Psychology of cybercriminals
Psychologists who conducted a study at Danube University (Australia) suggest that the hacker mind is identical to that of a burglar or pickpocket. Unfortunately, unlike other crimes, cybercrime profiling is hard because there are many different types of hacker and various motivations behind their actions. Typically hackers are divided into White Hats (virtual vigilantes who like to fix things and solve problems for the greater good of the computing community and its resources), Black Hats (malicious hackers just out for power and to destroy things) and Grey Hats (reformed ex-Black Hats now working as security consultants), but of course there are many hacker types including virus and malware writers, unhappy ex/current employees and cyber terrorists etc.
Hurtful and scarring childhood experiences, stressors in work and at home (e.g., divorce, money worries etc. Depending on the hacker, it can be about financial gain, covering up an error, damaging a company’s assets or reputation just because they can, proving a point, whistleblowing (indeed, ideology plays more of a factor with millennial hackers, such as Edward Snowden, the former NSA contractor who exposed the agency’s surveillance of American citizens)
