Follow the Honey: Experiments in Cybercriminal Decision-Making

Follow the Honey: Experiments in Cybercriminal Decision-Making

September 1, 2025 · 31 min · Episode 121

About this episode

This episode explores how cybercriminals make decisions about their targets and the research methods used to study these behaviors.

How do cybercriminals decide which targets to pursue, and how can researchers study these decisions in real time? In this episode, we talk with **Daniëlle Stibbe** a PhD Candidate and researcher at the Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement (NSCR). Daniëlle shares her journey from psychology to criminology and explains her work using honeypots, leaked credentials, and online experiments to examine offender behaviour. We also discuss the challenges of running experiments in digital environments, and what her work on the impact of large-scale police operations like *Operation Cookie Monster* reveal about risk perception and adaptation in online criminal forums.

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