中文摘要
加密货币和数字资产的出现,有望通过提供廉价、快速且安全的价值转移来改善金融体系。然而,它也为网络犯罪开辟了新的支付渠道。我们汇集了包括公开的链上与链下数据、专有数据以及手工收集数据在内的多样化数据,其中包含攻击者与受害者之间的谈判记录以及暗网上的俄语对话,据此对加密货币赋能的网络犯罪进行了初步剖析,突出了相关经济问题,并提出了未来研究方向。其中,我们发现勒索软件作为最主要的组织化加密货币网络犯罪,涉及像企业一样运作的犯罪团伙,它们采用现代收入模式并精心管理自身声誉。我们认为,对加密货币使用的一刀切限制可能适得其反。相反,区块链的透明性为追踪、监控和取缔主要网络犯罪组织提供了有效的取证手段,从更长期来看,这可能有助于形成一个更安全、更可靠的加密货币生态系统。
Abstract
The advent of cryptocurrencies and digital assets holds the promise of improving financial systems by offering cheap, quick, and secure transfer of value. However, it also opens up new payment channels for cybercrimes. Assembling a diverse set of public on- and off-chain, proprietary, and hand-collected data, including attacker–victim negotiations and dark web conversations in Russian, we present an initial anatomy of crypto-enabled cybercrimes, highlighting relevant economic issues and proposing areas for future research. Among others, we find ransomware, as the most dominant organized crypto-enabled cybercrime, entails criminal gangs that operate like firms who adopt modern revenue models and carefully manage their reputations. We suggest that blanket restrictions on cryptocurrency usage may prove counterproductive. Instead, blockchain transparency enables effective forensics for tracking, monitoring, and shutting down dominant cybercriminal organizations, which potentially facilitates a more secure and reliable crypto ecosystem in the longer term.