What is the profile of a computer criminal?

Answer 1

The typical profile given for a hacker is a young male, typically a loner, somewhat deviant, and who has poor social skills. But that is only a start and does not tell the whole story. Some are the self-styled mavericks, some are white collar professionals, and some are con men and scammers. So their motives vary.

According to taxonomists such as Marcus Rogers, there are at least 8 types of computer criminals. They are:

1. Novices - They rely on rootkits, they have little actual computer knowledge, they may be looking for media exposure, and they may cause extensive damage because they don't know what they are doing.

2. Cyber-punks - They typically understand the systems they are hacking and can write code. They are likely to be involved in fraud, and they typically want bragging rights.

3. Company insiders, type A - These are company insiders. They may be disgruntled employees of IT jobs who use their privileges to help them in their criminal endeavors.

4. Company insiders, type B - They are petty thieves who work in an IT capacity and are computer literate. They may be opportunistic and motivated by greed, and they may have a drug habit or gambling debts.

5. Coders - They mentor the newbies, write tools that others use, and are motivated by power and prestige. They tend to have hidden agendas and use Trojan horses.

6. Old guard hackers - They seem to have no real criminal intent, but little respect for the property of others either. Their main motivation is intellectual.

7. Professional criminals - They are likely to specialize in corporate espionage, and usually are available for hire by others. They have access to sophisticated equipment. They are also highly motivated and skilled.

8. Cyber-terrorists - A good number of these are from Europe where they may have been a part of intelligence agencies. Their motivations are mainly political in nature though they may engage in criminal activities for income. They use hacking as a form of political activism.