FACTORS OF CYBERCRIME IN UKRAINE

Resumo

The relevance of the research topic is determined by the need to form a holistic scientific approach to explaining the factors of cybercrime in the context of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, the accelerated digital transformation of the economy and society, the intensification of hybrid cyber threats, and the existence of a general upward trend in cybercrime. The purpose of the article is to identify, analyse and classify the factors of cybercrime, and to assess their impact on the level of cyberattacks and cybercrime. To achieve this goal, the author uses general scientific methods of cognition (system analysis, classification, synthesis, comparison) and special methods of criminological research (document study, factor analysis, statistical methods, expert opinions). It is found that the most significant impact on the growth of cybercrime is exerted by political (geopolitical and military-political), economic, socio-cultural, socio-psychological, technological factors, which are expressed in the escalation of geopolitical struggle, Russia's use of cyber means to gain an information advantage in the war against Ukraine, and functioning in the dark web of the criminal market of goods and services, insufficient social control over the digital environment, increased connectivity, ease of cyberattacks, low income, social exclusion, informal norms and values, opportunistic attitudes, criminogenic stereotypes of thinking and behaviour in cyberspace during electronic communications and online business. It is stated that favourable conditions for committing cybercrime are the depletion of resources and overload of cybersecurity entities of Ukraine due to the protracted war, vulnerabilities in computer and mobile device software, shortcomings in the cyber security system of public and private information resources, critical infrastructure facilities, and users' non-compliance with the rules of safe behaviour.