Efficient Methods For Preventing Cybercrimes – Proposed Research Work

Impact of Cybercrime on Information Security

Write an essay on the Cyber Crimes.
 

 A Cybercrime can be defined as  any  crime  that involves  any digital equipment, a computing  device to be  very specific, irrespective  of the  fact that  whether a computer system  has been utilized for conducting the crime or   a computer device (or a network) itself has become the victim of any  criminal  activity (Broadhurst et al. 2014). 

 The principle objective of this paper is to provide in depth information about a proposed research   work aimed at finding efficient methods for preventing cybercrimes. The report provides insight   into the problem domain, along with the purpose and justification of conducting the research work. The research questions have also been defied in this paper, along with the research   methods to be utilized in conducting   the research work. Last but not least the estimated duration of the project along, with the work breakdown structure and the risk matrix of the project would also be mentioned in the report.  

2.1 Problem domain

Authors Broadhurst and  Chang  (2013) are  opined that the number of cyber crimes reported  in the last few   years  has  forced  information security experts  to  conduct serious research  woks  in the said domain:   however, the  authors firmly believe that  the  over dependency of  the  Government agencies  and the business organizations  on  information technology tools is the primary  reason behind  the  sudden rise in the number of  cyber crimes.

Researchers Gordon  et al. (2014) are of the opinion   that business organizations   should   consider and develop strategies so as  avoid be being the victims  of  cyber crimes: hence they  have emphasized on the strategies for  the prevention of cybercrime, along  with  the use of digital forensic technologies for the identification of the  sources of such  crimes and the collection of evidences. 

Thus it can be said that the fact that several research works are currently being conducted in the field of cyber crime and prevention indicates the significance of the domain: hence conducting a research project on the said topic is justified. 

The aim of the proposed research work would be   to unveil the reason behind the sudden rise in cyber crime activities in the last couple of  years, such that efforts can be  made towards the prevention of  such incidents.  The researchers  would emphasize  on the motivation  with  which the cyber criminals  launch   such attacks and the sophisticated tools and techniques which aid them  in  the successful conduction  of  cyber crime. Needless to say, the efforts made by the researchers would be directed towards   finding efficient methods for reducing (or completely avoiding) cybercrime activities.

The objectives of the research project in consideration are being enlisted below:

1. To conduct in depth survey of existing literary and scholarly articles so as pinpoint  the motivation  with which cyber crimes are being committed.
2. To identify the reason behind the success of the intrusions that have been reported in the recent past, along with thousands of others that have not been detected.
3. To identify the methods which can be utilized for avoiding cyber crimes in an efficient manner.

The supervisor or the sponsor associated with the project need not recommend the project, as the project has already been approved by the University and is being conducted in accordance to the   norms and regulations of the said authority.

It is expected that  proposed research  would be  successful at  revealing the factors that have influenced the  sudden  rise in the number  of cyber crimes  reported in the last  few years, along  with  the identification of the strategies that  would be helpful in changing the trend.

Strategies for Cybercrime Prevention

The results of the research work would indeed help those business organizations and government offices that have experienced breaches in their secured computer networks. On the other hand, the finding of this project is expected to encourage further research work   in the very same domain.   

Thus, the selection of the research domain is justified.

The   proposed research work would be aimed at finding the solutions of the following research questions:

1. What are the primary motivations of the cybercriminals behind intruding secured computer networks?
2. Why is the success rate of cyber criminals so high and why do cyber crimes get undetected for long periods of time?
3. What methods can be used for avoiding cyber crimes in an efficient manner?

Figure: Conceptual Framework

5.1 Research methods  

The researchers have decided to conduct an exploratory research work, using the post-positivism philosophy. Since the primary objective of the research work is to   identify the   methods that can be utilized in  reducing   the number  of cyber crimes, the selection of the research  methodology  is justified (Robson  & McCartan,  2016) .

5.2 Data collection

Researchers Taylor, Bogdan and DeVault (2015)  are of the opinion that the process of data collection facilitates the process of penetrating into the topic being researched on.  Author Panneerselvam  (2014) has seconded the opinion, besides differentiating all data sources into  the following  two classes:

Primary sources of data: Raw data collected from individuals who are associated with the research domain are considered to be primary data (Blumberg, Cooper & Schindler, 2014).  The researchers would  conduct  interviews  with  IT  security personnel  and  authorities of  organizations that have  experienced cyber crimes in the  past so as    collect data regarding  such attacks.

