The "SeniorSafe AI Project" is developing an AI-based chatbot to assist senior citizens who have fallen victim to cybercrime. This project aims to create a scalable, open-source chatbot that will provide personalized support and guidance to victims while collecting data to help our team understand cybercrime victimology. The chatbot will offer stigma-free reporting, real-time advice, and cybersecurity education tailored to the needs of senior citizens. The system will be transparent, updated regularly, and designed to minimize bias. It will also serve as a resource for law enforcement agencies and advocacy groups by providing real-time data on emerging cybercrime trends. Working with colleagues from USF's School of Information Sciences, CIBR Lab students will help train the AI on the best practices in responding to cybercrime incidents.

Predicting cyber threats for individual users is complex due to the diversity in personal characteristics, scope of work, and habitual online activities. Utilizing computer simulation presents a unique opportunity to adjust a range of user-specific conditions and accurately model distinct behavioral traits. Students at the CIBR lab are currently using computer simulations to study phishing attacks through an innovative research methodology known as agent-based modeling. Leveraging insights gained from our lab's research, we aim to create detailed simulations of phishing and ransomware attacks in controlled environments, using sophisticated virtual actors to enhance the realism and applicability of our models. 

This project aimed to understand how video messages can influence people's motivation to protect themselves from potential risks, guided by Protection Motivation Theory (PMT). According to PMT, individuals are more likely to take protective action when they perceive a threat as serious, feel vulnerable to it, and believe the recommended actions will be effective. The project tested how different video messages affected viewers' emotions, particularly their fear, vulnerability, and the perceived severity of the threat. After watching the videos, participants reported feeling more vulnerable and viewing the risks as more serious, especially a video that showed the victim impact of a phishing attack. These results suggest that carefully crafted video messages can increase awareness and potentially encourage protective behavior in viewers.