The outbreak of the COVID-19 virus in December 2019 and the restrictive measures that were implemented to slow down the spread of the virus have had a significant impact on our way of life. The sudden shift from offline to online activities and work may have resulted in new cybersecurity risks. The present study therefore examined changes in the prevalence, nature and impact of cybercrime among Dutch citizens and SME owners, during the pandemic. Qualitative interviews with ten experts working at various public and private organizations in the Netherlands that have insights into cybercrime victimization and data from victim surveys administrated in 2019 and 2021 were analyzed. The results show that there was only a small, non-statistically significant increase in the prevalence of cybercrime during the pandemic among citizens and SME owners. Nevertheless, the COVID-19 pandemic did have an impact on the modus operandi of cybercriminals: victims indicated that a considerable proportion of the offenses was related to the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in the case of online fraud. Moreover, the use of new applications and programs for work was associated with an increased risk of cybercrime victimization during the COVID-19 crisis. These results suggest that increases in rates of registered cybercrime that were found in previous studies might be the consequence of a reporting effect and that cybercriminals adapt their modus operandi to current societal developments.
Criminologists have frequently debated whether offenders are specialists, in that they consistently perform either one offense or similar offenses, or versatile by performing any crime based on opportunities and situational provocations. Such foundational research has yet to be developed regarding cybercrimes, or offenses enabled by computer technology and the Internet. This study address this issue using a sample of 37 offender networks. The results show variations in the offending behaviors of those involved in cybercrime. Almost half of the offender networks in this sample appeared to be cybercrime specialists, in that they only performed certain forms of cybercrime. The other half performed various types of crimes on and offline. The relative equity in specialization relative to versatility, particularly in both on and offline activities, suggests that there may be limited value in treating cybercriminals as a distinct offender group. Furthermore, this study calls to question what factors influence an offender's pathway into cybercrime, whether as a specialized or versatile offender. The actors involved in cybercrime networks, whether as specialists or generalists, were enmeshed into broader online offender networks who may have helped recognize and act on opportunities to engage in phishing, malware, and other economic offenses.
While criminality is digitizing, a theory-based understanding of the impact of cybercrime on victims is lacking. Therefore, this study addresses the psychological and financial impact of cybercrime on victims, applying the shattered assumptions theory (SAT) to predict that impact. A secondary analysis was performed on a representative data set of Dutch citizens (N = 33,702), exploring the psychological and financial impact for different groups of cybercrime victims. The results showed a higher negative impact on emotional well-being for victims of person-centered cybercrime, victims for whom the offender was an acquaintance, and victims whose financial loss was not compensated and a lower negative impact on emotional well-being for victims with a higher income. The study led to novel scientific insights and showed the applicability of the SAT for developing hypotheses about cybercrime victimization impact. In this study, most hypotheses had to be rejected, leading to the conclusion that more work has to be done to test the applicability of the SAT in the field of cybercrime. Furthermore, policy implications were identified considering the prioritization of and approach to specific cybercrimes, treatment of victims, and financial loss compensation.
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Ambtenaren openbare orde en veiligheid spelen een centrale rol in de zorg voor maatschappelijke veiligheid. Hun focus ligt van oudsher op de preventie van slachtofferschap van veelvoorkomende criminaliteit (zoals diefstal, vernielingen en vandalisme) en high impact crime (zoals woninginbraak, overvallen en straatroven) binnen hun verzorgingsgebied. Intussen heeft de digitalisering van de samenleving een ongeëvenaarde gelegenheid voor criminaliteit gecreëerd. De totale maatschappelijke schade van cybercrime werd voor 2018 op 10 miljard euro geschat (1% van BNP). Uit cijfers van het CBS blijkt dat tussen 2012 en 2018 het slachtofferschap van hacken zelfs hoger lag dan dat van fietsendiefstal. Nederlandse gemeenten hebben cybercrime in de afgelopen twee jaar dan ook breed als beleidsprioriteit omarmd. Maar in de vertaling van deze beleidsprioriteit naar concrete acties gaat het mis. Duidelijk is dat de ambtenaren openbare orde en veiligheid een taak voor zichzelf zien in de preventie van cybercrime, maar waar te beginnen? In dit project bundelen professionals uit twaalf gemeenten en vier regionale veiligheidsnetwerken hun slagkracht met onderzoekers van twee hogescholen en het NSCR voor de cyberweerbaarheid van de samenleving. De hoofdvraag van dit project luidt: Met welke interventies kunnen ambtenaren openbare orde en veiligheid de cyberweerbaarheid van burgers en bedrijven binnen hun gemeente vergroten? Middels actieonderzoek werken professionals van gemeenten en regio’s samen met onderzoekers aan het verbeteren van bestaande en het ontwikkelen van nieuwe interventies. Daarbij verscherpen zij hun beeld van de omvang en achtergronden van slachtofferschap van cybercrime. Ook onderzoeken zij achtergronden en verklaringen voor het risicobewustzijn en preventief gedrag onder doelgroepen. Deze inzichten worden in verschillende iteraties aangevuld met effectstudies, om tot een set beproefde interventies te komen waarmee de cyberweerbaarheid van burgers en bedrijven zal toenemen.
The growing use of digital media has led to a society with plenty of new opportunities for knowledge exchange, communication and entertainment, but also less desirable effects like fake news or cybercrime. Several studies, however, have shown that children are less digital literate than expected. Digital literacy has consequently become a key part within the new national educational policy plans titled Curriculum.nu and the Dutch research and policy agendas. This research project is focused on the role the game sector can play in the development of digital literacy skills of children. In concrete, we want to understand the value of the use of digital literacy related educational games in the context of primary education. Taking into consideration that the childhood process of learning takes place through playing, several studies claim that the introduction of the use of technology at a young age should be done through play. Digital games seem a good fit but are themselves also part of digital media we want young people to be literate about. Furthermore, it needs to be taken into account that digital literacy of teachers can be limited as well. The interactive, structured nature of digital games offers potential here as they are less dependent on the support and guidance of an adult, but at the same time this puts even more emphasis on sensible game design to ensure the desired outcome. The question is, then, if and how digital games are best designed to foster the development of digital literacy skills. By harnessing the potential of educational games, a consortium of knowledge and practice partners aim to show how creating theoretical and practical insights about digital literacy and game design can aid the serious games industry to contribute to the societal challenges concerning contemporary literacy demands.
