Guarding against Cyber-Trespass and Theft: Routine Precautions from the Hacking Community

Positing that hackers are attuned to the risks and vulnerabilities of online activity, this study used the situation crime prevention (SCP) framework to examine the protection methods promoted within hacking forums to guard against online victimization. Data were collected from 85 webpages represent...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of cyber criminology 2019-01, Vol.13 (1), p.101-116
Main Authors: Chavez, Nicholas, Bichler2, Gisela
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Automobile safety
Computer literacy
Crime prevention
Criminology
Cybercrime
Decision making
Hackers
Internet resources
Internet service providers
Personal information
Studies
Trespassing
Victimization
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Positing that hackers are attuned to the risks and vulnerabilities of online activity, this study used the situation crime prevention (SCP) framework to examine the protection methods promoted within hacking forums to guard against online victimization. Data were collected from 85 webpages representing two categories of electronic communications: forums and blogs. Three goals drove this project: 1) to investigate whether the set of recommendations fit the SCP framework; 2) to identify what opportunity reduction techniques were most often recommended by the self-identified hacking community; and, 3) to examine the level of expertise associated with the suggested security measures. Strategies aimed at increasing the effort required to commit crimes, and reducing the rewards associated with cyber-trespass and theft, figured prominently-the specific strategy most recommended was to keep computer software updated. Ninety percent of recommendations require minimal computer skills. Continued efforts are needed to explore the utility of asking potential offenders for advice when developing recommendations on routine precautions that people could use to protect themselves online.
ISSN:0974-2891
DOI:10.5281/zenodo.3551489