The Organization of Cyber-Crime

Abstract

In efforts to dissect and describe the various forms of crime organized over computers and cyber-networks, the present paper follows McIntosh’s (as cited in Sheptycki, 2014b) study of the ‘organization of crime’, to likewise develop a discourse on the ‘organization of cybercrime’. Speci cally, the paper describes the organization of piracy, hacking, terrorism, and cryptomarkets, revealing the varying motivations and goals of parties involved. Pro t oriented or idealistic, ephemeral or long lasting, aptitude based or simplistic, the descriptions of the various organizational aspects are intended to provoke academic inquiry that succeeds in weakening descriptions of cybercrime as a uniformly organized activity.The author concludes by offering recommendations based in the organizational contexts of cybercrime to guide policy makers in developing more comprehensible solutions to cyber threats. Particularly, these recommendations surround surveillance, problem de nitions, and technical expertise.