Understanding Risk and Risk Perceptions of Cybercrime in Underground Forums

Abstract

Understanding the reasons and the pathways of people becoming involved in cybercrime has been an important topic for research within different disciplines. Studies have explored the pathways of skilled hackers into deviant behaviour with a focus on online gaming, however little research has been conducted around understanding risk perception of cybercrime. This study investigates both surface and dark web forums, focusing on a variety of topics from hacking to gaming. The aim of this study is to a) investigate the ways cybercrime is perceived among different members of underground forums; b) identify whether there is an emotional construct of cybercrime; and c) identify the level of knowledge around behaviours which are considered as cybercrime and are criminalised. The novelty of this study lies in the methodological approach taken to conduct qualitative and quantitative research on large text datasets. Our findings identified hacking as one of the main deviant behaviours. Our analysis shows a general optimistic bias influencing the perception of risk associated with cybercrime as well as a number of risk avoidance strategies.