Cybercrime as a Sustained Business

Abstract

While cybercrime continues to challenge governments, businesses, and people, cybercriminals are harvesting massive payoffs by engaging in malicious operations. A significant impediment to countering cybercrime is the lack of a standardized definition of cybercrime that transcends international boundaries and hegemonic societies. The extensive taxing on law enforcement organizations to pursue cybercrime across international borders contributes to normalizing cybercrime as a sustained business. As cybercrime evolves and challenges traditional defenses, new types of cybercrime are engineered as digitalization and internet-based activity increase. Unfortunately, policies, policing, legal authorities, and prosecution of cybercrime trail the escalating cybercriminal activity. Cybercriminals are mimicking traditional business models to offer nefarious services such as cybercrime-as-a-service and customer service support. Until progressive action with legal authorization is manifested by international and national organizations, cybercrime will be a sustained business for cybercriminals.