Cybercrimes Related to Attacks on Electronic Signatures and Credit Card Data in E-Commerce (A Comparative Analytical Study in Light of Palestinian Legislation and Selected Arab Legislations)

Abstract

Despite the rapid expansion of e-commerce, electronic payment systems, and electronic authentication mechanisms, traditional criminal rules still face difficulties in addressing digital crimes related to attacks on electronic signatures and credit card data, while Arab legal scholarship continues to lack a comprehensive comparative assessment of the adequacy of legislative frameworks governing such crimes. This study aims to evaluate the adequacy of legal and criminal regulation in confronting e-commerce crimes related to attacks on electronic signatures and credit card data. The study adopts a descriptive analytical approach supported by a comparative method through the analysis of Palestinian legislation, Egyptian legislation, and selected Arab and foreign laws related to cybercrimes and electronic transactions. The study reveals that the intangible and cross-border nature of the digital environment weakens the effectiveness of traditional criminal rules, and that Palestinian and Egyptian legislation lack specialized criminal provisions that independently criminalize the unlawful acquisition of credit card data and advanced forms of attacks on electronic signatures, leading to reliance on traditional legal characterizations that do not always accommodate the specific nature of financially valuable digital data. The study further demonstrates the need for a more appropriate legislative and technical framework capable of strengthening criminal protection for electronic transactions and improving the legal treatment of digital crimes within Arab legal systems.