ABSTRACT

The distribution of malicious spam occurs in substantial numbers around the globe and can function as a precursor to serious forms of cybercrime. Yet to date, no known study has employed criminological theory to gain insight into the macro-correlates of malicious spam victimization. To address this gap in the literature, the current study utilizes data gathered from multiple sources to assess whether variables derived from routine activity theory are associated with malicious spam victimization at the country-level. Findings indicate that multiple measures of target suitability increase the amount of malicious spam a country receives. Specifically, corruption, political freedom, gross domestic product, and being an Asian nation are associated with an increase in malicious spam victimization. Capable guardianship, however, does not decrease the amount of malicious spam a country receives, and in some instances, is associated with an increase. Theoretical and policy implications are discussed.

摘要

恶意垃圾邮件的分布在全球范围内大量发生，并且可以作为严重形式的网络犯罪的前兆。迄今为止，还没有已知的研究采用犯罪学理论来深入了解恶意垃圾邮件受害的宏观相关性。为了解决文献中的这一空白，目前的研究利用从多个来源收集的数据来评估从日常活动理论中得出的变量是否与国家层面的恶意垃圾邮件受害有关。调查结果表明，目标适用性的多种衡量标准会增加一个国家收到的恶意垃圾邮件的数量。具体而言，腐败、政治自由、国内生产总值和作为一个亚洲国家与恶意垃圾邮件受害的增加有关。然而，有能力的监护人，不会减少一个国家收到的恶意垃圾邮件的数量，并且在某些情况下会增加。讨论了理论和政策影响。