Data Thieves in Action

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-ix

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2. Introduction

   • Thomas J. Holt, Olga Smirnova, Yi-Ting Chua

   Pages 1-18

3. The Marketing and Sales of Stolen Data

   • Thomas J. Holt, Olga Smirnova, Yi-Ting Chua

   Pages 19-43

4. The Economic Impact of Stolen Data Markets

   • Thomas J. Holt, Olga Smirnova, Yi-Ting Chua

   Pages 45-72

5. The Social Organization of Actors in Stolen Data Markets

   • Thomas J. Holt, Olga Smirnova, Yi-Ting Chua

   Pages 73-95

6. Visualizing the Networks of Economic Transactions and Ads in Stolen Data Markets

   • Thomas J. Holt, Olga Smirnova, Yi-Ting Chua

   Pages 97-131

7. Implications and Conclusions

   • Thomas J. Holt, Olga Smirnova, Yi-Ting Chua

   Pages 133-154

8. Back Matter

   Pages 155-157

   PDF

This book examines the practices of cybercriminals who steal and sell personal information acquired through various means, including mass data breaches, to engage in cybercrime and fraud. Using data from multiple English and Russian language web forums, the authors identify the range of products sold in these active on-line marketplaces and the prospective profits earned by these actors. 

The social organization of these markets is analysed using sociological theory to understand the sophistication of the markets. Social network analyses of the relational networks of participants are also utilised to examine their sophistication and structure. In doing so, this work will contribute to the development of cybercrime studies, and will appeal to both social and computer scientists alike with an interest in the human aspects of cybercrime.

• Cybercrime
• Forums
• data theft
• hacking
• data breach
• identity theft
• identity crime
• phishing
• fraud
• credit card fraud
• malware
• criminology
• Criminal Justice
• Policing
• Social networks
• information

• Michigan State University, East Lansing, USA

  Thomas J. Holt, Yi-Ting Chua

• East Carolina University, Greenville, USA

  Olga Smirnova

Thomas Holt is an Associate Professor in the School of Criminal Justice, Michigan State University, USA. He has published extensively on cybercrime and cyberterror, and has received multiple grants from the National Institute of Justice and the National Science Foundation to examine malware writers, data thieves, and hackers using on-line data. 


Olga Smirnova is an Assistant Professor at the MPA program, Political Science Department, East Carolina University, USA. Her research interests include social networks, institutional stability, economic development, performance measurement, and visualizations of complex systems. She teaches various courses at graduate and undergraduate levels, including economic development, public budgeting, and professional papers. 


Yi Ting Chua is a PhD student in the School of Criminal Justice, Michigan State University, USA. Although gender and criminal justice systems have been her primary interests, she is also interested in how policing, domestic violence, and comparative criminal justice interact with the dynamics between gender and criminal justice.

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