Innovative Cybersecurity Frameworks for Protecting Cross-Border Digital Payments
Creators: name: Hakak, Mohsin
Publisher: name: figshare
Year: 2025
Subjects: classificationCode: 460909
subject: Information systems philosophy, research methods and theory
classificationCode: 460906
subject: Information systems education
classificationCode: 460999
subject: Information systems not elsewhere classified

description: The proliferation of <b>cross-border digital payments</b> has fundamentally reshaped the global financial ecosystem, enabling seamless, real-time transactions across diverse jurisdictions. However, this increased interconnectivity has concurrently escalated <b>cybersecurity threats</b>, exposing financial institutions, payment service providers, and regulatory bodies to <b>advanced persistent threats (APTs), data breaches, ransomware attacks, deepfake fraud, and regulatory compliance challenges</b>. The inherently fragmented nature of international payment infrastructures—coupled with <b>inconsistent regulatory oversight, third-party integrations, and decentralized finance (DeFi) models</b>—further amplifies systemic vulnerabilities, necessitating the development of <b>robust, adaptive, and scalable cybersecurity frameworks</b>.This research undertakes a <b>comprehensive security assessment of cross-border digital payments</b>, critically analyzing the efficacy of existing cybersecurity standards such as <b>Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), Revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2), ISO 27001, SWIFT Customer Security Programme (CSP), and the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (NIST CSF)</b>. The study further explores <b>emerging security paradigms</b> by integrating <b>blockchain security architectures, AI-driven fraud detection algorithms, zero-trust network access (ZTNA) models, and quantum-safe cryptographic methodologies</b> to mitigate evolving cyber threats.Utilizing a <b>hybrid research methodology</b>, this study synthesizes <b>qualitative and quantitative data sources</b>, including <b>cybersecurity incident reports, empirical case studies, structured interviews with industry experts, and survey-based threat intelligence from financial institutions and digital payment providers</b>. The research employs <b>statistical risk modeling, adversarial simulations, cryptographic protocol evaluations, and machine learning-based fraud detection analyses</b> to systematically evaluate security gaps and propose <b>next-generation cybersecurity strategies</b> for <b>cross-border digital transaction ecosystems</b>.Preliminary findings suggest that the implementation of <b>blockchain-based transaction validation, AI-powered anomaly detection, zero-trust architectures, and post-quantum encryption protocols</b> significantly enhances <b>payment security resilience, fraud mitigation efficiency, and regulatory compliance adherence</b>. Furthermore, the study underscores the necessity for <b>a harmonized global cybersecurity governance model</b>, facilitating <b>real-time threat intelligence sharing, risk-based authentication mechanisms, and adaptive security orchestration</b> across international financial networks.This research has profound implications for <b>financial institutions, regulatory agencies, cybersecurity policymakers, and fintech innovators</b>, providing a <b>strategic security blueprint</b> to enhance the <b>integrity, confidentiality, and availability of cross-border digital payments</b>. By bridging the gap between <b>regulatory compliance frameworks and emerging technological innovations</b>, this study contributes to the <b>next-generation evolution of digital payment security</b>, ensuring <b>long-term financial stability, transaction transparency, and consumer trust in the global digital economy</b>.