Cybersecurity in Crime Prevention: A Research Analysis

This research proposal examines the critical role of cybersecurity in preventing cybercrime, particularly in Australia, where cyber threats are prevalent. The research investigates the increasing cybercrime rates, its impact, and the significance of cybersecurity in mitigation. It explores key concepts like cybercrime, cybersecurity, and game theory, analyzing challenges in implementing effective cybersecurity measures. The study outlines research questions, hypotheses, and methodologies, including research design, data collection, and analysis, to provide recommendations for strengthening cybersecurity and reducing cybercrime. The proposal includes a literature review, reflective journal, and ethics application to comprehensively address the topic and contribute to the understanding of cybersecurity's role in crime prevention.

CYBERSECURITY IN CRIME PREVENTION/LAW

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Table of Contents
PART 1: RESEARCH PROPOSAL..........................................................................................4
Abstract..................................................................................................................................4
Introduction............................................................................................................................5
Outline of the thesis...........................................................................................................5
Problem statement..............................................................................................................5
Research question...............................................................................................................5
Research hypotheses..........................................................................................................6
Structure of the paper.........................................................................................................6
Literature review....................................................................................................................6
Methods................................................................................................................................11
Research Design...............................................................................................................11
Data Collection.................................................................................................................11
Data Collection Tools......................................................................................................12
Sampling..........................................................................................................................12
Data Analysis...................................................................................................................13
Gantt chart........................................................................................................................13
PART 2: REFLECTIVE JOURNAL.......................................................................................15
Individual reflection 1:.........................................................................................................15
Individual reflection 2:.........................................................................................................20
Individual reflection 3:.........................................................................................................24

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PART 3: ETHICS APPLICATION.........................................................................................27
References................................................................................................................................32

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PART 1: RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Abstract
The research aims at analysing the importance of cyber security in preventing cybercrime. As
Australia is considered as an attracting place for cybercriminals due to its economic
development and massive use of internet, cybercriminals are targeting this place constantly.
Based on this problem, the research aim and objectives are developed and an overall
structure of the research is also provided. Further, analysis of existing literature is carried
out critically for having a better insight on the selected topic. In the next section, necessary
research methods are selected for conducting the research effectively and a Gantt chart is
developed for conducting the research in a methodical way.

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Introduction
Outline of the thesis
The aim of the report is to analyse the importance of cybersecurity in preventing crime.
Cybercrime is increasing day-by-day with the rapid technological development. Hence, it has
become critical to making the cybersecurity even stronger for reducing crime and
encouraging safety culture in the world of internet. Hence, the study focuses on the way
cybersecurity helps to prevent crime in Australia.
Problem statement
Australia is an interesting target for organised and serious crime associates because of the
country’s comparative wealth and higher use of technology like online banking, social media
and government services. Due to potential profitable financial advantages for serious and
planned crime organization, the threat of cybercrime is tenacious. The ACIC (Australian
Criminal Intelligence Commission) is worried about cybercriminals, who are making a profit
from Australian every day. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet carried out a
cyber-security assessment and found that cybercrime costs up to $1 billion to Australian
economy every year. It is diverting capitals from valid Australian economy to the unlawful
economy. Not only financial cost, but cybercrime also creates other significant damages as
well such as damage to personal reputation and identity, loss of employment or business
opportunities and impact on psychological and emotional wellbeing (Acic, 2018). Hence, the
topic is selected for gaining insight into the issue by developing recommendations for
mitigation.
Research question
The research questions are developed based on the research aim. The major research
questions include:

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 What is cybercrime?
 What is the impact of cybercrime in Australia?
 What is the significance of cyber security in crime prevention?
 What are the challenges of implementing cybersecurity?
 What is the recommendation for overcoming the issues?
Research hypotheses
H0- Cyber security can prevent cybercrime
H1-Cyber security cannot prevent cybercrime
Structure of the paper
In the first part, then a thorough an introduction to the research topic is provided including
the problem statement and key research questions that are to find out by completing the
research. In the next section, a critical review of the existing literature on cybercrime and
cybersecurity is carried out. Further, research methodologies needed for conducting and
completing the research effectively. Lastly, the conclusion of the entire report is provided.
Literature review
The concept of cybercrime-
Cybercrime can be defined as a computer-based crime in which, the computer is used for
hacking, spamming and phishing. The computer is used as an object or tool for omitting an
offence like hate crimes and child pornography. Criminals, who carry out the illegitimate
activities, are often stated to as hackers. Cybercrime is also known as computer crime
(Leukfeldt & Yar (2016). In the words of Moore (2014) & Hui, Kim & Wang (2017),
cybercrime has two types. Crimes, where information and communication technologies such
as a computer are an essential part of crime like online fraud and offence focused on
computers or other technologies. Some of the examples of cybercrime include ransomware

