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research articles on cyber crime

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Cyber crime investigation: landscape, challenges, and future research directions.

research articles on cyber crime

1. Introduction

2. digital forensics, 2.1. host forensics, 2.2. mobile forensics, 2.2.1. investigation phases, 2.2.2. data extraction, 2.3. network forensics, 2.4. cloud forensics, 2.4.1. forensics as a service, 2.4.2. methods and frameworks, 2.4.3. cloud forensics and mobile devices, 3. online investigations, 3.1. sources of information, 3.1.1. open web, 3.1.2. deep web, 3.1.3. dark web, 3.2. specialized sources of information, 3.2.1. social media, 3.2.2. cryptocurrency flow, 3.3. data mining, 3.3.1. natural language processing, 3.3.2. social network analysis, 3.3.3. information extraction, 3.3.4. computer vision, 4. new forensic technologies, 4.1. automation, 4.2. machine learning (ai), 4.2.1. machine learning as an investigative tool, 4.2.2. machine learning as a criminal tool, 5. open issues and research directions.

  • Technical issues (e.g., effectively implementing open-source intelligence tools used in investigations).
  • Legal issues (e.g., obtaining legal basis for collecting evidence that is admissible in courts).
  • Ethical issues (e.g., criminal profiling).

5.1. Technical Issues

5.2. legal issues, 5.3. ethical issues, 5.4. research directions of open issues, 6. conclusions and further research, author contributions, institutional review board statement, informed consent statement, conflicts of interest.

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Click here to enlarge figure

MethodComplexityRiskNotes
Low ComplexityHigh RiskPuts the integrity of the data at risk of accidental tampering
Low ComplexityLow RiskUtilizes an external workstation
Medium ComplexityLow RiskAnalyzes dumps of flash memory on an external device
High ComplexityMedium RiskPhysically removes the flash memory
High ComplexityHigh RiskA last resort option because it is very complex and time consuming
MethodSources of InformationNumber of CasesMethods of Obtaining InformationNotes
11885Contains four subcategories, each of which can be used in investigations
1522Looks for relationships and patterns in user activity
4639Utilizes web crawling technology to look for crime trademarks
3621Searches images, video, and audio for criminal content
Technical IssuesLegal IssuesEthical Issues
Effective implementationGathering evidenceCriminal profiling
Author identificationFollowing documented methodRelationships between racial and criminal profiling
Big forensic data reduction and managementChain of custodyEvaluating reliability of criminal profiles
Defining data patterns in criminal activities Determining the validity of criminal profiles
IoT and digital forensics
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Share and Cite

Horan, C.; Saiedian, H. Cyber Crime Investigation: Landscape, Challenges, and Future Research Directions. J. Cybersecur. Priv. 2021 , 1 , 580-596. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcp1040029

Horan C, Saiedian H. Cyber Crime Investigation: Landscape, Challenges, and Future Research Directions. Journal of Cybersecurity and Privacy . 2021; 1(4):580-596. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcp1040029

Horan, Cecelia, and Hossein Saiedian. 2021. "Cyber Crime Investigation: Landscape, Challenges, and Future Research Directions" Journal of Cybersecurity and Privacy 1, no. 4: 580-596. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcp1040029

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