Article Review 1
Developing and Evaluating Cybersecurity Behavior Tools for College Students
Article Review #1
Michaela Payne
Old Dominion University
CYSE201S
Professor Yalpi
February 20, 2025
Introduction
Technology has and is continuing to improve as time goes on. This “digital world” has made it possible for easy access to information from various sources, but it has also made it possible for cyber criminals to do their immoral deeds. So, it is important for many to be aware of the cyber threats that are lurking online and how to avoid them.
The article “Development and Evaluation on Cybersecurity Behaviour Measurement Instruments for Undergraduate Students” (Ngamcharoen, 2024) discusses and analyzes the knowledge of undergraduate students’ on cybercrime, their awareness of cybercrimes, and how they protect themselves against these cyber threats using the G*Power tool. The researchers in this article hypothesize that “Undergraduate students are particularly vulnerable to online fraud” more than older individuals because of their frequent technology usage and because of Problematic Internet Use (PIU), “characterised by difficulties in controlling internet usage and resulting in stress”.
Methods
The authors of this article use item quality testing (assesses the quality of a product), exploratory factor analysis (used to identify underlying relationships between variables by grouping them into factors), and second-order factor analysis (builds on the results from the first analysis) for their research. Many participants took part in this experiment ranging from low GPAs to high GPAs, different academic years, different university types, different genders, etc.
Principles of Social Sciences
The Principles of the Social Sciences focus on different ways to study human behavior to understand why humans behave in a certain way, what influences their actions, etc. This research topic relates to the social sciences because it is experimenting with the hypothesis that undergraduate students between the ages of 18-24 are more vulnerable to cybercrime by conducting various experiments on students of different backgrounds, living environments, and GPAs. This can relate to principles such as relativism, empiricism, and even determinism.
Relation to PowerPoint Concepts
The concepts of the PowerPoints we have reviewed in class discuss different types of research methods, psychological factors, and human factors related to cybersecurity and cybercrimes, to name a few. The research done in this article makes use of research methods like experiments and multi-method research because of the three different types of research methods used. This research examines various human factors, psychological factors, and Maslow’s Hierarchy and how it relates to young adults and cyber behaviors.
Conclusion
Overall, this study confirms that the G*Power tool was accurate regarding the hypotheses about undergraduate students and their cybersecurity behaviors. This study contributes significant information to society about cybersecurity awareness, better measurement tools that assess cybersecurity practices, and protection against cyber threats as a whole.
References
Ngamcharoen, P., et al. (2024). Development and Evaluation on Cybersecurity Behaviour Measurment Instruments for Undergraduate Students. International Journal of Cyber Criminology, 1-18. https://cybercrimejournal.com/menuscript/index.php/cybercrimejournal/article/view/351/103
Article Review 2
Investigating AI-based Cybercrimes
Article Review #2
Michaela L. Payne
Old Dominion University
CYSE201S
Professor Yalpi
April 12th, 2025
Introduction
Artificial intelligence, also known as AI, is a technology that allows machines/computers to perform tasks that would usually require human intelligence. This technology has been beneficial to many businesses, improving work efficiency and overall boosting the performance of these businesses (Haan, 2023). But with this advantage also comes a disadvantage. There are criminals who exploit AI to commit cybercrimes and bring about cyber victimization. With the spread of awareness, the levels of AI cyber victimization could be lowered, allowing the positive side of AI to flourish.
In the article “Investigating the Intersection of AI and Cybercrime: Risks, Trends, and Countermeasures” (Shetty et al., 2024), the researchers assess trends and potential risks of AI-powered cybercrimes and explain ways these cybercrimes can be mitigated with the spread of awareness. While there is no explicit hypothesis mentioned in the article, the study does aim to answer three research questions: “How is information involving malicious use of AI distributed and used on both the dark web and the clear web, and what are the mechanisms for its transfer between these domains?”, “What role does media dissemination play in the spread of AI-facilitated cybercrime?”, and “How can individual cyber hygiene practices be improved to reduce the risks associated with AI-based threats?”
Relation to Principles of the Social Sciences
The principles of the social sciences, when applied to cybersecurity, can view cybersecurity through a social framework. So, the principles of the social sciences can help researchers see the behavioral, psychological, and other ways of cybersecurity and technology. This study aims to find out why and the different ways individuals exploit AI to commit cybercrimes, so, in the context of this study, principles such as determinism, relativism, and even empiricism can relate to this.
Methods
The researchers in this article used quantitative and qualitative approaches to examine the usage of AI in cybercrimes across the clear and dark web. The quantitative research provided insight into AI-generated prompts, and the qualitative research provided information on legal , technical, and policy solutions needed to address the findings from the quantitative research.
Data and Analyses
For the quantitative process, this study retrieved data through the TOR (The Onion Router), which is a free, open-source browser that can encrypt web traffic. The researchers collected 102 prompts that contained malicious use of AI across the clear and dark web. Then each prompt was recorded with details about the software used for input, and screenshots of the prompts were included as part of the data collection process. The researchers examined the online forums where AI-generated prompts for malicious activities were discussed, and it was observed that while most of the discussions were in English, there were some in other languages, such as Russian and Portuguese, which proves that cybercrime is a global issue.
For the qualitative process, there were interviews held with experts in cybercrime, cybersecurity, and criminal justice. In the interviews, the individuals gave their insights in answering research questions 2 and 3 about AI’s role in the media, policy implications, and cyber hygiene. Their knowledge provided a balanced view, helpful for addressing AI in this particular study.
Relation to PowerPoint Concepts
This study relates to several of the powerpoints that we have discussed in class. The PowerPoints that stick out the most are modules 3, 9, and 11. Module 3 covers the various research methods used to study cybersecurity-related scenarios, and in this study, research methods such as experiments and quantitative and qualitative studies were utilized. In module 9, cybersecurity subcultures are discussed, and subcultures like the cybercriminal subculture relate to this study because this study observed the exchanges between individuals involving malicious AI activities, and in the cybercriminal subculture, cybercriminals work as “teams” and can easily communicate with each other online. Lastly, in module 11 there are economic theories mentioned and their relation to cybercrimes. Theories like the Marxian theory relate to this study because individuals who exploit AI and use it for malicious reasons can be considered “powerful” and are taking advantage of those with less/no power.
Relation to Challenges of Marginalized Groups
Marginalized groups such as individuals with disabilities, minorities, women, or immigrants are more vulnerable and targeted in cybercrimes. So, regarding this study, the actions of these individuals using AI maliciously could be to take advantage of marginalized groups compared to non-marginalized groups. Which is why cybercrime awareness is important among all communities.
Overall Contributions to Society
Overall, this study is contributing to society in a very positive way. There is little research done on AI and its usage in cybercrime compared to other types of cybercrimes. This study helps bring light on situations like this and provide background knowledge on why or how these cybercriminals are engaging in these activities and how to reduce one’s risk to AI-based threats later in the study.
References
Haan, K. (2024, October 16). 22 Top AI statistics and Trends. Forbes. Retrieved April 9, 2025, from https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/ai-statistics/
Shetty, S., Choi, K., & Park, I. (2024). Investigating the intersection of AI and cybercrime: risks, trends, and countermeasures. International Journal of Cybersecurity Intelligence and Cybercrime, 7(2). https://doi.org/10.52306/2578-3289.1187