Cybercrime Criminology

The study of offending, victimization, criminal opportunities, social behavior, and prevention in digital environments.

Crime that requires information and communications technology to exist, such as unauthorized system intrusion or malware attacks.

A traditional type of crime whose scale, reach, or execution is facilitated by digital technology, such as online fraud.

Cyber-dependent offenses require digital systems, while cyber-enabled offenses can exist offline but are facilitated by technology.

The interconnected digital environment in which communication, information processing, economic activity, and social interaction occur.

The tendency for some individuals to behave more openly, aggressively, or impulsively online than they would in face-to-face interactions.

John Suler.

Online behavior involving hostility, threats, harassment, or other harmful conduct facilitated by reduced social restraint.

Greater willingness to disclose feelings, seek help, or express oneself constructively in online settings.

A person's belief that online actions cannot readily be linked to their real-world identity.

Digital activity may leave technical, transactional, behavioral, or other evidence capable of linking actions to individuals.

Online offending opportunities may arise when motivated offenders encounter accessible targets without effective protective controls.

Technical, organizational, or human safeguards that reduce opportunities for cyber victimization.

A deceptive attempt to obtain information, credentials, money, or access by impersonating a trustworthy source.

A phishing attempt tailored to a particular person, organization, or group using relevant information to increase credibility.

Manipulating people through deception or psychological influence to obtain information, access, money, or other advantages.

A fraud scheme in which offenders impersonate or compromise business communications to induce unauthorized payments or disclosures.

Unauthorized control of another person's online account, commonly used for fraud, impersonation, or further unauthorized activity.

The unauthorized acquisition or use of another person's identifying information for fraudulent or otherwise unlawful purposes.

The deceptive use of identifying information or a false identity to obtain benefits, access, money, or other advantages.

An automated or repeated attempt to access accounts using username-password combinations obtained from previous compromises.

Software intentionally designed to compromise, disrupt, damage, or obtain unauthorized access to systems or data.

Malicious software or an associated attack that restricts access to systems or data and demands payment or another concession.

A network of compromised devices controlled or coordinated to perform activities such as spam distribution or disruptive attacks.

An attempt to disrupt a service by overwhelming it with traffic or requests from multiple sources.

Repeated or otherwise serious harmful behavior conducted through digital communication, such as harassment, humiliation, or intimidation.

A pattern of unwanted monitoring, contact, threats, or harassment using digital means that may cause fear or distress.

The disclosure or dissemination of identifying or private information about a person, often without consent and sometimes to facilitate harassment.

A process in which an offender builds or manipulates a relationship with a child or vulnerable person to facilitate exploitation or abuse.

Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children.

Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials.

The Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children and Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials Act.

Republic Act No. 10175, the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.

Accessing the whole or any part of a computer system without right.

Interception by technical means, without right, of nonpublic transmissions of computer data as specified by law.

Intentional or reckless alteration, damaging, deletion, or deterioration of computer data, electronic documents, or electronic data messages without right, including introduction or transmission of viruses.

Intentional alteration or reckless hindering or interference with the functioning of a computer or computer network by inputting, transmitting, damaging, deleting, deteriorating, altering, or suppressing computer data or programs without right.

Unauthorized or fraudulent manipulation of computer data or system functioning with fraudulent intent and resulting damage, as defined by the statute.

Intentional acquisition, use, misuse, transfer, possession, alteration, or deletion of identifying information belonging to another without right, as specified by law.

Bad-faith acquisition of a domain name to profit, mislead, destroy reputation, or prevent registration by the rightful person or entity, under the statutory conditions.

The law creating the Philippine Department of Information and Communications Technology.

The Data Privacy Act of 2012, establishing protections for personal information and creating the National Privacy Commission.

The Philippine regulatory body responsible for administering and enforcing the Data Privacy Act and related privacy protections.

The process of notifying appropriate authorities or service providers about suspected digital offenses while preserving relevant information.

It may support containment, preservation of relevant records, recovery measures, and timely investigation.

Unauthorized access and account takeover, with possible identity theft or fraud depending on the conduct and evidence.

Business email compromise involving social engineering and payment fraud.

A distributed denial-of-service attack, potentially conducted through a botnet.

Online grooming, with potential offenses under applicable child protection laws.

Mass phishing.

Reduce opportunities for offending through effective digital safeguards, informed user behavior, institutional accountability, and lawful enforcement.