Cybercrimes And Cybercriminals

Cybercrimes and Cybercriminals

    ■ There have been many stories in the media about computer crime.
    ■ Sometimes hackers have been portrayed as “heroes”
    ■ Perceptions about hacking and computer crime are changing because of increased dependency on the Internet for our infrastructure.

A "Typical" Cybercriminal

    ■ Parker (1998) believes that typical computer hackers tend to exhibit three common traits:
        ■ Precociousness;
        ■ Curiosity;
        ■ persistence.
    ■ Many people conceive of the typical computer hacker as someone who is a very bright, technically sophisticated, young white male – as portrayed in the popular movie War Games.
    ■ Parker suggests that we carefully distinguish between hackers, as nonprofessional or "am- ateur" criminals, and professional criminals.
    ■ He points out that stereotypical computer hackers, unlike most professional criminals, are not generally motivated by greed.
    ■ He also notes that hackers seem to enjoy the "sport of joyriding," another characteristic that allegedly distinguishes stereotypical hackers from professional criminals.

    ■ Many computer criminals have been company employees, who were formerly loyal and trustworthy and who did not necessarily possess great computer expertise.
    ■ Some employees have been tempted by flaws in computer systems.
    ■ So in this case, opportunity more than anything else seems to have been the root cause of many individuals who have been involved in computer crimes.
    ■ If Forester and Morrison (1994) are correct, at least three categories for typical computer criminals are needed:
    ■ 1. (amateur) teenage hackers;
    ■ 2. professional criminals;
    ■ 3. (once) loyal employees who are unable to resist a criminal opportunity presented by cyber-technology.