Cybercrime

Course Overview

This course introduces fundamental notions of cybercrime. Namely, what cybercrime is, the main questions surrounding cybercrime, how cybercrime can be defined, and how it can be studied. You will learn about the difficulties in measuring the occurrence, the frequency and the impact of cybercrime, and build a scepticism on the reliability and the interpretation of cybercrime reports. You will be introduced to discussion about human aspects of cybercrime, in particular, the actors related to cybercrime, that is, the criminals, the victims, and law enforcement. You will also learn about aspects such as personality, national and organisational culture, security culture, training, and other components which affect cybercriminal activity. Finally, you will dive into what is arguably the most important attack vector in cybercrime, that is, social engineering. You will gain an understanding of how it occurs, which techniques social engineers utilise, and which are the underlying psychological principles which make all of us – as humans – susceptible to social engineering attacks. By the end of the course you should be able to: • Reflect on the main questions related to cybercrime. • Explain the meaning, definitions, importance, and impact of cybercrime. • Assess the reliability and the interpretation of reports and surveys related to cybercrime. • Identify the various classifications of cybercrime, the related threats, and threat actors. • Explain the key role of human aspects in cybercrime. • Differentiate between the various actors involved in cybercrime and their associated perspectives. • Evaluate the underlying psychological principles which make social engineering the most successful attack vector in cybercrime. • Describe how deception and social engineering manifest and how they can be defended against.