The researchers would also create questionnaires and post them in public forums so to collect data from other IT professionals willing to participate in the survey. 

Secondary sources of data: Information collected from the existing literary articles would be utilized in  the research work.

5.3 Ethical issues

1. The names and other personal identities of the IT professionals being interviewed would not be released in public.
2. The information collected from the said professional would be utilized for research purpose only (Billig & Waterman, 2014). 
3. The researchers would not influence the IT professionals in any manner whatsoever.

5.4 Compliance of requirements

The research work has to abide by the following rules set up by the University:

1. The researchers would not be able to publish any sensitive information collected during the research work in any public forum (Pickard, 2012).
2. The researchers would not be able to interview any person having past records of conducting cyber crimes.

5.5 Analysis of data

he information collected from the primary sources of data would be analyzed using the under-mentioned techniques:

1. Quantitative analysis: The data collected from the secondary sources of data would be interpreted and analyzed using the following tools (Tuohy et al. 2013):
2. descriptive statistics’
3. regression analysis
4. Qualitative analysis: Qualitative analysis techniques would be utilize to collect the information available from the research papers and other existing literary articles (Salaberry & Comajoan,  2013). 

6.1    Deliverables

The deliverables of the project under consideration are being mentioned in the following list:

1. The project proposal document depicting the aims and objectives of the research study to be conducted, the rationale for selecting the said domain and the information collected during the background study.
2. The estimated time, budget and other resources required to conduct the project successfully.
3. The progress report of the project, submitted in regular intervals.
4. Presentations documenting the significant findings of the research work.
5. A well documented final project report describing the aims and objectives of the project work, the methods and techniques used in conducting  the research work, the  data  collected during the process and  information gained from the process of data analysis, along   with the  all  findings of the research work. 

6.2 Work Breakdown Structure

The activities associated with the project have been identified   in the following Work Breakdown Structure:

Figure: Work Breakdown Structure of the project

6.3 Risk Analysis

The risks associated with the project have been discussed in the table below:

Table:  Risks associated with the project

Risk Domain	Risk description	Probability	Severity	Risk Score (P * S)	Action for managing   or  avoiding risk
Prior Commitments	The group members might not be able to  participate  in the research activities due  to any prior work commitment (Matthews  & Ross,  2014).	4	2	8	Minor changes  might be included in  the  project schedule  such that  the project  is completed within the time committed to the supervisor and/ or the sponsor
Risk associated   with the materials  to be used in research	The research materials required   for conducting the project might not be available at the institute library (Anfara Jr & Mertz, 2014).	4	3	12	The   members of the project  team  should consult with the librarian  regarding   the research materials  that would be  required for conducting the research  work, even before commencing the  research wok,  to check  the availability  of the said  materials.
Risk associated  with the project group	The members of the project group might not be comfortable working with each other.	3	5	15	The project team lead requires to conduct meetings with the other members so as to resolve such issues (Clark & Creswell   2014).
Risk associated  with   research methodology	The selected methodology might not be appropriate for the research work being conducted (Lushey & Munro 2014).	2	2	4	Consultation with the supervisor is necessary before finalizing the methods to be used.
Technological risks	The computing devices being used for the research work might malfunction (Miller et al. 2012).	5	4	20	Backups of research data need to be maintained.

6.4 Duration

The estimated time duration required for the project has been provided in the table below:

Table:  Estimated duration of the project.

