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In 2017, “WannaCry” was a ransomware attack that affected computers globally. Wannacry affected Windows-running computers and would infect other computers in the same network. This malware is referred to as a “worm”. A worm malware spreads from one vulnerable computer throughout the network by self-replicating. Wannacry was able to infect over 300,000 Windows computers in 150 different countries.

This greatly affected the National Health Service (NHS) network in the UK, along with a multitude of different networks in different countries.  Around 13,500 appointments were cancelled among hospitals due to WannaCry. Wannacry, after encrypting a computer, would display a message for the user to send bitcoin to unencrypt the files on the computer. This resulted in victims paying more than $220,000 of bitcoin to the hacker’s wallet.

The hospitals affected by WannaCry were inundated with complications to the use of the medical equipment, which most would run on the hospital network that was infected. Surgeries and cancer appointments were cancelled due to the ransomware. Fortunately, the mortality rate of hospitals did not rise due to the malware when investigated. The WannaCry ransomware was shut down on the same day due to an easily accessible kill switch found by an independent developer. The result of worm malware poses a significant risk and harm to not just independent victims of loss of income, but can result in death due to the ransomware affecting lifesaving equipment and systems.

This ransomware was deployed by a North Korean hacker and was due to outdated Windows systems that were vulnerable to this exploit.  Routine Activity Theory (RAT) outlines that for crime to occur, there needs to be a motivated offender, an opportunity and a lack of a guardian. Wannacry, originating from North Korea, is most likely to come from a team that is connected to the North Korean government. The country Conflict that North Korea has with other countries could incentivise the want or need to perform a malware attack. For WannaCry malware, an opportunity arose with the information on a vulnerability in Windows systems. This vulnerability was published online to other hackers, which was then patched in the next Windows update. Most computers running on a previous version of Windows were subject to this vulnerability. The North Korean hacker took this to their advantage. The lack of guardians came from the protection of anonymity and the protection that residing in North Korea provided.

The response to WannaCry was to further secure Windows systems. The hospitals must ensure that the network systems are updated with the latest version of Windows. Hospitals also note that not all systems are on the same network in case of a malware threat able to bypass Windows security.

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On 23 May 2014, Elliot Rodger killed 6 people and injured fourteen others. Elliot Rodger would also then take his own life after the incident. Elliot became popularised in different communities online due to an infamous 140-page manifesto and a YouTube video. In these publications by Elliot Rodger stated how he had felt rejected by women and wanted to take revenge on what they did to him. Elliot believed that women were the cause of his pain, as they did not reciprocate feelings towards him. After Elliot killed his two roommates and another friend at his apartment, he went on a shooting spree at a sorority house and near a coffee shop.

Due to the publications of Elliot Rodgers thoughts and feelings before the incident he became regard highly in the incel community. The incel community is a community that deems to be involuntary celibate due to the rejection of women. This community online is connected to misogynistic rhetoric and extremist ideologies. In these forums, Elliot Rodger is celebrated for the violence that he was able to commit.

Misogynistic communities can spread the ideology online that is readily accessible. Digital drift theory plays a factor into how incel and similar communities can become dangerous. Digital drift is a theory that non-offending individuals can drift into harmful rhetoric and offending by the environment and algorithms of the internet. With the anonymity of the internet, individuals can engage in unacceptable behaviours and thoughts that are not accepted in normal society. Due to the nature of the internet, individuals can reaffirm and normalise harmful ideologies. The individuals may not intentionally want to harm others, but to feedback loops of the communities lead to an individual adopting harmful behaviour.

For communities such as incel communities with harmful rhetoric the response has been to take down ideological content by the platform’s guidelines. Although there are strong limitations to policing online communities. Due to animosity and some platforms able to allow harmful communities to be online, these communities still thrive. As well, online forums can move to a new platform or change forums if the original forum is taken down. Without systematic responses to harmful communities as the incel communities will continue. In cases such as Elliot Rodger incel ideology is identified to led to deadly consequences.

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Investigators are reviewing a video posted online by Elliot Rodger, 22, who has been identified as the suspect in the shooting and stabbing deaths of six people near the University of California, Santa Barbara.

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In 2013, a contractor for the National Security Agency leaked many classified documents. Edward Snowden leaked documents that contained evidence that the U.S. government had an operation of mass surveillance. This surveillance included phone and internet communications among U.S. citizens. The data was provided by large corporations such as Apple, Google, Verizon (phone company), and Facebook. The Program was titled Prism. The surveillance also covers individuals such as journalists, ordinary citizens, and foreign leaders.

The Government stated that the surveillance program was only for necessary security, but critics argued it was an invasion of privacy. Although in 2020 it was found that NSA surveillance was unlawful, Edward Snowden was charged in 2013 with Espionage. There was debate over whether Snowdon should be viewed as a criminal who committed espionage, as it is dangerous to national security, or a whistleblower due to the digital harm that the surveillance caused.

