Article 1 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Will Demarest
CYSE 201S \u2013 Cybersecurity and Social Science
Mr. Yalpi
October 2, 2024
Article Review #1 – Dynamics of Dark Web Financial Marketplaces: An Exploratory Study of
Underground Fraud and Scam Business
Summary
The goal of the study was to describe the dark web financial market and scams that occur there.
The findings are scams that target dark web marketplace buyers.
Relation to Principles of Social Science
\uf0b7 Relativism: Due to the advancement of the internet. The dark web has grown, and the
anonymous nature of the cryptocurrencies used have resulted in new forms of crime.
\uf0b7 Objectivity: The study does not promote an opinion about fraud. Instead, it seeks to
understand how fraud works on the dark web. Specifically, \u201c(1) what main products
scammers encourage customers to purchase, (2) how financial market vendors operate
their business, and (3) which marketing strategies are used to scam potential buyers in the
Dark Web financial market.\u201d (Jung, 2022)
\uf0b7 Determinism: the study does not explain why scams work, but it talks about how some
lures used by scammers are more effective than others.
\uf0b7 Parsimony: The study uses the theoretical framework, routine activity theory to explain
the situation fraud occurs.
\uf0b7 Empiricism: Qualitative and quantitative analysis.
\uf0b7 Skepticism: The article doesn\u2019t really address skepticism; the authors want to prove their
conclusions.
\uf0b7 Neutrality: the authors have not harmed the subjects of the study.
Research Questions\/Hypothesis
What are the criminals\u2019 motivational factors, challenges of criminal justice responses, and
criminal operations on the Dark Web financial services. Primarily, the study focuses on
examining target suitability components (Jung et al, 2022)
Methods
The study combined a quantitative and qualitative analysis (i.e., logistic regression) and
qualitative analysis (i.e., thematic analysis). (Jung et al., 2022) Statistical analysis was used to
determine the main factors that encourage consumers to associate illegal trading of financial
goods. The thematic analysis followed six steps: (1) Step 1: Become familiar with the data by
carefully re-reading the entire data; (2) Step 2: Generate initial codes, which are \u201cthe
fundamental building blocks of what will become later themes.\u201d (3) Step 3: Search for themes,
(4) Step 4: Review themes, (5) Step 5: Define themes, and (6) Step 6: Write up. (Jung et al.,
2022)
Types of Data and Analysis
A sample of 117 financial market sites and 31 Escrow sites was used based on listings on the
main Dark Web forums: Hidden Wiki, Onion List, and Dark Web Wiki.
Data from the sites included: type of products, type of cryptocurrency, customer service, and
security.
Concepts from PowerPoint Presentations
Two issues in Social Science Research from the slides are how to select a representative sample
and that the websites being studied might disappear. The article discussed the difficulty of
deciding on a sample size because no one knows how large the Dark Web is. The study also
mentioned \u201ccontinuous fluctuation of IP addresses\u201d (Jung et al., 2022) as a problem.
Part of the study was finding out how scam sites attract victims, and this relates Alexandra
Michel\u2019s phrase \u201cPsyber Security\u201d as well as Burgard and Schlembach\u2019s three stages of fraud,
particularly \u201cgetting hooked on\u201d and \u201cstaying attuned\u201d. The slides also mention optimism bias.
The article does not discuss this specifically, but I think someone going on the Dark Web to buy
illegal items, from someone they don\u2019t know, using a currency that can\u2019t be traced, must think
bad things won\u2019t happen to them.
Marginalized Groups
The article does not directly address any marginalized groups. But someone buying stolen credit
card numbers online might not have a lot of money and could be desperate.
Contributions to Society
The study can help educate the public and be used in training for police. \u201cEnhancing law
enforcement capabilities of investigating financial marketplaces and promoting public awareness
and consumer safety programs are discussed as effective preventive measures.\u201d (Jung et al.,
2022)
Conclusion
The study found that PayPal transfer is a popular product for scammers to use, and cloned cards
are less likely to be scam products. The study also found that if a seller used Monero as its
cryptocurrency, it was more likely to be a scam.
Works Cited
Jung, B. R., Choi, K. & Lee, C. S. (2022). Dynamics of Dark Web Financial Marketplaces: An
Exploratory Study of Underground Fraud and Scam Business. International Journal of
Cybersecurity Intelligence & Cybercrime: 5(2), 4-24. Available at:
https:\/\/doi.org\/10.52306\/XMHN2624 Copyright \u00a9 2022 Bo Ra Jung, Kyung-Shick Choi, and
Claire Seungeun Lee<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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article 2 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Will Demarest
CYSE 201S \u2013 Cybersecurity and Social Science
Mr. Yalpi
November 17, 2024
Article Review #2 – The unpredictability of phishing susceptibility: results from a repeated
measures experiment
Summary
Email phishing attacks are a common way that attackers gain access to computers and
networks. The study found that the nature of the scam (i.e. the story used in the email) is the
most important factor in determining if an individual was susceptible to the phishing attack.
Relation to Principles of Social Science<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Article 1 Will DemarestCYSE 201S \u2013 Cybersecurity and Social ScienceMr. YalpiOctober 2, 2024Article Review #1 – Dynamics of Dark Web Financial Marketplaces: An Exploratory Study ofUnderground Fraud and Scam BusinessSummaryThe goal of the study was to describe the dark web financial market and scams that occur there.The findings are scams that target dark web marketplace… <\/p>\n