Cybercrime Investigations in the Internet of Everything (IoE)

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About this Research Topic

Submission deadlines

  1. Manuscript Submission Deadline 30 November 2024 | Manuscript Extension Submission Deadline 25 January 2025

Background

Our dependence on technology has reached unprecedented levels, rendering us increasingly vulnerable to innovative and persistent attackers. The surge in attacks targeting operational technology (OT) and critical infrastructure (CI), coupled with the regular discovery and exploitation of new system vulnerabilities, underscores the escalating risks inherent in our technologically driven lives.

Amidst this rapidly evolving Internet of Things (IoT) landscape, there arises a multitude of security and privacy concerns. Smart Internet-enabled ‘things’ introduce a wider attack landscape and potential entry points into these networks. Cyber security vulnerabilities and issues exist with the devices themselves, such as small memory capabilities, hard coded credentials, or interconnection to many other devices, and are exacerbated due to connection to operational technology/critical infrastructure systems, device heterogeneity, legacy devices, and connection to larger legacy systems.

The Internet of Everything (IoE) era brings about unprecedented levels of connectivity and integration between devices, systems, and networks, revolutionizing how we interact with technology and the world around us. IoE is a paradigm that enhances the capabilities of the participating entities and brings in network intelligence to facilitate smarter decision making and easy data exchange.

Once attackers have control, they can steal data, disrupt delivery of services, or commit any other cybercrime they'd do with a computer. Attacks that compromise IoT/IoE infrastructure inflict damage, not just with data breaches and unreliable operations, but also physical harm to the facilities, or worse—to the humans operating or relying on those facilities.

This Research Topic will explore the implications of the Internet of Everything era and its effects on the digital world. From critical infrastructure and the smart grid to industry 4.0, the study of IoT security threats and possible corrective measures can benefit researchers in identifying appropriate solutions to deal with various challenges in cybercrime investigations.

The scope of investigation explores future cybercrime investigative scenarios. The very fact that within the IoT practically anything can be connected is a threat. These security issues, coupled with the continued growth of IoT, present a much larger attack surface for attackers to exploit in their attempts to disrupt or gain unauthorized access to networks, systems, and data.

Review articles, research papers and technical reports are welcome. The topics of interest include but are not limited to the following:

- Advanced approaches to analysing digital evidence

- Anti-forensic techniques

- Cybercrime investigation IoT/IoE scenarios

- Digital forensics and IoT/IoE scenarios

- Rise in deepfakes/fabricated media in crime

- 5G and future networks

- Future challenges

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

  • Brief Research Report
  • Data Report
  • Editorial
  • Hypothesis and Theory
  • Methods
  • Mini Review
  • Original Research
  • Perspective
  • Review

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

  • Brief Research Report
  • Data Report
  • Editorial
  • Hypothesis and Theory
  • Methods
  • Mini Review
  • Original Research
  • Perspective
  • Review
  • Systematic Review
  • Technology and Code

Keywords: Internet of Everything (IoE), Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity, IoT Security Threats, Cybercrime Investigation, Deepfakes and Cybercrime

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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