Evolution of Cybercrime in the Digital Era: An Analysis of Technology, Society, and the Legal Framework in Malaysia
Abstract
Digital transformation has become a foundation of economic development and is expected to continue expanding alongside technological advancement. Despite the benefits brought by these developments, cyberspace has also evolved into a new medium for criminal activity. Cybercrime encompasses various forms, including online fraud, misuse of personal data, attacks on computer systems, and the dissemination of false information. Therefore, this study discusses the increasingly serious issue of cybercrime in the digital era, particularly its social and economic effects on society. This study also aims to analyse the factors influencing cybersecurity awareness among the public, identify common cybercrime modus operandi in Malaysia and examine the social and economic impacts on victims. Through literature review and case analysis, the study proposes relevant preventive measures and policy recommendations to reduce the occurrence of cybercrime. The findings indicate that digital security education, technological literacy, law enforcement, and cooperation between government and private sectors play significant roles in building a secure cyber ecosystem. The study recommends an integrated approach encompassing public education, family supervision, and investment in cybersecurity infrastructure as proactive measures to address cybercrime threats.
Keywords: Cybercrime, cybersecurity awareness, online fraud, digital education, cybersecurity policy, social and economic impact
Full text: PDF
References
Adamu A. Garba, Maheyzah Md. Siraj, Siti Hajar Othman, & Mahdi Alhaji Musa. (2020). A study on cybersecurity awareness among students in Yobe State University, Nigeria: A quantitative approach. International Journal on Emerging Technologies, 11(5), 41–49. https://www.researchtrend.net/ijet/a-study-on-cybersecurity-awareness-among-students-in-yobe-state-university-nigeria-a-quantitative-approach-2376
Aloul, F. A. (2012). The need for effective information security awareness. Journal of Advances in Information Technology, 3(3), 176–183. https://doi.org/10.4304/jait.3.3.176-183
Alsharida, R. A., Al-rimy, B. A. S., Al-Emran, M., & Anazida Zainal. (2023). A systematic review of multi perspectives on human cybersecurity behavior. Technology in Society, 73, 102258. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2023.102258
Brenner, S. W. (2010). Cybercrime: Criminal threats from cyberspace. Praeger. https://rowman.com/ISBN/9780313365460/Cybercrime-Criminal-Threats-from-Cyberspace.
Castells, M. (2010). The rise of the network society (ed. ke-2, with a new preface). Wiley-Blackwell.
Clough, J. (2021). Principles of cybercrime (ed. ke-3). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108891560. https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/principles-of-cybercrime/
Cotrina, L. K. C., León, P. M. S., Reyes Reyes, C. A., Ballesteros, M. A. A., Guzmán Valle, M. D. L. Á., Castillo, J. C. A., Acosta, R. M., & Morales, A. E. P. (2024). Cyber crimes: A systematic review of evolution, trends, and research approaches. Journal of Educational and Social Research, 14(5), 96–111. https://doi.org/10.36941/jesr-2024-0124
CyberSecurity Malaysia. (2024). Annual cyber threat report 2024. https://www.cybersecurity.my/portal-main/document/annual-report
D’Arcy, J., Hovav, A., & Galletta, D. (2009). User awareness of security countermeasures and its impact on information systems misuse: A deterrence approach. Information Systems Research, 20(1), 79–98. https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.1070.0160
de Reuver, M., van Wynsberghe, A., Janssen, M., & van de Poel, I. (2020). Digital platforms and responsible innovation: Expanding value sensitive design to overcome ontological uncertainty. Ethics and Information Technology, 22(3), 257–267. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10676-020-09537-z
European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA). (2024). ENISA threat landscape 2024. Publications Office of the European Union. https://doi.org/10.2824/0710888
Europol. (2024). Internet organised crime threat assessment (IOCTA) 2024. Publications Office of the European Union. https://doi.org/10.2813/442713
Fafatas, S., Angelopoulos, C. M., Katos, V., & Sideris, A. (2015). Cybersecurity awareness in Greece: An empirical study. Computers & Security, 53, 65–78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cose.2015.05.002
Floridi, L. (2014). The fourth revolution: How the infosphere is reshaping human reality. Oxford University Press.