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and credential harvesting malware. Ransomware is a sort of malware, which helps coercion.
Normally, it infects the computer of a victim opens a malevolent email attachment. Following
contagion, ransomware locks the contents of a computer and shows a message, needingthe
victim to pay money for a decryption key, which will allegedly enable them to regain access.
The emails providing ransomware to the victims of Australasia use branding of well-known
and trusted Australian companies as part of their social engineering methods.
According to Holt & Bossler (2014) &Keyser (2017), credential harvesting malware is
designed for harvesting identifications of a user when he/she is logging onto a website. It is
done entirely secretly and hence, the victim remains unaware that their IDs are being
whipped. The malware that helps this reaping is normally sent via mail to the victim’s
computer by a malicious attachment. Cybercriminals, who are affecting Australian victims
work in collaboration although, they live in different nations or even different continents. It
makes cybercrime acts integrally flexible and fluid.
The conceptof cybersecurity-
Cybersecurity that is also called information technology security are the methods of
protecting networks, computers, data and programs from illegal access or attacks that are dine
for exploiting network security containing activities to safeguard the reliability, usability,
safety and integrity of the network (Buczak& Guven, 2016 & Gordon, Loeb, Lucyshyn &
Zhou, 2015). As stated by Fielder, Panaousis, Malacaria, Hankin & Smeraldi (2016) & Ben-
Asher& Gonzalez (2015), the key areas under cybersecurity include application security,
disaster recovery, information security and network security. Application security includes
measures, which are considered at the time of life-cycle development for protecting
application for threats, which can occur from flaws in the design, deployment, development,

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maintenance or upgrade of the application. User/role authentication 7 authorisation, input
parameter validation, session management is some basic methods of application security.
According to Bates, Tian, Butler & Moyer (2015) & Conteh & Schmick (2016), disaster
recovery refers to the process of conducting a risk assessment, setting priorities, developing
recovery strategies at the time of disaster. Any business must have a solid plan for recovering
disaster. Information security involves protecting information form unlawful access to
protect privacy and evade identity theft. Major techniques applied to cover this field are
cryptography and identification, authentication & authorization of the user. Network
security focuses on protecting the network from multiple threats and averts them from
spreading or entering the network. The elements of network security include anti-virus,
firewall, anti-spyware, intrusion prevention systems and virtual private networks.
Game theory for cybersecurity-
A game is an explanation of the strategic communication between co-operating or opposing
interests, where the payoff and constraints for action are considered. The theory has been a
crucial concept in different security circumstances and has found high application in
cybersecurity. Game theory can be applied to web security, network security and many more
(Kamat & Gautam, 2018& Hussein, 2018).
As stated by Chang, Zhong & Grabosky (2018) & Cherdantseva et al. (2016), while there is
notable development in information-technology and infrastructure that offers new prospects.
Cyberspace is still away from complete security. In several cases, the installed security
solutions are unplanned and deficiency a measurable decision structure. While they are
competent in resolving specific issues they are meant to be designed, they fail to react
appropriately to rapidly changing the environment. As commented by Gordon, Loeb,
Lucyshyn & Zhou (2015) & Elmaghraby & Losavio (2014), game theory offers a huge

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opportunity to place such a strategy on a concrete analytical setting. It considers the link
between the defence techniques and the attacks as a game played between the defender and
the attacker. Games can be developed and analysed, best moves of players are used for
deciding the way best approach to security in the cyber world largely.
However, Chukwudi & Udoka (2017) argues that game theory is unable to provide possible
numerical solutions to the problem of the game. Linear programming is an approach is a
more systematic solution to the issues related to cybersecurity using game theory. Linear
programming offers realistic accurate solutions. The area of integer programming can be
reconnoitred too in delivering a more genuine solution to the cyber-attacks.
The threat of cybercrime to Australian people
Cybercriminals are targeting Australia increasingly as an unveiling pad for cybercrime. The
cyber threats in the nation include suspicious URLs, malicious IP address and phishing sites-
over doubled in 2015. In this year, 2000 new dangerous IP addresses were developed every
day. Although Australia only holds 2% of global cyber-attacks, it falls under the top 10
international hosts for cybercrime (Abc, 2018). According to Keogh, Gordon & Marinovic
(2018) & Shafqat & Masood (2016), the amount of phishing attacks is rising at a stiff rate
that causes problems for both the businesses as well as consumers. Cybercriminals are mainly
targeting all types of business-related, financial and personal information. Hence, if they can
get into anyone’s system and understand his/her banking password, they can penetrate the
data back to their command and control centre faster than a blink and empty the bank
accounts.
Australia is a well-performing economy including a highly internet-connected society that
provides significant opportunities to the cybercriminals.
Cybersecurity in reducing cybercrime

