Examining Predictors Affecting Seller Reputation In Stolen Data Markets

• In Event: The Dynamics And Regulation Of Online Criminal Markets

Abstract

Researchers from both the social and technical sciences are increasingly examining the market for stolen data, where hackers and cybercriminals dispose of information acquired through phishing, mass data breaches, and hacking attempts. These studies demonstrate that markets are influenced by seller reputation based on positive and negative feedback provided by customers, and the influence of social connectivity on a seller's reputation in the market. Few of these studies have considered the relationship between the feedback sellers receive from customers and the market dynamics of a forum, such as the language of its users, the payment methods they accept, and the customer service resources sellers provide to prospective buyers. Thus, this study will attempt to address this issue through an analysis of threads from 13 active Russian and English language forums involved in the sale of stolen data. The relationships between the social and market practices of the forums will be considered relative to the positive or negative feedback individuals selling dumps and eBay and PayPal credentials receive. The implications of this study for law enforcement and criminological theory will be considered in detail.

Authors

• Thomas J. Holt, Michigan State University

• Olga Smirnova, East Carolina University