See No Evil, Hear No Evil? Dissecting the Impact of Online Hacker Forums

2019 | Management Information Systems Quarterly | Citations: 26

Authors: Yue, Wei T.; Qiu-Hong Wang; Kai-Lung Hui

Abstract: Online hacker forums offer a prominent avenue for sharing hacking knowledge. Usi ... Expand

Abstract: Online hacker forums offer a prominent avenue for sharing hacking knowledge. Using a field dataset culled from multiple sources, we find that online discussion of distributed denial of service (DDOS) attacks in hackforums.net decreases the number of DDOS-attack victims. A 1% increase in discussion decreases DDOS attacks by 0.032% to 0.122%. This means that two DDOS-attack posts per day could reduce the number of victims by 700 to 2,600 per day. We find that discussion topics with similar keywords can variously increase or decrease DDOS attacks, meaning we cannot ascertain the impact of the discussion just by the post nature. Mentioning botnets, especially new botnets, increases the attacks, but the follow-up discussion decreases the attacks. Our results suggest that online-hacker-forum discussion may exhibit the dual-use characteristic. That is, it can be used for both good and bad purposes. We draw related managerial implications. Collapse

Topics: denial of service attack internet technology computer virus Python open source

Methods: term frequency–inverse document frequency latent dirichlet allocation forums posting qualitative content analysis topic model

Supply-Side Network Effects and the Development of Information Technology Standards

2017 | Management Information Systems Quarterly | Citations: 0

Authors: Uotila, Juha; Keil, Thomas; Maula, Markku

Abstract: Standards are central to many information technology (IT) applications, and the ... Expand

Abstract: Standards are central to many information technology (IT) applications, and the development processes for these standards play a key role in the evolution of information systems (IS). We model the development of IT standards by technology suppliers as a coevolutionary technological search process under supply-side network effects, and we examine how the characteristics of the standards development process influence its outcomes. In line with common intuition and prior research, we find that perfect coordination among suppliers generally facilitates convergence on the best available standard. However, for complex IT standards, we make a novel contribution and find that this “best available” standard may be inferior to alternative, undiscovered solutions because coordination may lead to an overly narrow search. Consistent with prior research, we also find that either highly influential organizations or highly influential alliances and consortia can coordinate standard selection in order to prevent network effects from generating lock-in to an inferior option and to help set the best of the known alternatives as the standard. However, in contrast to the previous literature, we find that when coordination is imperfect and controlled by a moderately influential organization or consortium, it may lead to a technological lock-in dynamic in which suppliers adhere to an inferior solution and are subsequently unable to reverse this commitment, even when a technologically superior alternative emerges later in the search process. Further, we reveal the following paradox involving intellectual property rights (IPR) and related imitation costs: Although imitation costs can lead to the emergence of multiple standards, thereby reducing social welfare in the short term, this effect may have long-term benefits by broadening the search for future generations of a standard. Collapse

Topics: network effect information systems standardization IS economics economic surplus technology adoption

Methods: simulation longitudinal research computational algorithm case study literature study

A Comparative Analysis of Univariate Time Series Methods for Estimating and Forecasting Daily Spam in United States

2016 | Americas Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Zhang, Jie; Lee, Gene; Wang, Jingguo

Abstract: Spam has been one of the most difficult problems to be addressed since the inven ... Expand

Abstract: Spam has been one of the most difficult problems to be addressed since the invention of Internet. Outbound spam can reflect the information security level of an organization as most spam emails are generated by compromised computers. Understanding the trend of outbound spam can help organizations adopt proactive policies and measures toward a more informed decision on resource allocation in terms of security investment. This can also facilitate governments in designing incentive mechanisms such as cyber insurance. Using three years of daily spam volume from the United States, this research investigates the distribution of daily volume and compare univariate time series methods for forecasting. The methods explored include various exponential smoothing methods, auto-regressive integrated moving average (ARIMA), and neutral network auto-regressive (NNAR) modeling. Our evaluation of multiple univariate time series models suggests that Holt’s linear trend models based on exponential smoothing and neural network modeling can lead to more accurate spam prediction. The conclusion and implications are discussed. Collapse

Topics: email spam denial of service attack spamming computer crime electronic mail

Methods: time series analysis longitudinal research artificial neural network autoregressive integrated moving average descriptive statistic

Building a Theory of Socio-technical Fraud

2016 | Americas Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Samonas, Spyridon

Abstract: In the last decade, there has been an unprecedented global adoption of informati ... Expand

Abstract: In the last decade, there has been an unprecedented global adoption of information and communication technologies. While developed countries are more attractive targets and suffer significantly higher losses to cyber-crime as a percentage of their Gross Domestic Product, developing and least-developed countries countries are more vulnerable. Phone-based scams such as phreaking and caller identity spoofing are instances of cyber-fraud, theft and forgery that are very widespread in these countries. Interestingly, deception is at the heart of these cyber-crimes. This paper acknowledges the extant literature on deception detection and the contribution of the related theories of deception, but proposes the development of a theory that treats cyber-deception and fraud as fundamentally socio-technical phenomena. Drawing on Humanities and the socio-anthropological concept of ‘cunning intelligence’, we aim to develop an explanatory lens of fraud that can be applied to different types of cyber-crime. Collapse

Topics: trojan horse computer crime phishing deception detection

Methods: theory development

Differential Effects of Prior Experience on the Malware Resolution Process

2014 | Management Information Systems Quarterly | Citations: 0

Authors: Seung Hyun Kim; Byung Cho Kim

Abstract: Despite growing interest in the economic and policy aspects of information secur ... Expand

