PROJECT
A free, democratic and open EU provides endless opportunities for its people. However, growth is not without risk, especially in cyberspace, in the ubiquity of connected devices and rapid technological change. Criminality is also adapting, seeking opportunity and taking on new forms. The CC-DRIVER project seeks to understand the drivers of cybercriminality and researches methods to prevent, investigate and mitigate cybercriminal behaviour.
APPROACH
Cybercriminality is now ubiquitous. New criminality platforms and a booming cybercrime economy have reportedly resulted in $1.5 trillion in illicit profits acquired, laundered, spent, and reinvested by cybercriminals. This escalation is the result of new forms of cybercriminality; it no longer requires sophisticated or carefully planned operations to break into IT systems. Moreover, the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) is vastly expanding the attack surface of the global digital infrastructure.
Paradoxically, younger generations of users are more digitally savvy, but can be even more complacent about cybersecurity. And they are not just victims of cybercrime; they are also at risk in terms of entering into cybercrime, from cyber risk-taking to cyber juvenile delinquency.
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Thus, in a collective effort to combat cybercrime, we urgently need to understand the technical and human factors that determine cybercriminal behaviours, especially as to the young people. To that end, we use a multidisciplinary approach and includes the following scientific domains:
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psychology
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criminology
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anthropology
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neurobiology
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cyberpsychology
AIMS
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Investigating the modalities of how "cybercrime-as-a-service" is offered and connections with different criminal activities and developing tools for LEAs that take into account these modalities. This will help prevent and/or mitigate the impact of criminal acts and assist the understanding of trends, thereby enabling prevention and law enforcement.​​​
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Investigating, identifying, and explaining drivers of new forms of cybercriminality. We specifically focus on understanding human factors that determine criminal behaviours, online disinhibition, and youth decision-making processes.​ ​​
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Creating an online questionnaire that young people and organisations can use to assess their vulnerability to cybercrime: We will create an online assessment/awareness/educational tool for youths, a parent/caregiver/educator/other stakeholders "Pathways to Cybercrime" checklist (PCC) which will indicate youth behaviours or attitudes that may facilitate cybercriminality. We will also develop a self-assessment questionnaire for SMEs, civil society organisations, and others can use to check their vulnerability to cybercrime attacks.
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Supporting the EU Security Union by developing policy responses for Member States to assist harmonisation in tackling cybercrime.
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Maintaining European societal values, fundamental rights, and applicable legislation within the proposed work
OUTCOMES
Surveys
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study of the drivers of cyber juvenile delinquency and criminality
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landscape study of cybercrime-as-a-service
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Tools
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LEA toolkit to (1) monitor evolving threats in cyberspace and detect trends in cybercriminality, (2) investigate cybercriminal attacks, and (3) prevent or counter existing and emerging cybercriminal operations
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toolkit for harmonised policy responses to cybercriminality
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Assessments
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Youth Self-Assessment Metric (YSM) "Cyberexpert or Cybercriminal"
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"Pathways into Cybercrime" checklist (PCC) for parents, caregivers, and educators
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online vulnerability self-assessment questionnaire for SMEs, CSOs, and think-tanks
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Further outcomes
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exchange of experiences among EU LEAs
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strategy for developing new cyber behavioural models