Cybercrime Investigators play a key role in the identification and analysis of digital threats. In addition to technical expertise, cybercrime investigation relies on applying social science principles to understand human behavior, societal influences, and cultural context. Professionals in this field must integrate concepts from criminology, psychology, and sociology into their investigative approaches. As cyber threats grow in complexity, cybercrime investigators must rely on social science to interpret behavior, assess risk, and ensure ethical practice in a field that is just as much about people as it is about technical systems.
Cybercrime Investigators face several challenges where social science insight is required. First, identifying the perpetrator behind a cybercrime is not only a technical task, but one complicated by cognitive biases (Horan et al., 2021). Second, maintaining ethical boundaries in surveillance and investigation requires an understanding of societal expectations and public trust. Lastly, rapidly evolving technologies demand that investigators stay informed about shifting digital behaviors, particularly in online subcultures and communities (Horan et al., 2021). These are only a few examples, but it is clear that applying social science to cybercrime investigation is a crucial skill for workers in this growing field.
Another unique challenge Cybercrime Investigators face is understanding how public perception of cyber threats can shape cybersecurity laws and policies. Exposure to cyberattacks influences public support for intrusive cybersecurity laws and policies, such as government surveillance and data collection (Snider et al., 2021). This relates to the concept of threat perception, an important concept in social psychology. As a result, investigators must be careful not to contribute to or allow themselves to be biased by false narratives and negative stereotypes. Furthermore, if investigations are thought to be targeting certain groups or violating privacy, it will damage trust in law enforcement. This is especially important when working with marginalized groups who may face disadvantages with access to digital resources and legal representation.
The relationship between cybercrime investigation and marginalized communities can prove to be challenging ethically. As previously discussed, support for intrusive cybersecurity laws and policies is affected by the general public’s perception of cyber threats (Snider et al., 2021). This can often lead to overreach in surveillance policies and policing of online spaces primarily used by minority groups, which raises concerns about civil liberties and bias in law enforcement. Therefore, investigators must maintain impartiality in their investigations. These complex social challenges highlight the importance of applying social science to cybercrime investigation.
As society evolves, so too must the strategies and frameworks used by investigators. Currently used methods such as digital forensics and open-source intelligence (OSINT) are not only technical tools but methods grounded in social science (Horan et al., 2021). They require interpretive skills and contextual awareness to assess evidence and human behavior effectively. However, they fail to properly include input from cybersecurity professionals. An interdisciplinary approach is required to evolve the field of cybercrime investigation.
One of the most valuable frameworks for integrating social science into criminal investigations is Situational Crime Prevention (SCP). SCP provides a structured strategy to reduce opportunities for crime (Ho et al., 2024). However, the application of SCP to cybercrime is rare at this time. A multi-disciplinary approach to cybercrime prevention can be aided by building an inventory of cybersecurity controls that are mapped to the 25 SCP techniques, creating the proposed SCP-C3 cycle (Ho et al., 2024). This inventory of controls would be created from several industry and government cybersecurity standards and guidelines. This will allow investigators and cybersecurity professionals to better collaborate on the appropriate application of controls when modeling cybercrimes (Ho et al., 2024). Implementing an interdisciplinary approach will allow investigators to not only respond to cybercrime but prevent it.
In conclusion, integrating social science into investigative practices is an essential skill for Cybercrime Investigators. They must understand human behavior, social systems, and ethics in addition to technical systems. Special care must be given not to allow negative stereotypes or bias to influence an investigation, as it may negatively impact minorities and create a negative perception of law enforcement among minority groups. By applying frameworks like SCP and threat perception theory, Cybercrime Investigators can build more effective and equitable strategies to combat cybercrime.
References
Ho, H., Miao, C., Ko, R., Mazerolle, L., & Gilmour, J. (2024). Using Situational Crime Prevention (SCP)-C3 cycle and common inventory of cybersecurity controls from ISO/IEC 27002:2022 to prevent cybercrimes. Journal of Cybersecurity, 10(1), tyae020. https://doi.org/10.1093/cybsec/tyae020
Horan, C., & Saiedian, H. (2021). Cybercrime investigation: Landscape, challenges, and future research directions. Journal of Cybersecurity and Privacy, 1(4), 580–596. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcp1040029
Snider, K. L. G., Canetti, D., Shandler, R., & Zandani, S. (2021). Cyberattacks, cyber threats, and attitudes toward cybersecurity policies. Journal of Cybersecurity, 7(1), tyab019. https://doi.org/10.1093/cybsec/tyab019