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CERIAS Weekly Security Seminar - Purdue UniversityThe weekly CERIAS security seminar has been held every semester since spring of 1992. We invite personnel at Purdue and visitors from outside to present on topics of particular interest to them in the areas of computer and network security, computer crime Author: CERIAS
CERIAS -- the Nation's top-ranked interdisciplinary academic education and research institute -- hosts a weekly cyber security, privacy, resiliency or autonomy speaker, highlighting technical discovery, a case studies or exploring cyber operational approaches; they are not product demonstrations, service sales pitches, or company recruitment presentations. Join us weekly...or explore 25 years of archives for the who's-who in cybersecurity. Language: en-us Genres: Courses, Education, Technology Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Stephen Flowerday, The Hidden Laundromat at Play: how illicit value moves through online games
Episode 900
Wednesday, 19 November, 2025
Online video games have evolved into vast financial ecosystems where real and virtual value mix at scale. This presentation shows how these spaces serve as efficient laundering channels, converting illicit funds from organized crime, sanctions evasion, terrorist financing, and digital fraud into assets that appear legitimate. Illicit value typically enters via card not present transactions, stolen digital wallets, and scam revenues before it is routed into platform marketplaces. From there, funds convert into tradeable virtual assets such as cosmetics, currencies, loot boxes, and content bundles, which can be divided into thousands of rapid microtransactions. Widely cited estimates place illicit financial flows at 2 to 5 percent of global GDP (roughly $800 billion to $2 trillion a year), while in game spending will reach $74.4 billion in 2025, providing liquidity, speed, and plausible deniability. About the speaker: Stephen Flowerday is a Professor in the School of Computer and Cyber Sciences at Augusta University. His research focuses on cybersecurity management, cybercrime, behavioral information security, and human-centric cybersecurity at the intersection of technology, processes, and people. His work has been supported by IBM, THRIP, the NRF, SASUF, Erasmus, and GMRDC. He serves as an associate editor and frequent reviewer for leading journals and conferences, and has reviewed grants for the Israeli NSF, the South African NRF, the U.S. NSF, and Bahrain's DHE.
