Digital Underworld and Cybercrime: A Technical and Legal Perspective (Studies in Big Data, 198)

Digital Underworld and Cybercrime: A Technical and Legal Perspective provides a timely and in-depth exploration of cybercrime as a defining challenge of the digital age. Moving beyond traditional accounts of online offending, this book examines cybercrime as a complex socio-technical phenomenon shaped by rapid technological innovation, evolving legal norms, and transnational enforcement gaps. By integrating legal analysis with technical insight, the book offers a holistic framework for understanding how contemporary cyber threats emerge, operate, and are regulated.

The book brings together leading scholars and practitioners from diverse jurisdictions and disciplines, reflecting the inherently global nature of cybercrime. The 11 chapters included in this book were rigorously selected from 51 submissions through a double-blind peer-review process conducted by an international panel of experts. Each contribution addresses a distinct dimension of the digital underworld, ranging from AI-driven cyber threats, deepfakes, and cryptocurrency-enabled crime to digital evidence, and the challenges posed to state sovereignty and international law.

Combining theoretical perspectives with empirical analysis and real-world case studies, the book bridges the gap between abstract legal frameworks and practical enforcement realities. It critically assesses existing regulatory approaches while identifying emerging risks that challenge conventional notions of jurisdiction, accountability, and security in cyberspace.

As cybercrime continues to expand in scale, sophistication, and societal impact, this book underscores the urgent need for sustained collaboration between legal experts, technologists, policymakers, and cybersecurity professionals. Offering both analytical depth and practical relevance, Digital Underworld and Cybercrime serves as an essential reference for academics, legislators, law enforcement authorities, and practitioners seeking to navigate and respond effectively to the evolving threats of the digital era.

Dr. (Habil.) Mohamed Chawki is an associate professor of Criminal Law and Cybercrime at Naif Arab University for Security Sciences in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. With over 19 years of academic and research experience and 25 years of legal practice, Dr. Chawki has become a leading authority in cybercrime and cybersecurity. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Lyon III in France, where he conducted a comparative study of English, French, and American legal systems in addressing cybercrime, earning the highest distinction. Furthering his academic journey, he completed postdoctoral studies and earned his Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches (HDR) from Aix-Marseille University in 2023. Dr. Chawki has taught at prestigious institutions worldwide, including Aix-Marseille University, the University of Paris I Sorbonne, and German University in Cairo (GUC) instructing in English and French.

Professor Mohammad Ayoub Khan received his Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India, and his Master of Technology (M. Tech.) in Computer Science and Engineering from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, New Delhi, India. He is currently serving as a research professor at the University of Bisha, Saudi Arabia, where he is actively involved in teaching, research, and academic leadership.
Dr. Khan has more than fourteen years of extensive academic and research experience in the areas of Internet of Things (IoT), RFID systems, Wireless Sensor Networks, Ad Hoc and Vehicular Networks, Smart Cities, Industrial IoT, NFC technologies, signal processing, routing in Network-on-Chip (NoC), real-time systems, and embedded systems. His research focuses on building secure, scalable, and intelligent cyber-physical systems that address real-world challenges in smart infrastructure, transportation, healthcare, and industrial automation.