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Roberto Musotto

Research Fellow in Cyber Security and Law, Edith Cowan University
I am an Italian-qualified lawyer (Avvocato) with expertise in serious crimes commercial and cyber aspects. I use theory and methods from network science and law & economics in my research.

I hold a PhD in Economics from Università degli Studi di Messina 2017 and a Laurea Magistrale in Giurisprudenza (LLB+LLM) from Università degli Studi di Palermo 2007-2012.

Some areas of law & economics I investigate include:

- Contractual mechanisms and corporate structures exploited by criminal organisations in legal and illegal markets
- Transnational forms of organised crime and terrorist networks in a changing socio-legal context
- Social and spatial network analysis techniques applied on criminal groups
- Linking organised crime to cybercrime, specifically on Booter Services (Stressers), Ransomwares and Crypto-currencies

Until August 2019, I conducted my research under the 3.5 million Euro Horizon 2020 TAKEDOWN project at the University of Leeds, UK. More information about the project itself and results are on the website: https://www.takedownproject.eu

I published my works in acclaimed peer-reviewed academic journals, details of which can be found on my Google Scholar page: https://goo.gl/8UAnzP

How does the Pegasus spyware work, and is my phone at risk?

Jul 24, 2021 06:56 am UTC| Technology

A major journalistic investigation has found evidence of malicious software being used by governments around the world, including allegations of spying on prominent individuals. From a list of more 50,000 phone numbers,...

Is your super money safe? Here's how you can dodge cyber fraud

Jun 03, 2020 14:55 pm UTC| Investing

Alongside growing concerns over a possible resurgence of the coronavirus during winter, the pandemic is now creating even more victims as cybercriminals aim to capitalise on the economic upheaval. According to news...

Ransomware attack on sheep farmers shows there's no room for woolly thinking in cyber security

Mar 06, 2020 03:46 am UTC| Technology

While many Australians were preoccupied with panic-buying toilet paper, sales of another commodity encountered a very different sort of crisis. Wool sales were severely disrupted last week by a ransomware attack on IT...

Hackers are now targeting councils and governments, threatening to leak citizen data

Nov 11, 2019 09:19 am UTC| Insights & Views Technology

In recent weeks, Johannesburgs computer network was held for ransom by a hacker group called Shadow Kill Hackers. This was the second time in three months a ransomware attack has hit South Africas largest city. This time,...

Economy

Asian Currencies Hold Steady Amid Iran Peace Talks and BOJ Rate Hike Uncertainty

Asian currencies traded in a narrow range on Friday as investors remained cautious ahead of further U.S.-Iran peace negotiations, while the Japanese yen slipped after the Bank of Japans governor signaled little urgency to...

South Korea's Capital Markets Rebound as Foreign Investors Return

South Koreas financial markets are staging a powerful comeback, drawing foreign investors back after a turbulent March that saw billions in capital flee. A combination of easing Middle East tensions, surging demand for AI...

U.S. and Philippines to Build 4,000-Acre Tech Hub Under Pax Silica Initiative

The United States and the Philippines are set to develop a massive 4,000-acre (1,620 hectares) industrial hub as part of a growing Washington-led effort to secure global AI and semiconductor supply chains. The announcement...

Singapore's Non-Oil Domestic Exports Surge 15.3% in March 2026 on AI Demand

Singapores non-oil domestic exports (NODX) posted a remarkable 15.3% year-on-year increase in March 2026, marking the seventh consecutive month of growth, according to Enterprise Singapore. The strong performance was...

Japan Eyes Private Credit as Key Pillar in New Financial Strategy

Japans financial regulator is positioning private credit as a cornerstone of its emerging national financial strategy, responding to surging corporate funding demand driven by record-breaking merger and acquisition...

Politics

Ukraine's Svyrydenko Returns from U.S. With Renewed Support and Diplomatic Momentum

Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko wrapped up a productive two-day visit to Washington, D.C., expressing confidence in U.S. support following high-level talks with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and other senior...

South Korea Denies U.S. Intelligence Restrictions Over North Korea Nuclear Site Disclosure

South Koreas Unification Ministry pushed back Friday against reports that Washington had expressed displeasure and threatened to limit intelligence sharing after a South Korean minister publicly identified a previously...

China Navigates Diplomatic Tightrope Between Iran Peace Efforts and Trump Summit

China is intensifying its push to end the Iran war while carefully balancing its relationship with Tehran ahead of a pivotal summit between President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump scheduled for mid-May. As the...

Myanmar Grants Amnesty to Over 4,000 Prisoners Under New President Min Aung Hlaing

Myanmars newly elected President Min Aung Hlaing has approved the release of 4,335 prisoners, according to state broadcaster MRTV, marking the third amnesty issued in the country within six months. The announcement did not...

France and Britain Lead 40-Nation Talks to Reopen Strait of Hormuz

France and Britain are set to co-chair a high-stakes diplomatic meeting bringing together approximately 40 nations to address the growing crisis in the Strait of Hormuz. The gathering signals that key U.S. allies are...

Science

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

NASA Artemis II: First Crewed Moon Mission Since Apollo Takes Four Astronauts on 10-Day Lunar Journey

NASAs Artemis II mission launched Wednesday, marking humanitys return to crewed lunar exploration for the first time since the Apollo era. Carrying four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft, this historic 10-day mission...

NASA's Artemis II Mission: First Crewed Lunar Journey Since Apollo

NASA's Artemis II Crew Arrives in Florida for Historic Moon Mission

The four astronauts chosen for NASAs Artemis II mission have touched down at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the beginning of final launch preparations for the first crewed lunar journey in over 50 years. NASA...

SpaceX Pivots Toward Moon City as Musk Reframes Long-Term Space Vision

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has revealed a significant shift in the companys near-term space exploration strategy, announcing that SpaceX is now prioritizing the development of a self-growing city on the Moon rather than focusing...

Technology

OpenAI's $20 Billion Cerebras Deal Signals Massive AI Infrastructure Push

OpenAI is reportedly set to spend over $20 billion with AI chip startup Cerebras over the next three years, marking a significant expansion of an already substantial computing partnership. According to The Information, the...

Tesla's Terafab: AI Chip Factory Eyes Taiwan's Semiconductor Talent

Tesla is actively recruiting semiconductor engineers in Taiwan for its ambitious Terafab project a fully vertically integrated AI chip manufacturing facility that aims to consolidate logic, memory, packaging, testing, and...

Japan to Subsidize Sony's Image Sensor Plant in Kumamoto with $380 Million

The Japanese government has announced plans to provide Sony with subsidies of up to 60 billion yen, equivalent to approximately $380 million, to support the construction of an image sensor manufacturing facility in...

NiSource Signs Long-Term Energy Deals with Alphabet and Amazon to Power Indiana Data Centers

NiSource, a U.S. utility company, has secured a long-term energy supply agreement with an Alphabet subsidiary to power a major data center in northern Indiana. The announcement also included an expanded partnership with...

TSMC Posts Record Q1 Profit Fueled by AI Chip Demand

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (NYSE: TSM), the worlds largest contract chipmaker, delivered a record-breaking first-quarter profit in 2026, surpassing analyst expectations as artificial intelligence continues...