| Popis: |
The central theme of this thesis is that cybercrime has matured into a large profitdriven industry. Hobby hackers still exist and hacktivists have attracted some attention in recent years, but a very significant component of contemporary cybercrime is now financially motivated. While its goods and services are usually illicit, the cybercrime industry operates according to the same broad principles of industrial organisation observed across numerous other contexts. But the development of this industry is somewhat puzzling. Ostensibly much cybercriminal cooperation takes place online. As a result, cybercriminals are often partnering with online criminals whose true identities are unknown to them. They also have no means of physical enforcement should deals go awry. Partnering with conventional criminals, who operate outside the protection of the state, already appears to present significant challenges for cooperation. The challenge of anonymity makes cooperation even more difficult and suggests that cybercriminals would often act alone, or in small groups. Instead a large successful industry has formed. This thesis first addresses the industrialisation of cybercrime. It then addresses this puzzle of how cybercriminals have overcome the challenges to cooperation to build an industry on such a scale. |
