Developing cybersecurity tools to combat mobile phone text-based scams in the Tongan community
Dr Siuta Laulaupea'alu (photo supplied).
Cybercriminals are now targeting Pacific Nations, including Tonga, which have significantly fewer cybersecurity resources to defend against cyberattacks. Smartphones are dominant devices worldwide and are the primary device used in Tongan society to access the internet. Scammers gain personal information by downloading malware that leads to the loss of identity, money, and other assets. This research will investigate text message-based scamming attack vectors and aftereffects from both qualitative and quantitative perspectives. It aims to determine and analyse the nature and frequency of mobile phone text message-based attacks targeting the Tongan community in both Tonga and Aotearoa and to understand the technical and social factors that affect information communication technology systems in Tonga and cause vulnerabilities to cyberattacks. It will investigate and trace the location of scammers, the time of their attacks, their nationality, the infrastructure used, the destination of the information collected, and the smishing tactics deployed by scammers. If a cyber-victim loses money to a scammer, this research intends to attempt to trace whether the money was deposited to a local bank or overseas account (destinations and /or nations as far as possible), and identify reasons for the success or failure of smishing (SMS + phishing) attacks. A unique focus of this research is in exploring cultural practices that impact ICT development and cause susceptibilities to cybercrime, and in seeking culturally appropriate cybersecurity approaches to mitigate these cyberattacks.