Tom Holt

Professor of Criminal Justice Michigan State University

  • East Lansing MI

Thomas J. Holt is an expert in Cybercrime, Cyberterror, and Information Warfare Researcher

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Spotlight

2 min

Hacking billionaires and the link between Bezos, Iran and what’s next for America

It’s becoming the ultimate he said/she said between the ultra-rich and world elite. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is claiming Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman hacked his phone via WhatsApp. The motive seems routed to the murdering of the Washington Post’s journalist Jamal Khashoggi. However, as the billionaires debate and deflect what actually happened, the event should be a warning sign of what could be on the horizon. America is still on guard and expecting retaliation in one form or another from the assassination of General Qasem Soleimani, and online attacks and targeting cellphones could be the preferred method from America’s enemies abroad. “We should expect attacks from Iranian hackers or those sympathetic to their cause who appear to be civilians without nation state sponsorship will hit low level targets on the basis of ideological/national pride,” says Michigan State University’s Thomas J. Holt. “There will likely be nation-state sponsored attacks though it is unclear how quickly they will launch or how effective they may be.” This is an area that is familiar with American military and intelligence circles, Holt further explains. “Historically the U.S. has been involved in cyber-attacks that are able to severely affect Iranian capabilities, such as Stuxnet. Their counterattacks have been less public and seemingly less effective. However, they’ve already begun as with that web defacement against a US government website reported last week that appears to have Iranian ties or origination.” And as America waits and watches... What are the obvious and perhaps not so obvious approaches to breaching American cyber-security that we can expect? Will it be app based? Will the general public be a target or is it in the best interests to hit higherand more visible properties? And if Jeff Bezos and all of his resources are vulnerable – is there any true way to ensure anyone is safe online? There is a lot to be explored as this story progresses and if you are a journalist covering this topic – then let our experts help. Thomas J. Holt is a professor in the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University whose research focuses on computer hacking, malware, and the role of the Internet in facilitating all manner of crime and deviance. Professor Holt is available to speak with media about these issues – simply click on his icon to arrange an interview today.

Tom Holt

3 min

If Iran counterattacks on-line – what should we expect and what are the likely targets?

Since the drone ordered attack and killing of Iran’s Qassem Suleimani, American authorities have been waiting for the promised retaliation from Iran. Though embassies and properties abroad — especially in the Middle East — are on heightened alert, it could be in cyberspace where the first strike takes place. The Department of Homeland Security issued a bulletin from its National Terrorism Advisory System. “Iran maintains a robust cyber program and can execute cyber attacks against the United States,” the alert said. “Iran is capable, at a minimum, of carrying out attacks with temporary disruptive effects against critical infrastructure in the United States.” Another bullet point noted that “an attack in the homeland may come with little or no warning.” Shortly after, hackers claiming to be affiliated with Iran took over the Web site of the Federal Depository Library Program, an American government agency that distributes government publications, and inserted a picture of Trump being punched in the face, with blood dripping from his mouth. “Martyrdom,” the accompanying message read, was Suleimani’s “reward for years of implacable efforts. With his departure and with God’s power, his work and path will not cease, and severe revenge awaits those criminals who have tainted their filthy hands with his blood and the blood of the other martyrs of last night’s incident.” The hackers signed off with an additional threat: “This is only [a] small part of Iran’s cyber ability! We’re always ready.” It was a sophomoric attack on an obscure federal agency, but those last two sentences are unassailable. January 06 – The New Yorker Michigan State University’s Thomas J. Holt is a professor in the School of Criminal Justice and a renowned expert in the areas of hacking and cybercrime. He shared his opinion on what could be next from Iran.   “We should expect attacks from Iranian hackers (or those sympathetic to their cause) who appear to be civilians without nation state sponsorship will hit low level targets on the basis of ideological/national pride,” says Holt. "There will likely be nation-state sponsored attacks though it is unclear how quickly they will launch or how effective they may be. Historically the US has been involved in cyberattacks that are able to severely affect Iranian capabilities, such as Stuxnet. Their counterattacks have been less public and seemingly less effective. However, they’ve already begun as with that web defacement against a US government website reported Sunday that appears to have Iranian ties or origination.” What comes next, what gets hit and when – has a lot of people watching and waiting – and if you are a reporter covering this topic, that’s where our experts can help with your questions, stories and ongoing coverage. Thomas J. Holt is a professor in the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University whose research focuses on computer hacking, malware, and the role of the Internet in facilitating all manner of crime and deviance. His work has been published in various journals including Crime and Delinquency, Deviant Behavior, the Journal of Criminal Justice, and Youth and Society. Professor Holt is available to speak with media about these issues – simply click on his icon to arrange an interview today.