Florin, M.-V. (2019). Risk governance and responsible research and innovation can be mutually supportive. Journal of Risk Research, 25(8), 976–990. https://doi.org/10.1080/13669877.2019.1646311
Holt, T. J., Bossler, A. M., & Seigfried-Spellar, K. C. (2022). Cybercrime and digital forensics: An introduction (ed. ke-3). Routledge.
Kshetri, N. (2013). Cybercrime and cybersecurity in the global south. Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137021946
Kshetri, N. (2021). Cybercrime and cybersecurity in the global south. Communications of the ACM, 64(2), 22–25.
Lusthaus, J. (2024). Reconsidering crime and technology: What is this thing we call cybercrime? Annual Review of Law and Social Science, 20, 369–385. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-lawsocsci-041822-044042
Mahyuddin Daud. (2025). Issues and challenges in addressing cybercrime in Malaysia. Kanun: Jurnal Undang-undang Malaysia, 37(1), 1–28. https://doi.org/10.37052/kanun.37(1)no1
National Cyber Security Agency Malaysia. (2024). Dasar keselamatan siber negara (DKSN) 2020–2024.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2024). Digital security risk management for economic and social prosperity. OECD Publishing.
Parker, D. B. (1998). Fighting computer crime: A new framework for protecting information (ed. kemas kini). John Wiley & Sons.
Shahrukh Mushtaq, & Mahmood Shah. (2025). Mitigating cybercrimes in e-government services: A systematic review and bibliometric analysis. Digital, 5(1), 3. https://doi.org/10.3390/digital5010003
Shereen Khan, Tajneen Saleh, Magiswary Dorasamy, Nasreen Khan, Olivia Tan Swee Leng, & Rossanne Gale Vergara. (2022). A systematic literature review on cybercrime legislation. F1000Research, 11, 971. https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.123098.1
Wall, D. S. (2007). Cybercrime: The transformation of crime in the information age. Polity Press. https://www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?book_slug=cybercrime-the-transformation-of-crime-in-the-information-age--9780745638637
Yar, M. (2013). Cybercrime and society (ed. ke-2). SAGE Publications. https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/cybercrime-and-society/book235042
Zuboff, S. (2019). The age of surveillance capitalism: The fight for a human future at the new frontier of power. PublicAffairs.
Zwilling, M., Klein, G., Lesjak, D., Wiechetek, Ł., Çetin, F., & Başim,
H. N. (2022). Cybersecurity awareness, knowledge, and behavior: A comparative study. Journal of Computer Information Systems, 62(1), 82–97. https://doi.org/10.1080/08874417.2020.1712269
Aloul, F. A. (2012). The need for effective information security awareness. Journal of Advances in Information Technology, 3(3), 176–183. https://doi.org/10.4304/jait.3.3.176-183
Alsharida, R. A., Al-rimy, B. A. S., Al-Emran, M., & Anazida Zainal. (2023). A systematic review of multi perspectives on human cybersecurity behavior. Technology in Society, 73, 102258. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2023.102258
Brenner, S. W. (2010). Cybercrime: Criminal threats from cyberspace. Praeger. https://rowman.com/ISBN/9780313365460/Cybercrime-Criminal-Threats-from-Cyberspace.
Castells, M. (2010). The rise of the network society (ed. ke-2, with a new preface). Wiley-Blackwell.
