End user cybercrime reporting: What we know and what we can do to improve it

Morvareed Bidgoli, Jens Grossklags

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

18 Scopus citations

Abstract

After a physical crime occurs an important action typically takes place: the reporting of the crime to the police. However, this action becomes more complex for a victim to properly execute when a cybercrime is experienced, which can be partly explained for instance by a lack of knowledge about cybercrimes and computer security. Cybercrime reporting is crucial because it can provide a multitude of data such as the prevalence of cybercrimes, the types and nature of the cybercrimes present, and the various resulting types of loss or harm (e.g., financial, psychological, emotional). Moreover, cybercrime reporting data is also actionable for two reasons: (1) prevention tips can be produced to educate users of how they can mitigate commonly occurring cybercrimes they may be faced with, and (2) the information provided can be useful for the appropriate law enforcement agencies to potentially reach a proper resolution for the cybercrime victim (i.e., the cybercriminal being caught, the recovery of stolen property). However, comparatively few academic works have focused on better understanding computer users' cybercrime reporting behaviors. In this paper, we first review the relevant literature, which predominantly focuses on the reasons that contribute to the underreporting of cybercrimes. Next, we highlight four particular challenges of cybercrime reporting. These challenges include the issue of computer users potentially having difficulty in properly identifying cybercrimes they may experience, fostering knowledge of how to report cybercrimes to the appropriate channels, providing incentives for cybercrime reporting, and the extent of feedback victims receive after filing a cybercrime report. Grounded in the surveyed literature and our previous work, we also provide a set of recommendations on how to approach these challenges in order to improve currently existing cybercrime reporting processes.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publication2016 IEEE International Conference on Cybercrime and Computer Forensic, ICCCF 2016
EditorsBarry Cartwright, Laurie Yiu-Chung Lau, George Weir
PublisherInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
ISBN (Electronic)9781509060962
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 9 2016
Event4th IEEE International Conference on Cybercrime and Computer Forensic, ICCCF 2016 - Vancouver, Canada
Duration: Jun 12 2016Jun 14 2016

Publication series

Name2016 IEEE International Conference on Cybercrime and Computer Forensic, ICCCF 2016

Other

Other4th IEEE International Conference on Cybercrime and Computer Forensic, ICCCF 2016
Country/TerritoryCanada
CityVancouver
Period6/12/166/14/16

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Computer Networks and Communications
  • Information Systems and Management
  • Social Psychology
  • Law

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'End user cybercrime reporting: What we know and what we can do to improve it'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this