Review the articles linked with each individual motive. Rank the
motives from 1 to 7 as the motives that you think make the most sense
(being 1) to the least sense (being 7). Explain why you rank each
motive the way you rank it.

The motive that makes the most sense to me, would have to be money. Financial profit is a primary motivation for many cyber attacks, leading me to believe that it’s one of, if not the top, motives. Cybercrimes that involve money include hacking into bank accounts, conducting ransomware attacks, and stealing personal information to commit identity theft and financial fraud.

The second greatest motive is politics. Some cybercriminals are driven by political beliefs. Cybercriminals with political motives tend to target government websites, organizations, or individuals to promote a particular agenda or cause.

Third, revenge. Individuals who have personal grievances or vendettas against someone may resort to cybercrime as a means of seeking revenge. Motives such as these lead to actions such as hacking into social media accounts, spreading false information, and launching harassment campaigns. A specific example would be revenge porn.

Boredom is the fourth-highest motive on my list. Individuals with advanced technical skills may engage in cybercriminal activities simply out of boredom or curiosity. They may explore hacking techniques and compromise systems without any specific goal in mind.

Next is entertainment or thrill. Some cybercriminals are motivated solely by the excitement and challenge of breaking into systems or networks. They may carry out for a dopamine rush or thrill, rather than any of the aforementioned motives.

One of the lower-ranked motives is recognition. A cybercriminal may sometimes commit a crime just for notoriety within the hacker community or on the internet. They may carry out attacks to gain attention or to establish a reputation for their skills.

Cybercriminals have other motives. This can be things such as social engineering and malware creation.