ISSC 451 APUS Cybercrime and Cultural Gaps Discussion Reply

Write Peer Discussion Response:

The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) is run by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and tracks cybercrime reports. Their data from 2022 shows the most common forms of reported cybercrime to be phishing, personal data breaches, and non-payment / non-delivery. (Most commonly reported cyber crime, 2023)

Phishing is a form of fraud, where an actor acts as a trusted or reputable entity in order to acquire sensitive data from a victim. Gaining the data can be done directly, or by tricking a user into downloading malware that gives the perpetrator access to that information. (NIST Glossary)

When personal information is accessed or gained by an unauthorized entity, it is considered personal data breach. This data can then be used to blackmail a victim, or steal their identity. (Understanding and assessing risk, 2023)

Non-payment crimes are those in which a nefarious actor tricks an individual into shipping an item, but never pays for them. Non-delivery crimes consist of tricking the victim into paying for a product, but those items are never received by the victim. (FBI Warning, 2022)

While these three crimes can stand on their own, they are often linked. Phishing can result in a personal data breach, which can then be used to create a false identity. This false identity can then be used to conduct non-payment or non-delivery crimes.

I would say the biggest gap to understanding digital crime is cultural. Laws often differ between countries, with many basing their laws on culture, to include religion. What may be identified a crime in one country may not be considered a crime in another. This lack of standardization makes prosecution difficult.

In 2007, Saudi Arabia charged several people with an anti-cybercrime law for criticizing the government on Twitter. This example may seem extreme for those of us in the United States, where we are open to critique our leaders, but in Saudi Arabia and many other countries, it is illegal to criticize the government and/or leadership. If someone here were to commit what Saudi Arabia considers a cybercrime, the United States government would not be inclined to assist with, or extradite those individuals for prosecution of that law. (10 Most Censored Countries, 2014)

I’m not sure what can be done to address this gap, or if they should even be addressed. What are considered cultural norms in one place do not apply to another.

References:

Most commonly reported cyber crime (2023). Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/statistics/184083/commonly-reported-types-of-cyber-crime-us/#:~:text=Bulk%20phishing%2C%20smishing%2C%20and%20business,were%20targeted%20by%20smishing%20scams.

NIST Glossary. Retrieved from https://csrc.nist.gov/glossary/term/phishing#:~:text=Definitions%3A,legitimate%20business%20or%20reputable%20person.

Understanding and assessing risk (2023). Retrieved from https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/advice-for-small-organisations/understanding-and-assessing-risk-in-personal-data-breaches/

FBI Warning (2022). Retrieved from https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/pittsburgh/news/press-releases/fbi-warning-tis-the-season-for-holiday-scams-1

10 Most Censored Countries (2014). Retrieved from https://cpj.org/2015/04/10-most-censored-countries/amp/#3