Clough, J. (2021). Principles of cybercrime (ed. ke-3). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108891560. https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/principles-of-cybercrime/
Cotrina, L. K. C., León, P. M. S., Reyes Reyes, C. A., Ballesteros, M. A. A., Guzmán Valle, M. D. L. Á., Castillo, J. C. A., Acosta, R. M., & Morales, A. E. P. (2024). Cyber crimes: A systematic review of evolution, trends, and research approaches. Journal of Educational and Social Research, 14(5), 96–111. https://doi.org/10.36941/jesr-2024-0124
CyberSecurity Malaysia. (2024). Annual cyber threat report 2024. https://www.cybersecurity.my/portal-main/document/annual-report
D’Arcy, J., Hovav, A., & Galletta, D. (2009). User awareness of security countermeasures and its impact on information systems misuse: A deterrence approach. Information Systems Research, 20(1), 79–98. https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.1070.0160
de Reuver, M., van Wynsberghe, A., Janssen, M., & van de Poel, I. (2020). Digital platforms and responsible innovation: Expanding value sensitive design to overcome ontological uncertainty. Ethics and Information Technology, 22(3), 257–267. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10676-020-09537-z
European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA). (2024). ENISA threat landscape 2024. Publications Office of the European Union. https://doi.org/10.2824/0710888
Europol. (2024). Internet organised crime threat assessment (IOCTA) 2024. Publications Office of the European Union. https://doi.org/10.2813/442713
Fafatas, S., Angelopoulos, C. M., Katos, V., & Sideris, A. (2015). Cybersecurity awareness in Greece: An empirical study. Computers & Security, 53, 65–78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cose.2015.05.002
Floridi, L. (2014). The fourth revolution: How the infosphere is reshaping human reality. Oxford University Press.
Florin, M.-V. (2019). Risk governance and responsible research and innovation can be mutually supportive. Journal of Risk Research, 25(8), 976–990. https://doi.org/10.1080/13669877.2019.1646311
Holt, T. J., Bossler, A. M., & Seigfried-Spellar, K. C. (2022). Cybercrime and digital forensics: An introduction (ed. ke-3). Routledge.
Kshetri, N. (2013). Cybercrime and cybersecurity in the global south. Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137021946
Kshetri, N. (2021). Cybercrime and cybersecurity in the global south. Communications of the ACM, 64(2), 22–25.
Lusthaus, J. (2024). Reconsidering crime and technology: What is this thing we call cybercrime? Annual Review of Law and Social Science, 20, 369–385. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-lawsocsci-041822-044042
Mahyuddin Daud. (2025). Issues and challenges in addressing cybercrime in Malaysia. Kanun: Jurnal Undang-undang Malaysia, 37(1), 1–28. https://doi.org/10.37052/kanun.37(1)no1
National Cyber Security Agency Malaysia. (2024). Dasar keselamatan siber negara (DKSN) 2020–2024.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2024). Digital security risk management for economic and social prosperity. OECD Publishing.
Parker, D. B. (1998). Fighting computer crime: A new framework for protecting information (ed. kemas kini). John Wiley & Sons.
Shahrukh Mushtaq, & Mahmood Shah. (2025). Mitigating cybercrimes in e-government services: A systematic review and bibliometric analysis. Digital, 5(1), 3. https://doi.org/10.3390/digital5010003
Shereen Khan, Tajneen Saleh, Magiswary Dorasamy, Nasreen Khan, Olivia Tan Swee Leng, & Rossanne Gale Vergara. (2022). A systematic literature review on cybercrime legislation. F1000Research, 11, 971. https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.123098.1
Wall, D. S. (2007). Cybercrime: The transformation of crime in the information age. Polity Press. https://www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?book_slug=cybercrime-the-transformation-of-crime-in-the-information-age--9780745638637
Yar, M. (2013). Cybercrime and society (ed. ke-2). SAGE Publications. https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/cybercrime-and-society/book235042
Zuboff, S. (2019). The age of surveillance capitalism: The fight for a human future at the new frontier of power. PublicAffairs.
Zwilling, M., Klein, G., Lesjak, D., Wiechetek, Ł., Çetin, F., & Başim,
H. N. (2022). Cybersecurity awareness, knowledge, and behavior: A comparative study. Journal of Computer Information Systems, 62(1), 82–97. https://doi.org/10.1080/08874417.2020.1712269
Published
2026-07-30
How to Cite
HUSSIN SHAH, Mohamed Shah; ABU BAKAR, Noraziah; ABDULLAH, Saiful Bahri.
Evolution of Cybercrime in the Digital Era: An Analysis of Technology, Society, and the Legal Framework in Malaysia.
Kanun: Jurnal Undang-undang Malaysia, [S.l.], v. 38, n. 2, july 2026.
ISSN 2682-8057.
Available at: <http://jurnal.dbp.my/index.php/Kanun/article/view/9283>. Date accessed: 21 aug. 2026.
doi: https://doi.org/10.37052/kanun.38(2)no6.
Section
Articles