The Labelling Theory involves how labels assigned to individuals by society can influence identity and behaviour. In the case of Snowden, considers between whether he should be viewed as a whistleblower or a deviant. At the time of Snowden's actions reflected deviant behaviour of digital crime from the government perspective. However, many reacted to his actions as acceptable, commendable, and viewed him as a hero due to the digital harms he exposed. Snowden being labelled as a whistleblower has shown support from the public as well as other organisations. Although the label of a traitor has led to legal consequences and forced Snowden to sought asylum in Russia.

The response to whistleblowers concerning the Snowden case showed how difficult and dangerous it is to report deviant behaviour. Edward Snowden could be still facing up to 30 years if he returns to the US for espionage. Whistleblowers lack protections from reporting, as the whistleblower be facing the legal action rather than the reported behaviour.

At the time Snowden blew the whistle, U.S. law provided little to no whistleblower protection for employees and contractors of national security agencies, who are not covered by standard federal employee whistleblower protection laws. This lack of protection underscores the risks faced by individuals who expose government misconduct.

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From 2018 to 2020, a Telegram group called the Nth Room. This online group ran on an encrypted communications app. The Nth Room case involved the sexual exploitation of young girls and women. As the online group involved men blackmailing young girls and women to share exploited content and harmful actions on themselves. This content would then be shared and bought by other members in group chats. Prices range from $100 to $1000, depending on how expected the content is.

The Nth Room were an organised group that manipulated their victims and future victims, often luring girls in with false promises. Often involving fake job offers, this led to the girls providing personal information that was required for the job. The perpetrators would use this information to threaten the girl that they would dox them or contact their parents. The perpetrators would pressure the victims to send explicit images. Nth Room would use the image to further blackmail the victims into more abusive, torturous material to sell to members. The most infamous room in the Nth Room was the Doctor's room. “The Doctor” became the main leader of Nth Rooms as the Doctor’s Room would contain the worst imaging of the victims.

To understand how such horrific crimes could flourish online, Routine Activity Theory applies to this case. RAT involves a motivated offender, an opportunity and a lack of a guardian. The perpetrators had one or more motivations for their offences. The sellers had a monetary motivation to create such images and enjoyed the content. The buyers of the abusive material were motivated to view and request such images for their gratification. The opportunity came from a vulnerable victim. Most of the victims in this case were young women, teenagers and even children. For a young demographic, of chosen victim led to an opportunity to manipulate and prey on vulnerable targets. The app Telegram acted as a lack of guardianship as it involves anonymity, encrypted chats that the app was able to delete from the database if requested. Telegram was easily accessible for users as the app is readily available to download from an individual's phone.

After the reveal of the Nth room to the public, South Korea demands justice for all the victims. The investigation led to the ‘ringleader,’ the doctor, being caught, he was then sentenced to 42 years in prison. Other perpetrators were also discovered and led to criminal action for their crimes. Although during the time of the investigation, South Korea did not have a law against online abuse material if it involved anyone who was not a minor. Victims who were not minors were unable to seek justice for the abuse they had endured.

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In July 2015, hackers known as The Impact Team infiltrated the servers of Ashley Madison, a dating website marketed to people seeking affairs. The hackers demanded the site be shut down, accusing it of profiting from infidelity and deceiving users with fake profiles. The hackers also accused Ashley Madison of fraud as the website offered users could to pay $19 US dollars to delete their data from the website when requested. This was shown to be false as paid users' names were in the data leak. When Ashley Madison refused, the hacker released over 9.7 GB of user data, which exposed names, email addresses, and financial records for over 37 million users.

The data breach involving cheating scandals resulted in marriages failing. A lot of the emails involved include .gov, which includes government officials. The data leak impacted people's careers and resulted in two suicides. The hackers targeted Ashley Madison for moral gain, not financial gain, this can be called cybervigilantism.

Applying social learning theory to the 2015 Ashley Madison data breach provides an understanding of how the hacker group known as “The Impact Team” may have acquired and reinforced their behaviours through online groups. Social Learning Theory involves 4 different components: differential association, definitions, differential reinforcement, and lastly, imitation or modelling. Differential association concerning the ‘Impact Team’ involves different individuals in online communities with similar interests and values towards hacking. Definitions apply to the moral values of the Impact Team and define their behaviours towards hacking. With Ashley Madison facilitating cheating, the impact team had a value of the website being ethically wrong. The impact team were able to rationalise their action to release the data of Ashley Madison. Differential reinforcement among the group was to encourage individuals' hacking behaviours that aligned with the values of the group. The individual impact team members were able to model off others in the group and learn skills associated with hacking. Social Learning theory resulted in this group being cohesive and applying the ethical values to hack into Ashley Madison.

The response to the Ashley Madison data leak was a multitude of individuals suing the company for damages caused by the data leak. The parent Company, Avid Life Media Inc., was sued for over $11 million US dollars in 2017. Although for the hacker group Impact Team, there were no legal consequences due to the animosity of the group failed to identify the individuals.