“Pravova derzhava”. Issue 37 (2026), pages 882–892.

DOI: 10.33663/0869-2491-2026-37-882-892

Tetruev Kirill
Illegal behavior in the field of information technologies: approaches to understanding

ISSN online: 2617-9776 print: 0869-2491

The rapid development of information technologies and the deep digitalization of social relations have fundamentally transformed the nature of unlawful conduct, giving rise to new forms of illegal activity in cyberspace. Traditional legal concepts, designed for acts committed in the physical world, increasingly fail to adequately capture the dynamic, multi-layered and technologically mediated character of offenses carried out through digital infrastructures.

The aim of the article is to provide a theoretical and methodological rethinking of approaches to understanding and qualifying unlawful behavior in the field of information technologies, with a focus on overcoming the limitations of formalistic and purely technical classifications of cyber offenses.

The article substantiates that unlawful conduct in the IT sphere should be conceptualized as a complex, multi-phase and hybrid process combining technical actions, information influence and behavioral strategies. A conceptual model of cyber offense structure is developed, which identifies successive phases of preparation, active impact, masking and formation of consequences. It is demonstrated that the growth of technical complexity and algorithmic mediation of digital acts directly correlates with an increased risk of errors in legal qualification, particularly in determining subjectivity, the moment of completion of the offense and the degree of social harm. The research also formulates criteria for identifying the hybrid nature of digital offenses, taking into account the level of algorithmic autonomy, decentralization, masking techniques and procedural dynamics.

The study concludes that effective qualification of unlawful behavior in the field of information technologies requires an adaptive legal model that integrates criminal law analysis with technical and informational assessment of digital processes. The proposed approach contributes to the development of a more accurate and systematic understanding of cyber offenses and can be used to improve law enforcement practices, the evaluation of digital evidence and the overall effectiveness of criminal law responses to contemporary cyber threats.

Keywords: unlawful conduct, legal system, national security, law enforcement, cybercrime, information technology, qualification, digital evidence, criminal law.

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Дата першого надходження рукопису до видання: 08.01.2026
Дата прийнятого до друку рукопису після рецензування: 03.03.2026
Дата публікації: 24.03.2026