups to commit a crime and they disband once their objective has been achieved. This is different from the stereotypical multi-year, multi-generational crime groups of the past.
Also characteristic of such groups is that organized cybercrime networks are made up of hackers that come together on the basis of each individual’s functional skills. Each person in the group has a skill set that is important to the success of the crime. These individuals cause greater disruption together than alone. Additionally, the elusiveness of these crime groups makes them difficult to track.
Typically, the criminals find each other online but, in larger cases, there is sometimes a group of core individuals who seek out others to conduct a crime.
To reach these conclusions, the team of researchers reviewed 18 cybercrime cases from the Netherlands. In each case, individuals were prosecuted for cases related to phishing. The data was gathered through wire and IP taps, undercover policing, observation and house searches. Researchers found that these cybercriminals worked together to create fake documents to steal money from banks under fraudulent identities.
The research debunks the misconception that cybercrime is conducted by large, sophisticated and organized criminal networks. The team hopes that their research will help guide law enforcement in the right direction to slow cybercrime.
A paper on the research was published in the International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology.