Task Mode	Outline Number	Task Name	Duration	Start	Finish	Predecessors
Auto Scheduled	0	Project on Cyber Crimes	120 days	Mon 01-08-16	Fri 13-01-17
Auto Scheduled	1	Project starts	0 days	Mon 01-08-16	Mon 01-08-16
Auto Scheduled	2	Selecting the project topic	13 days	Mon 01-08-16	Wed 17-08-16
Auto Scheduled	2.1	Consideration of all the available project topics	2 days	Mon 01-08-16	Tue 02-08-16	1
Auto Scheduled	2.2	Selecting two or more from the available topics	0.5 days	Wed 03-08-16	Wed 03-08-16	3
Auto Scheduled	2.3	Conducting a brief background study of the topics	10 days	Wed 03-08-16	Wed 17-08-16	4
Auto Scheduled	2.4	Selecting the topic of the project based on the information available from the background study	0.5 days	Wed 17-08-16	Wed 17-08-16	5
Auto Scheduled	2.5	Topic of the project work finalized	0 days	Wed 17-08-16	Wed 17-08-16	6
Auto Scheduled	3	Designing the project proposal	29 days	Thu 18-08-16	Tue 27-09-16
Auto Scheduled	3.1	Considering the aims and objectives of the research work to be conducted	4 days	Thu 18-08-16	Tue 23-08-16	7
Auto Scheduled	3.2	Conducting a brief survey of the existing literary works	5 days	Wed 24-08-16	Tue 30-08-16	9
Auto Scheduled	3.3	Finalizing the research methods to be used in the project	7 days	Wed 31-08-16	Thu 08-09-16	10
Auto Scheduled	3.4	Estimating the time, budget and other resources required for conducting the project	5 days	Fri 09-09-16	Thu 15-09-16	11
Auto Scheduled	3.5	Documenting the project proposal	7 days	Fri 16-09-16	Mon 26-09-16	12
Auto Scheduled	3.6	Submitting the project proposal	0.5 days	Tue 27-09-16	Tue 27-09-16	13
Auto Scheduled	3.7	Approval of project	0.5 days	Tue 27-09-16	Tue 27-09-16	14
Auto Scheduled	3.8	Project Approved	0 days	Tue 27-09-16	Tue 27-09-16	15
Auto Scheduled	4	Conducting the research work	52 days	Wed 28-09-16	Thu 08-12-16
Auto Scheduled	4.1	Conducting an in depth literature review	15 days	Wed 28-09-16	Tue 18-10-16	16
Auto Scheduled	4.2	Data collection	15 days	Wed 19-10-16	Tue 08-11-16
Auto Scheduled	4.2.1	Conducting the primary data collection process	10 days	Wed 19-10-16	Tue 01-11-16	18
Auto Scheduled	4.2.2	Conducting the secondary data collection process	15 days	Wed 19-10-16	Tue 08-11-16	18
Auto Scheduled	4.3	Analyzing and Interpreting the data collected	15 days	Wed 09-11-16	Tue 29-11-16
Auto Scheduled	4.3.1	Conducting the qualitative data analysis process	10 days	Wed 09-11-16	Tue 22-11-16	21,20
Auto Scheduled	4.3.2	Conducting the quantitative data analysis process	15 days	Wed 09-11-16	Tue 29-11-16	20,21
Auto Scheduled	4.4	Arriving at a conclusion	7 days	Wed 30-11-16	Thu 08-12-16	24,23
Auto Scheduled	5	Documenting the findings of the research work	26 days	Fri 09-12-16	Fri 13-01-17
Auto Scheduled	5.1	Presenting the significant findings of the research work to the Sponsor/ Supervisor	3 days	Fri 09-12-16	Tue 13-12-16	25
Auto Scheduled	5.2	Project results approved	1 day	Wed 14-12-16	Wed 14-12-16	27
Auto Scheduled	5.3	Documenting the final project report	20 days	Thu 15-12-16	Wed 11-01-17	28
Auto Scheduled	5.4	Submitting the project report	2 days	Thu 12-01-17	Fri 13-01-17	29
Auto Scheduled	6	Project ends	0 days	Fri 13-01-17	Fri 13-01-17	30

Anfara Jr, V. A., & Mertz, N. T. (Eds.). (2014). Theoretical frameworks in qualitative research. Sage Publications.

Billig, S. H., & Waterman, A. S. (Eds.). (2014). Studying service-learning: Innovations in education research methodology. Routledge.

Blumberg, B. F., Cooper, D. R., & Schindler, P. S. (2014). Business research methods. McGraw-hill education.

Broadhurst, R., & Chang, L. Y. (2013). Cybercrime in Asia: trends and challenges. In Handbook of Asian criminology (pp. 49-63). Springer New York.

Broadhurst, R., Grabosky, P., Alazab, M., Bouhours, B., & Chon, S. (2014). An Analysis of the Nature of Groups Engaged in Cyber Crime. An Analysis of the Nature of Groups engaged in Cyber Crime, International Journal of Cyber Criminology, 8(1), 1-20.

Clark, V. L. P., & Creswell, J. W. (2014). Understanding research: A consumer’s guide. Pearson Higher Ed.

Gordon, G. R., Hosmer, C. D., Siedsma, C., & Rebovich, D. (2014). Assessing technology, methods, and information for committing and combating cyber crime.

Lushey, C. J., & Munro, E. R. (2014). Participatory peer research methodology: An effective method for obtaining young people’s perspectives on transitions from care to adulthood?. Qualitative Social Work, 1473325014559282.

2.2 Purpose and justification