Tom Holt

1 min

Covering cyber-security and internet crime? Let our expert help with your stories

The internet just turned 50 and along with the celebration and progress comes with it concern about crime, cyber-security and how all that data that’s moving along the information super-highway is kept secure. It seems every almost daily now there are stories of data-breaches, corporations being hacked, computers being held ransom and rogue nations looking to steal secrets or even launch attacks online. Beyond personal security, the world is on heightened alert around countries' elections, as international interference has become a real threat to national security. If you’re a journalist covering this beat – let one of the leading experts in the country help with your stories. Thomas J. Holt is a professor in the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University whose research focuses on computer hacking, malware, and the role of the Internet in facilitating all manner of crime and deviance. His work has been published in various journals including Crime and Delinquency, Deviant Behavior, the Journal of Criminal Justice, and Youth and Society. Professor Holt is available to speak with media about these issues – simply click on his icon to arrange an interview today.

Tom Holt
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Media

Biography

Thomas J. Holt is a professor in the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University whose research focuses on computer hacking, malware, and the role of the Internet in facilitating all manner of crime and deviance. His work has been published in various journals including Crime and Delinquency, Deviant Behavior, the Journal of Criminal Justice, and Youth and Society.

Industry Expertise

Research
Education/Learning

Areas of Expertise

Terror
Malware
Information Warfare
Cybercrime
Identity Theft
Cyberterror
Fraud
Hacking

Education

University of Missouri-Saint Louis

Ph.D.

Criminology and Criminal Justice

University of Missouri-Saint Louis

M.A.

Criminology and Criminal Justice

University of Missouri-Saint Louis

B.S.

Criminology and Criminal Justice

News

What's the most significant hack in history?

Gizmodo  online

2021-06-21

Which hack can claim to being the most destructive? What was, in other words, the most significant hack of all time? For this week’s Giz Asks, we reached out to a number of experts to find out. Thomas J. Holt, director and professor of criminal Justice at Michigan State University, whose research focuses on computer hacking and malware, among other things: “The first that comes to mind is the Morris worm, from 1988. A college student named Robert Tappan Morris wrote a piece of code that he claimed he thought would simply ping servers and assess the size of the internet at that time. But there was either a deliberate or unfortunate error in the code, and instead of simply pinging and reporting back, it started to replicate and spread, and effectively caused a denial-of-service attack against almost the entire internet.”

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MSU hosts annual cybersecurity conference

MSU Today  online

2017-02-14

Criminal justice professor Thomas Holt, the conference organizer and presenter, said it is important to bring every field together to discuss ways to understand the practices of cybercriminals and the best responses to minimize their attacks against computers and networks.

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Female forensic scientists stressed more than males

MSU Today  

2016-08-18

“It’s not clear why female scientists reported more stress than males,” said Thomas J. Holt, MSU professor of criminal justice, “though it may stem from differences in the experiences of female scientists who are not sworn law-enforcement officers working in a quasi-military structure where more males are sworn officers, particularly in supervisory roles.”...

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Research Focus

Cybercrime and Cybersecurity

My research focuses on cybercrime and cybersecurity, with an emphasis on the human aspects of offending and victimization. I also examine aspects of technology use and terrorism, as well as the use of the Internet by nation-states and extremist actors.

Research Grants

Responding to cybercrime: Perceptions and needs of Australian police and the general community.

Australian Institute of Criminology

2017-2019
Cross, Cassandra, Anastasia Powell, and Thomas J. Holt.

Adolescents becoming delinquent online

Australian Research Council

2017-2020
Goldsmith Andrew (PI), Russell Brewer, Jessie Cale, and Thomas J. Holt (Co-PI)

Situational Crime Prevention Framework for Automotive Cybersecurity

Ford Motor Company

2017-2019
Chen, Betty (PI), Thomas J. Holt, (Co-PI), and Jay P. Kennedy

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Journal Articles

Exploring the Factors Associated With Rejection From a Closed Cybercrime Community

International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology

Thomas J. Holt & Benoit Dupont

2018

Research examining the illicit online market for cybercrime services operating via web forums, such as malicious software, personal information, and hacking tools, has greatly improved our understanding of the practices of buyers and sellers, and the social forces that structure actor behavior. The majority of these studies are based on open markets, which can be accessed by anyone with minimal barriers to entry. There are, however, closed communities operating online that are thought to operate with greater trust and reliability between participants, as they must be vetted and approved by existing community members.

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Testing an Integrated Self-Control and Routine Activities Framework to Examine Malware Infection Victimization

Social Science Computer Review

Thomas J. Holt, et al.

2018

Recent research demonstrates that those with low self-control have an increased risk of victimization due to involvement in routine activities that place them in close proximity to motivated offenders and decrease their willingness to utilize appropriate guardianship factors. This relationship is significant in predicting physical forms of victimization, though few studies have considered how this may account for property offenses, particularly forms of cybercrime which may be hidden from victims.

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Examining the utility of social control and social learning in the radicalization of violent and non-violent extremists

Dynamics of Asymmetric Conflict

Thomas J. Holt, et al.

2018

Research on radicalization to accept extremist ideologies has expanded dramatically over the last decade, particularly attempts to theorize pathways to violence. These models are complex, and contain aspects of key criminological frameworks including social learning and social control theories. At the same time, they do reconcile the inherent differences in these frameworks, requiring research to examine how these models could be combined and the utility in using an integrated model to account for radicalization as a whole.

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