Abstract: Despite growing interest in the economic and policy aspects of information security, little academic research has used field data to examine the development process of a security countermeasure provider. In this paper, we empirically examine the learning process a security software developer undergoes in resolving a malware problem. Using the data collected from a leading antivirus software company in Asia, we study the differential effects of experience on the malware resolution process. Our findings reveal that general knowledge from cross-family experience has greater impact than specific knowledge from within-family experience on performance in the malware resolution process. We also examine the factors that drive the differential effects of prior experience. Interestingly, our data show that cross-family experience is more effective than within-family experience in malware resolution when malware targets the general public than when a specific victim is targeted. Similar results—for example, the higher (lower) effect of cross-family (within-family) experience— were observed in the presence of information sharing among software vendors or during a disruption caused by a catastrophe. Our study contributes to a better understanding of the specific expertise required for security countermeasure providers to be able to respond under varying conditions to fast-evolving malware. Collapse

Topics: malware computer virus protection data security website systems development

Methods: survival analysis Wald test data modeling robustness check regression analysis method

Enabling a Kleinian integration of interpretivist and socio-critical IS research: the contribution of Dooyeweerd's philosophy

2011 | European Journal of Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Basden, Andrew

Abstract: This paper suggests how interpretivist, socio-critical and positivist approaches ... Expand

Abstract: This paper suggests how interpretivist, socio-critical and positivist approaches in information systems (IS) research might be integrated. Heinz Klein's approach to IS was a significant advance on earlier ones, bringing together a number of issues discussed in interpretivist and socio-critical circles, with philosophical groundings. He believed IS research would benefit from integration of interpretivist and socio-critical approaches, but found no philosophical grounding for this. Interpretivism's reluctance to consider normativity might be a ‘Trojan horse’ that undermines integration. This paper employs Dooyeweerd's philosophy to expose and expel the Trojan horse and sketch how a philosophically grounded integration of interpretivist, socio-critical and even positivist approaches might proceed. Collapse

Topics: trojan horse sensemaking

The Deterrent and Displacement Effects of Information Security Enforcement: International Evidence

2008 | Journal of Management Information Systems | Citations: 42

Authors: Png, Ivan P. L.; Wang, Chen-Yu; Wang, Qiu-Hong

Abstract: We adapt the event study methodology from research in financial economics to stu ... Expand

Abstract: We adapt the event study methodology from research in financial economics to study the impact of government enforcement and economic opportunities on information security attacks. We found limited evidence that domestic enforcement deters attacks within the country. However, we found compelling evidence of a displacement effect: U. S. enforcement substantially increases attacks originating from other countries. We also found strong evidence that attackers are economically motivated in that the number of attacks is increasing in the U. S. unemployment rate. Our findings were robust to differences in the effective time window of enforcement and the measurement of vulnerabilities. Collapse

Topics: IT security threat internet technology database system data security criminality

Methods: longitudinal research event study autocorrelation analysis ordinary least square time series analysis

The Hospitality Metaphor as a theoretical lens for understanding the ICT adoption process

2006 | Journal of Information Technology | Citations: 11

Authors: Saccol, Amarolinda Zanela; Reinhard, Nicolau

Abstract: The Hospitality Metaphor proposed by Ciborra represents an alternative view to t ... Expand

Abstract: The Hospitality Metaphor proposed by Ciborra represents an alternative view to the traditional models that describe the process of adopting information and communication technologies (ICT). This Metaphor helps us in considering social, behavioral and existential elements related to the adoption process, offering a critical and dialectical view of it. In this paper, we review the philosophical and methodological basis of this Metaphor and its main statements. We also apply it in analyzing a case of mobile ICT adoption. The application of the Hospitality Metaphor enables a clear understanding of this process as an incremental and open one in which social, existential and 'mundane' issues play a major role, and where technology reveals its dubious character, leading to unplanned results. Collapse

Topics: mobile system technology adoption information system use smartphone ease of use

Methods: qualitative interview case study

Theories: technology acceptance model

The Ethical and Legal Concerns of Spyware

2005 | Information Systems Management | Citations: 11

Authors: Sipior, Janice C.; Ward, Burke T.; Roselli, Georgina R.

Abstract: Computer users are threatened by stealth invaders, in the form of spyware, which ... Expand

Abstract: Computer users are threatened by stealth invaders, in the form of spyware, which gather users' personal information for target marketing purposes, but can also disrupt the operation of the computer. This article examines the ethical and legal controversy within the United States surrounding spyware. the various methods of battling spyware, including approaches by individual users, organizations, and government oversight, legislation, and litigation, are discussed. Collapse

Topics: spyware search engine trojan horse

Empirical Test of a Hacking Model: An Exploratory Study

2004 | Communications of the Association for Information Systems | Citations: 2

Authors: Bento, Al; Bento, Regina

Abstract: This exploratory study is an empirical test of a model of the activities involve ... Expand

Abstract: This exploratory study is an empirical test of a model of the activities involved in hacking attacks, and the conditions associated with the increase in these activities. In a methodological innovation, the variables in the model were measured using non-reactive, secondary data obtained from sixty months of official statistical data, from 1999 through 2003. These variables were analyzed using stepwise regression. The results obtained support several of the model predictions. Collapse

Topics: internet technology IT security threat denial of service attack trojan horse IT security

Methods: descriptive statistic government statistic statistical hypothesis test