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To overcome the situation, the following responses are necessary for making the
cybersecurity stronger (The Conversation, 2018):
 The Australian Commonwealth and the states should focus on a very forward process
for setting up a unit for fighting national cybercrime in order to arrest and imprison
more cybercriminals. It must incorporate research staff, subsidised to a minimum $20
million every year for 10 years.
 Australia requires considering developing a National Cyber Security College to obtain
focus and distillate proficiency. Such an institution could facilitate generating actions
like setting up nationally agreed undergraduate prospectuses around a range of self-
control in cyber security using plunders for ensuring that teaching is conducted to
some nationally recognised standard(Blakemore, 2016 & Luna, Rhine, Myhra,
Sullivan & Kruse 2016).
 Parkinson, Ward, Wilson & Miller (2017) commented that deciding ona transition
plan so experts from a range of particular disciplines can be upskilled and transformed
into cybersecurity specialists.
Challenges of implementing cyber security
Researches have made it evident that 95% of the organizations encounter issues related to the
implementation of the cyber security. The first and the foremost challenge is absence of the
proper tools for automating the controls. Elmaghraby & Losavio (2014) mentioned that the
lack of appropriate tools for auditing the effectiveness has hampered the performance. Poor
integration of the tools and the absence of reporting turned out to be a major technological
issue in the implementation of the frameworks. The lack of trained staffs and conflicts
between them are some other important issues.

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Methods
Research Design
The research design refers to the set of methods and process that are used in the process of
the collection and the analysis for the measurement of the variables which are specified in the
research process. Yin (2009) commented that research design helps in the arrangement of
conditions for the research. In this case, the two variable of the research are the cyber security
and the crime prevention law. The research aims to evaluate the ways in which crime
prevention law helps to increase cyber security.
The researcher has opted for the positivism philosophy as the researcher needs correct and
realistic data to assess the issue of cybercrime in Australia. Interpretivism has not been
selected as mere perception of the people would not be effective in this case. Three research
designs which are available in this case are exploratory, explanatory and descriptive design.
Neuman (2013) commented that exploratory research is carried out to analyze an issue that
has not been studied deeply. Explanatory research design helps in connecting ideas for
understanding the causes and the effects of the research issue. The descriptive research design
helps in the detailed evaluation and the analysis of the data (Saunders, Lewis & Thornhill,
2009). For the assessment effect of the crime laws on increasing cyber security, descriptive
research design is selected as it help in the detailed analysis of the data ad help in addressing
the research issue.
Data Collection
Saunders (2011) commented that data collection is the process of the obtaining and
assessment of the information on the variables of interest for answering the research
questions. Quantitative data refers to the information which can be measured and written
down with numbers. Quantitative data is clear and specific. They are accurate and reliable

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and communicated through the charts and graphs (Saunders & Lewis, 2012). Qualitative data
refers to the information about the qualities that cannot be measured. Qualitative data help in
detail analysis of the research issue (Lyon, Mšllering& Saunders, 2015). For the present
research, the researcher has selected quantitative data since it is crucial to evaluate the factors
of cyber security and how the criminal laws are preventing it.
The other two types of data are primary and secondary data. Primary data is the first hand
data collected by the researcher from the field (Bailey & Burch, 2017). Secondary data is
gathered from already published sources. In this research, both primary and secondary data
has been gathered.
Data Collection Tools
The assessment of the cybercrime in Australia and the role of criminal laws require the
collection of primary and quantitative data. The quantitative and primary data is gathered
with the help of survey. Maxfield& Babbie (2014) commented that survey is a useful but
cheap tool that aids in the process of research for gathering realistic and updated data. The
secondary data on the cybercrime in Australia has been gathered from books, journals and
websites. The data collection tools are selected in such a way so that it would help in the
addressing of research objectives.
Sampling
Saunders, Kitzinger& Kitzinger (2015) mentioned that selection of the research population is
a critical task. Sampling is the process of selecting the research sample from a wide range of
population through the use of different strategies. Probability sampling offers fair chance to
every individual in the population for getting selected in the research process. For the current
research, the researcher has opted for probability sampling to select the participants of the
survey. Simple random sampling technique has been selected and the sample frame for the