Cybercrime

General characterization

Prerequisites

Not Applicable

Bibliography

Indicative Bibliography (based on sources available at NSL Library)

• Clough J. (2015). Principles of Cybercrime. 2^nd Edition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Grabosky P. (2016). Cybercrime. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Holt T.J. & Bossler A.M. (2020). The Palgrave Handbook of International Cybercrime and Cyberdeviance. Michigan: Palgrave Macmillan.
• Holt T.J., Bossler A.M. & Seigfried-Spellar K.C. (2015). Cybercrime and Digital Forensics: An introduction. New York: Routledge.
• Leukfeldt R. (ed). (2017). The human factor in cybercrime and cybersecurity. The Hague: Eleven International Publishing.

Additional readings

• Brewer R. et al. (2019). Cybercrime Prevention: Theory and Applications. Cham: Springer International Publishing.
• Ebers M. & Cantero Gamito M. (eds.). (2021). Algorithmic Governance and Governance of Algorithms: Legal and Ethical Challenges. Cham: Springer International Publishing.
• Jahankhami H. (ed.). (2018). Cyber Criminology, Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.
• Martín Ramírez J. & García-Segura L.A. (eds.). (2017). Cyberspace. Risks and Benefits for Society, Security and Development. Cham: Springer International Publishing.
• McDaniel J. & Pease K. (eds.). (2021). Predictive policing and artificial intelligence. New York: Routledge.
• Mitsilegas V. & Vavoula N. (eds.). (2021). Surveillance and privacy in the digital age: European, transatlantic and global perspectives. London: Hart Publishing.
• Owen T., Noble W. & Speed F.C. (2017). New perspectives on Cybercrime. Cham: Springer International Publishing.
• Owen T. & Marshall J. (eds.). (2021). Rethinking Cybercrime. Cham: Springer International.
• Quattrocolo S. (2020). Artificial Intelligence, Computational Modelling and Criminal Proceedings: A Framework for A European Legal Discussion. Cham: Springer International publishing.

Teaching method

The course will consist of short lectures (to be organised with the help of MS Power Point; the respective slides will be sent to the students at the end of each class) and seminar-style discussion. That said, the students are expected to actively participate in the in-class discussion, and work on readings to be made accessible before the meetings. In this context, the lecturer will make sure to first introduce the students to the theoretical framework of cybercrime and will provide them with typologies that will enable them to understand the specificities of different kinds of cybercrimes. Besides, the lecturer will make use of practical cases aiming to bridge theory and practice and to familiarise the students with the relevant case-law. Lastly, the lecturer intends to invite some external experts to enable the study of cybercrime through an interdisciplinary lens.

To attain the purposes outlined above, the lecturer will also use online polls and questionnaires to be designed with the Mentimeter application or similar ones to enable students work on and revise regularly the course material.

Additionally, the students will be advised throughout the semester on which legal texts to examine, where to look for relevant case-law and which additional bibliographical sources to consult depending on the topic under discussion.

Evaluation method

The students will be assessed on the basis of a continuous evaluation model consisting of the following parts:

1. Participation in the in-class debates                               10% (2/20 points)
2. Mid-term exercise                                                           15% (3/20 points)
3. 3.000-word essay                                                            75 % (15/20 points)

• Participation in the in-class debates: Course participants will have to participate actively in in-class debates (occasionally based on in-class group work) by elaborating, inter alia, on the reading material that will become available to them before the beginning of each class (to be uploaded on the Moodle platform of the university on a regular basis) and giving thoughtful feedback to their colleagues. For this purpose, brainstorming questions will also be posted regularly on the Moodle platform the day before the class.
• Mid-term exercise: This will be a short online quiz to be designed on the Moodle platform. In this context, the students will have to showcase the knowledge acquired with regard to cybercrime typologies.
• 3000-word essay: This is the final written work that students will be asked to submit, after they choose a topic or case study to work on out of the list the lecturer will provide them for this purpose. Each of the proposed topics can be chosen by maximum 3 students. In case that a student would like to work on a topic not provided in the list, (s)he should contact the lecturer to reach an agreement with that regard. The assessment of the essays will be based on the successful presentation of the chosen topic (based on a research question); the author¿s critical thinking and argumentation; structure and material organisation; the originality of the ideas included in the work; style (use of language and terminology); and proper use of literature. The final essay will be due in Week 11 of classes.

For purposes of grading, essays that are submitted late will be subject to a "penalty" (0,5 grading point per day of delay). The lecturer may make exceptions to this policy for true emergencies, such as serious illness. Requests for exceptions should be made in advance of the deadline, if possible. The professor's decision to grant or deny a request for an exception is final and unreviewable.

The essays will be submitted on the Moodle platform via a Turnitin assignment. Students who fail to comply with scientific publication rules, and particularly with the rules of proper citation and originality, will be excluded from continuous evaluation.  

Note regarding final exams: Students retain the right to be assessed on the basis of a final written exam, in the context of which they will have to answer both multiple choice and open questions on topics related to the previously described learning outcomes. The final grades will be announced in two weeks after the exam day.

Subject matter

• Threats in the online environment
• Cybercrime typologies
• Cyber-criminology: Why cybercrime occurs; why people are victimized by criminals in the cyberspace
• Financial crime in online settings (e.g., cyber extortion; online fraud; money laundering by means of cryptocurrency)
• Cyber-terrorism (with an emphasis of terrorist financing)
• Attacks against information systems
• The transition from electronic to AI-generated evidence
• Automation in law enforcement settings
• Algorithmic criminal justice
• Cyber-security: technical solutions
• Cyber-security: EU policies and plans

The syllabus can be subject to adjustments reflecting the progress of the scheduled meetings. Students will be informed on time in case of any changes to the syllabus. The latter will be also updated online, if and where necessary. 

Programs

Programs where the course is taught: