The role of spam in cybercrime: Data from the Australian cybercrime pilot observatory

Abstract

The use of the Internet for the purpose of crime is a rapidly growing phenomenon that requires a proactive and coordinated response (UNODC 2013). Cybercriminals increasingly use sophisticated tools and methods to distribute a wide range of malicious content, often combining deceptive �social engineering� tricks with spam emails, hosting of phishing sites, and identity theft (Smith and Hutchings 2014). Unsolicited bulk, mass emails, or �spam,� pose a global challenge because this remains a major vector for the dissemination of malware.