| Sharma et al. 2023 [21] | Cybersecurity and cyber forensics research (2011–2021); mapping a decade of digital security literature. | Co-authorship, co-citation, citation and keyword analysis using full vs. fractional counting; timeline trends and burst detection (CiteSpace-like approach). | Web of Science (WoS), 2011–2021 publications. |
Steady growth in cybersecurity/forensics publications over the decade. Top contributors identified: key authors, institutions, countries leading the field. Major topics include anomaly detection, malware analysis, cyberattacks, machine learning in security. Collaboration networks show global research clusters (with certain countries forming hubs). |
Points out underinvestigated areas at the intersection of cybersecurity and forensics. Emphasizes need for future work linking preventative security and post-incident forensics. Provides a decade-long baseline to guide future research directions in emerging cybersecurity threats. |
| Cybersecurity & Forensics |
| Arroyabe et al. 2024 [22] | Intersection of SME digitalization and cybersecurity – how digital transformation in small businesses relates to security issues. | Bibliometric (R) used for co-occurrence (keyword) clustering and citation analysis. Four main thematic clusters identified via co-word analysis. | WoS + Scopus (417 papers, up to ~2022) on “SMEs + cybersecurity/digitalization”. |
Research splits into 4 clusters: (1) Industry 4.0 & smart factories, (2) Industry 4.0 & SMEs, (3) SMEs & cybersecurity practices, (4) SME digitalization & entrepreneurship. Increasing digitalization - higher cyber risk for SMEs, but current literature often treats these topics separately (tech adoption vs. security). Few studies integrate business innovation and security preparedness, indicating a silo effect. |
Identifies a gap: lack of integrated studies on SME digitalization and security. Predicts cybersecurity in SMEs will emerge as its own research stream, distinct from general digitalization research. Recommends bridging the gap by focusing future research on security as an integral part of SME digital transformation strategies. |
| Cybersecurity & Digitalization in SMEs |
| Guembe et al. 2025 [23] | Artificial Intelligence in cybersecurity, specifically AI-driven cyberattack and intrusion detection (2014–2024). | Comprehensive bibliometric review using Bibliometric/Bibliophagy (R). Co-authorship networks, keyword co-occurrence maps, and citation metrics analysed. Also used dominance factor for author influence. | Scopus (2014–2024): 2,338 documents (journals, conferences, etc.) on AI-based cyber defence. |
Machine learning & deep learning are the dominant approaches in cybersecurity, showing rapid growth in research interest. USA is the top-producing country, with India, China and others also major contributors. Strong collaboration networks among leading countries (USA–China–Europe etc.). High impact work from countries like Canada and Italy despite fewer papers (high citations per paper). Keywords show emphasis on network security, intrusion detection, IoT security, federated learning, etc., indicating trending research topics. |
Calls for future research in federated learning and privacy-preserving AI to secure IoT/IoMT systems. Notes the need to address emerging threats (e.g., adversarial attacks on AI) and to integrate AI with privacy/security by design. Suggests strengthening international collaborations and interdisciplinary approaches (combining AI with domain knowledge) to tackle complex cyber threats. |
| AI for Cyberattack Detection |
| Judijanto et al. 2024 [24] | Global landscape of cybersecurity research (2010–2024); evolution of research themes and international collaboration patterns. | VOS viewer used for network visualization (co-authorship, co-word, co-citation networks). Analysed publication counts, collaborative networks and topic clusters over time. | Scopus (2010–2024): cybersecurity-related publications worldwide. |
Dramatic growth in cybersecurity publications over the period, reflecting rising importance of security R&D. Shift in focus from basic IT security to advanced tech integration: recent literature heavily features AI, IoT, blockchain in cybersecurity context. Global collaboration network is mapped: USA, China, India, Germany, UK are key hubs driving research and cooperating internationally. Highlights the field’s increasingly interdisciplinary nature (technical, human, policy angles) to address complex cyber challenges. |
Stresses the need for continuous innovation and broad collaboration to keep pace with evolving threats. Recommends interdisciplinary approaches in future research – integrating fields (technical and human factors) and expanding analytical frameworks. Suggests using more diverse data sources (beyond just one index, and including real-time threat data) in bibliometric analyses to fully capture the fast-changing cybersecurity landscape. |
| Global Cybersecurity Research Mapping |
| Erdoğan & Akmeşe 2025 [25] | Cybercrime studies (2000–2023); literature on illegal cyber activities (hacking, cyber fraud, etc.) and countermeasures. | Bibliometric (R) and Excel for bibliometric analysis. Examined publication trends, prolific authors, top journals, citation counts; visualized author and country collaboration networks. | Web of Science (2000–2023): 2,566 publications on “cybercrime” related keywords. |
Steady long-term growth in cybercrime research output as cyber threats proliferate. Top author: K. Jaishankar (21 papers) – a leading scholar in cyber criminology. Leading journal: IEEE Access (151 papers on cybercrime); indicates a tech-oriented approach to cybercrime issues is common. Most-cited work on Stuxnet (cyber warfare), showing crossover between cybercrime and national security topics. Major contributing institutions and countries identified (e.g., strong output from certain universities and cross-country collaborations visualized); reflects an international research effort against cybercrime. |
Provides a baseline for future cybercrime research, helping identify less-explored topics. Implies need for further study in emerging crime areas (e.g., AI-enabled crimes, crypto crimes) as well as underrepresented regions, though specific future directions are general. Emphasizes using these findings to guide policy and research focus, given the dynamic nature of cybercrime (“moving target” requiring ongoing study). |
| Cybercrime Research Trends |
