Assessing the Macro-level Correlates of Malware Infections Using a Routine Activities Framework
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-1-2016
Publication Title
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology
DOI
10.1177/0306624X16679162
Abstract
The ability to gain unauthorized access to computer systems to engage in espionage and data theft poses a massive threat to individuals worldwide. There has been minimal focus, however, on the role of malicious software, or malware, which can automate this process. This study examined the macro-correlates of malware infection at the national level by using an open repository of known malware infections and utilizing a routine activities framework. Negative inflated binomial models for counts indicated that nations with greater technological infrastructure, more political freedoms, and with less organized crime financial impact were more likely to report malware infections. The number of Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) in a nation was not significantly related with reported malware infection. The implications of the study for the understanding of malware infection, routine activity theory, and target-hardening strategies are discussed.
Recommended Citation
Holt, Thomas, George Burruss, Adam Bossler.
2016.
"Assessing the Macro-level Correlates of Malware Infections Using a Routine Activities Framework."
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 62 (6): 1720-1741 Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
doi: 10.1177/0306624X16679162
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/crimjust-criminology-facpubs/255
Copyright
Copyright belongs to SAGE. Information regarding the dissemination and usage of journal articles can be accessed through the following links.
Comments
Thomas J. Holt, George W. Burruss, and Adam M. Bossler,Assessing the Macro-Level Correlates of Malware Infections Using a Routine Activities Framework, International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology (62, 6) pp. 1720-1741. Copyright © [2016] (SageJournal). 10.1177/0306624X16679162.