Cybercrime and Cybercriminals

Abstract

The rising expansion and diversification in the cybercrime arena have become difficult obstacles in order both to understand the extent of embedded risks and to define efficient policies of prevention for corporations, institutions, and agencies. The present study represents a comprehensive review of the origin, typologies, and developments of cybercrime and hacker subculture. This chapter confronts the issues by describing and discussing different criteria of classification in the field and by providing a broad list of definitions and an analysis of the cybercrime practices. A conceptual taxonomy of cybercrime is described as well. Common categories include the digital device is the target to commit the crime, the digital device is used as a tool to perpetrate the felony, or a digital device is an incidental condition to the execution of a crime. The authors complete their study by analyzing lessons learned and future actions that can be undertaken to tackle cybercrime and harden cybersecurity at all levels.