Cybercrime risks in Cross-Border Investment contracts

Raegan Adgerson
School of Cybersecurity, Old Dominion University
CYSE 201S: Cybersecurity and Social Sciences
Diwakar Yalpi
February 26, 2026

BLUF: This article claims that the laws that we have in place are made for a physical world and not a digital one. Effectively, the author argues that laws are struggling to keep up with cybersecurity as a national and international issue. Treating cybersecurity as a primary legal issue is an obligation.

Connection to Social Science Principles

This article is connected to the social science principles in many ways. Particularly, relativism, the article demonstrates this with the shift from blockchain to smart contracts due to the technological shift. This was a necessary evolution as digital contracting mechanisms gained more momentum than the former. Digital contracting provided more authentication, integrity, and had fewer delays because of paper-based processing (Albaheth , 2025).

There is also a relation to parsimony in this article, which explains how cybercrime is borderless in a simplistic manner. The simple explanation allowed the author to go into more detail about international standards and legal expectations. The article also explains the relevance of cybercrime objectives to commercial law by examining the relationship between contracts and data security requirements (Goswami & Khan, 2025).

Research Question /Hypothesis/ Independent Variable/Dependent Variable

The research question is how international legal frameworks do not address the risks posed by cybercrime in cross-border investment contracts. The author hypothesizes that if treaties, contracts, and laws are updated to include cybersecurity. The vulnerability across borders will decrease.

The independent variable is the legal and regulatory framework. The dependent variable is the integrity and the security of investment contracts. Types of Research Methods used: This article uses a qualitative method. It involves reviewing current international treaties and analyzing commercial and investment laws. This article uses a case study method to examine digital breaches and the legal fallout afterwards. This is the author identifying patterns of the law’s failure in real scenarios.

Types of Data Analysis used

This study uses data that comes from legal statutes, international treaty texts, and documented cyber-attacks and the financial fallout after. All of that is secondary qualitative data. The author analyzes the financial losses and the failure to remedy these cases because of the law. This emphasizes how behind the laws are for cybersecurity.

Connections to other Course Concepts

In this article, the author connects back to many concepts in the social sciences. Specifically connects case studies to the actual article. The author uses a specific case study method to examine digital breaches. This is something the class learned in module 1. The author uses social sciences to explain a discrepancy between law and cybersecurity.

Connections to the Concerns or Contributions of Marginalized Groups

Investors and small-scale businesses in marginalized countries or developing nations often lack the financial capital to implement cybersecurity measures. The article describes how these countries are at a higher risk of loss because of current laws. The author is asking for a better legal system internationally to give vulnerable countries a chance.

Overall societal contributions of the study/Conclusion

In conclusion, the author provides a telling argument. Our legal systems must evolve to survive our current digital age. By having international laws and a legal framework, society can better protect international investments from digital threats. This review understands that cybersecurity is a much larger field and a pillar of the social sciences.