Global Trend in Cybercrime and Internet Users’ Security: A Bibliometric and VOSviewer Analysis (2017–2026)

This study offers a comprehensive systematic literature review of cybercrime and user security awareness from 2017 to 2026. From the Dimensions database, 517 open-access research articles were collected using keywords such as “cyber security”, “cybercrime,” and “internet users”. Using Microsoft Excel and VOSviewer, we performed Bibliometric analysis to examine citation patterns, publication trends, thematic clusters, countries, and publication output. The results show a significant rise in cyber security research, particularly after 2020, due to growing cyber threats and digital transformation. Most studies focus only on technology-related aspects. However, significant gaps remain in user awareness, behavioural cyber security, and data availability. The study proposes a conceptual framework linking cyber threats, user awareness, and security mechanisms. The finding offers discernment for policymakers, practitioners and researchers to strengthen cyber security awareness and governance.