Exploring cybercrime history through a typology of computer mediated offences: Applying Islamic principles to promote good and prevent harm

Abstract

By the new century, the sheer complexity and number of reported cybercrime incidents had exposed major flaws in the cybersecurity infrastructure of industry giants, as well as governments. For example, there have been numerous attempts to intercept Google’s source code for the purposes of extracting confidential commercial data. National authorities were also slow to respond to the distribution of offensive images or copyrighted materials over the internet. While previous threats were mostly localized to certain computer systems, in particular countries, the emergence of the modern financial system has transformed digital crimes into a transnational phenomenon. In the intervening years, several companies, such as Lloyds in 2015, have been targets of financial hacking operations. The loss associated with cybercrime has been escalating annually, with figures indicating that costs borne by companies had quadrupled between the years of 2013 and 2015. The challenge has become worse in the recent years and artificial intelligence applications can create even more complexity and anxiety for professionals in every workplace. So, this trend of cybercrimes growing rapidly in the era of artificial intelligence is likely to affect developing and transnational economies, as more public and private sector banking institutions conduct their services online. Muslim countries must jointly collaborate, discuss, and link their spiritual principles to guard against, discourage, and prevent cybercrimes. Implications for Islamic nations along with their public and private sector leaders are explored in this manuscript.