Reference no: EM133047759

CO4515 Trends in Cybercrime - The University of Central Lancashire

Assignment - Research Paper

Assignment Description

Write a research paper on one of the following topics:

1. Crypto-currencies and Cybercrime.

You must write aresearch paper on the chosen topic.

Stage 1 - Identify the Research Question

After choosing the topic above, yourresearch paper should address one of the following perspectives:

- Security

Stage 2 - Write a Research Paper

The research paper should contain a maximum of 2400 words (excluding references) and should demonstrate your understanding of the issues relevant to the research question. The paper should clearly answer the research question, and all the content should be relevant to the research question.

The paper is supposed to be a critical evaluation of the literature, rather than a simple repetition of several sources using your own words. This means that you have to summarise, interpret, reflect and be critical about what you have read and about the sources, you actually use.

It is up to you to structure the paper logically and to ensure coherence among sections and paragraphs. The language used should be specific, precise, objective, direct and simple. Do not use colloquial language.Apart from short quotes, use your own words and use short sentences, appropriate for technical writing.

Suggested structure of the research paper:

1. Abstract (very short summary of the paper, motivation, purpose, contribution)
2. Introduction (a summary about the context, the subject area)
3. Analysis of the related works (main body, structure is based on your creativity)
4. Discussion (your own view, opinion, ideas for the future work)
5. Conclusion.

Example Research Questions

This section contains some examples of research questions. This list is not meant to be exhaustive. You may choose a research question not contained in the list, but which best suits your background, experience and interest, as long as you agree it with the module tutor.
Topic: Crypto-currencies and Cybercrime

Security
• How do bitcoin botnet-miners, like Miner Botnet [13], operate and whatmeasures can be taken against them?
• What malware, e.g., Cryptolocker [6], have been used by cybercriminals to obtain cryptocurrencies, which vulnerabilities did they exploit and what mitigation can be adopted against them?
• What attack vectors have been used to exploit cryptocurrencies (e.g. Skype [11] and Yahoo [5]), and how to counter them?
• What attacks on cryptocurrencies have been theoretically identified (e.g., Double Spending Attack [9] and Block Discarding Attack [1]) and how could they be avoided/mitigated?
• What has evolved, and what are the differences and similarities between existing (and/or extinct) cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ripple and Peercoin [15]?
• What incidents affecting cryptocurrencies (e.g. security breaches on Mt. Gox [12] - the largest Bitcoin exchange, and on Bitcoinica [8]online trading site for Bitcoins) show us about risks and possible mitigations?

Suggested References

These references are a starting point for your research. You should find additional relevant material for yourself.

Attachment:- Trends in Cybercrime.rar