Article Reviewed:
https://cybercrimejournal.com/menuscript/index.php/cybercrimejournal/article/view/89/26
Topic: Designing Predictive Models for Cybercrime Investigation in Iraq
Cultural implications within a cybersecurity, cybercrime, or cyber victimization setting have always interested me as the different societal effects that lead to new understandings within a familiar field is a learning opportunity I often enjoy seeking out. For this article, the appeal of Iraq investigations into cybercrime was something I found great interest in, as that specific area of the world is not one I hear cyber news from too often. What immediately captured my attention within this article was the declared use of predictive models that would be used as the leading determinate of incoming crimes or instances of victimization, as that idea while something I am familiar with, is not something I often view as having an immediate, measurable ability to display potential, or active crimes. Regardless with a new perspective on the topic I viewed this article as one that I would be able to gather a lot from.
The general proposed question of the article and overall research comes from the use of predictive analysis techniques used to determine end-results of cybercrime events through the use of malware, artificial intelligence, and machine learning tactics. The idea comes from instances of financial fraud where predictive analysis was able to be used to determine whether or not a customer was going to commit fraud based on an extensive set of variables or personal qualities that individuals observing the instance were able to notice. Instances of predictive analysis involving cybercrime is no different, as the factors in place all often have the potential to lead to an attack of some type, forming an observational relationship of looking out for numerous tells such as behavior or technologies implemented in hopes of being able to detect a cyberattack before it takes place. While the article covers numerous technological applications and techniques, the authors also take time to explain the Iraqi government’s new found position within the world of cybersecurity, specifically noting that while their government did not immediately see it as a national security concern, the influx of cyberattacks around the world region caused them to view it more seriously. The social implications of understanding how a foreign government approaches and deals with things I both study and experience from my government at home was an incredibly interesting concept to me. Within an interdisciplinary field such as cybersecurity, the applications of different cultures and ideas is vital in excelling, this article only reinforced that. The article extends into a large literature review portion, something that goes onto discuss their methods and proposed approaches to dealing with cybercrime as previously covered. An article containing a research styled analysis method to me is sometimes more informative than blanketed data and experiments as the gathered accounts of the same topic are able to form one larger idea that I find myself gathering more from. While the authors did not direct any immediate experiments, their gathered sources outlined the general approach they wish to achieve, a process involving mostly predictive analysis and better cybersecurity literacy.
While this article does not cover any hard hitting experiments or list extensive data, it does a great job at presenting the research side of cybersecurity through an interdisciplinary lens concerning aspects of political science and sociology. To me, this connects to our class as perspectives from different specialties within cybersecurity has become an emphasized point of understanding the more technical concepts. As for societal implications I believe this article is a great example of why it is important to explore ideas and concepts from other cultures, especially ones that come with a fixated world view. Far too many Americans still view individuals residing or migrating from the middle east to be dangerous or untrustworthy, however, having the opportunity to explore work from those cultures showcase that despite personal bias we do not think differently at all. Articles and research like this bring humanity to connect on a greater level through shared knowledge and progress, and for the people of Iraq who historically have been through a lot, it is important to view their progress in the same way we view ours.