APWG names 13 accepted papers for 2026 eCrime symposium

APWG says 13 papers were selected from more than 40 submissions for its 2026 Symposium on Electronic Crime Research, set for eCrime 2026 Lisboa and publication in IEEE Xplore. The research focuses on phishing, fraud ecosystems, mobile scams and AI defenses as the conference enters its 19th year as an IEEE event.

Why it matters: - APWG’s eCrime conference is one of the field’s main research venues for cybercrime analysis. - The accepted papers point to where defenders are focusing next: phishing infrastructure, scam ecosystems, influence operations and AI-driven defenses. - The work will be published in IEEE Xplore, which gives the research wider visibility across academia and industry.

What happened: - APWG’s managing chairs announced 13 accepted papers for the 2026 Symposium on Electronic Crime Research. - The papers were chosen from more than 40 submissions. - The conference is being presented at eCrime 2026 Lisboa. - The event includes sessions with industry, law enforcement, NGOs and multilateral organizations. - APWG said this marks eCrime’s 19th year as an IEEE conference.

The details: - The accepted papers cover phishing infrastructure, criminal economies, social engineering, human behavior, information manipulation and AI-driven defenses. - Peter Cassidy, eCrime founder and APWG secretary general, said rigorous research helps frame problem statements, identify overlooked solution spaces and support a broader global response to cybercrime. - Cassidy said eCrime’s role is to convene researchers across scientific disciplines and build the shared knowledge and institutional commitments needed to counter cybercrime as a persistent global threat. - Paper topics include dynamic phishing detection, blocklist performance, underground fraud economies, phishing template attribution, visa-related scam exposure, Telegram scam support networks and phishing domain survival. - Other accepted work examines strategic AI scambaiting, renderer-level detection of concealed email content, mobile permission misuse, suspected foreign influence activity on Korean YouTube news discussions, mobile messaging scams and clipboard-hijacking attacks. - APWG listed a contact email for preprints and questions: ecrime2026@apwg.org. - The release also provided social media links for APWG on LinkedIn, Facebook and X.

Between the lines: - The paper mix shows a shift from single-attack detection toward systems-level analysis of how cybercrime is organized and sustained. - Several studies focus on the economics and support infrastructure behind fraud, not just the malicious content itself. - AI appears in both roles here: as a tool for attackers and as a possible defensive mechanism. - The emphasis on interoperable intelligence and shared ontologies suggests researchers see fragmentation as a major obstacle to stopping modern cybercrime.

What's next: - The accepted papers will be presented at eCrime 2026 Lisboa. - They will also be published in IEEE Xplore. - APWG says the research community will continue working on coordinated responses to fast-changing cybercrime tactics. - Questions about preprints can be sent to ecrime2026@apwg.org.

The bottom line: - APWG is using this year’s eCrime lineup to spotlight a broader research agenda: understanding cybercrime as an ecosystem, not just a set of isolated attacks.