Cybercrime and the Evolution of Underground Forums

• In Event: Policing and Divergent Crimes: Piracy, Identity Theft, and Cybercrime

Abstract

In general, underground online discussion forums fall under two main types: (1) those that are focused on hacking and (2) those that function as online markets for stolen data known as carding forums. Previous studies on underground forums have examined the topological properties and functions of these forums, highlighting their significance to the cybercrime ecosystem. However to date, little is known about how these forums evolve over time. This is important because humans react and adapt to their environment and so social networks should be viewed as dynamic and fluid rather than rigid and pre-planned. Hence gaining insights on how underground forums evolve will help with identifying factors that could influence the operation of forums and hence might suggest strategies for disrupting their function of creating networks for crime. The aim of this study is to produce such insights.

Authors

• Craig Webber, University of Southampton

• Michael Yip, University of Southampton

• Nigel Shadbolt, University of Southampton