The Network of Online Stolen Data Markets

How Vendor Flows Connect Digital Marketplaces

Bibliographic Data

ID8401753
AuthorsM Ouellet (0000-0003-4442-3374, Georgia State University, corresponding author), David Maimon (0000-0003-1492-2762, Georgia State University), Jordan C Howell (The University of Texas at El Paso), Yubao Wu (0000-0001-9356-8508, Georgia State University)
Year2022
Volume62
Issue6
Pages1518-1536
Publication date2022-10-13
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe British Journal of Criminology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0007-0955 • E-ISSN: 1464-3529
PublisherOxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1093/bjc/azab116
OpenAlexW4226054751
LanguageEN
Citations received11
References cited42

In the face of market uncertainty, illicit actors on the darkweb mitigate risk by displacing their operations across digital marketplaces. In this study, we reconstruct market networks created by vendor displacement to examine how digital marketplaces are connected on the darkweb and identify the properties that drive vendor flows before and after a law enforcement disruption. Findings show that vendors’ movement across digital marketplaces creates a highly connected ecosystem; nearly all markets are directly or indirectly connected. These network characteristics remain stable following a law enforcement operation; prior vendor flows predict vendor movement before and after the interdiction. The findings inform work on collective patterns in offender decision-making and extend discussions of displacement into digital spaces

Business · Computer security · Enforcement · Interdiction · Law enforcement · Vendor · Work (physics) · Computer Science · Crime Patterns and Interventions · Crime, Illicit Activities, and Governance · Cybercrime and Law Enforcement Studies · Engineering · Law · Marketing

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Open DOI