Theoretical Foundations of Cryptocurrency-Related Cybercrime: Architecture, Taxonomy, and Threat Vectors
Leyla Shahbalayeva 
Abstract. The rapid integration of cryptocurrencies into the global financial system has transformed the digital economy while simultaneously creating a fundamentally new criminogenic environment in which digital assets function both as valuable targets and as instruments facilitating cybercrime. This article develops a comprehensive theoretical framework for understanding cryptocurrency-related cybercrime through a systematic review and critical synthesis of contemporary academic literature, cybersecurity reports, and regulatory perspectives. The study examines the core architectural characteristics of blockchain-based systems—including decentralisation, pseudonymity, transaction irreversibility, cryptographic security, and smart contract programmability—and explains how these features generate structural opportunities for criminal exploitation while also providing inherent security advantages. Based on the reviewed literature, a six-category taxonomy of cryptocurrency-related cybercrime is proposed, classifying offences according to the primary criminal target and the functional role of digital assets within illicit activities. Furthermore, the cryptocurrency threat landscape is conceptualised across five interconnected attack surface layers encompassing blockchain infrastructure, wallets and private keys, cryptocurrency exchanges, smart contract ecosystems, and user-level vulnerabilities. The paper also analyses the principal categories of malware employed against cryptocurrency environments, including cryptojacking, ransomware, information stealers, clipboard hijackers, and Trojan-based attacks, together with their operational mechanisms. Finally, the study synthesises existing defensive strategies into a multilayered countermeasure framework that integrates cryptographic safeguards, secure software engineering practices, regulatory governance, organisational cybersecurity measures, and user awareness. The findings demonstrate that mitigating cryptocurrency-related cybercrime requires a convergent and interdisciplinary security approach combining technological innovation, legal regulation, and continuous cybersecurity education without undermining the transformative potential of blockchain technology.
Keywords: cryptocurrency, blockchain technology, cryptocurrency-related cybercrime, cybercrime taxonomy, threat vectors, blockchain security, malware, cybersecurity