Review the articles linked with each individual motive in the presentation page or Slide #3. 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.
Crime is a choice made by each individual person and would depend on personality and the severity of the crime. Cybercrime is no different, and the motives behind might vary but to some extents are similar. With the 7 motives that someone would commit a cybercrime, the following ranking is how I view each motive with 1 being the most sensible and 7 being the least.
- Multiple Reasons
- For Money
- Recognition
- Political
- Entertainment
- Boredom
- Revenge
Multiple reason is the most sensible motive as it ties in all the other 6 motives into one. Crime can be viewed from a psychological standpoint and the motives would basically be fed from our ego and our personal mind. With that being said, I put it first as it was a combination of all the other six motives. I chose money second, because I believe money is the root of all evil. The extent people would go for money is terrifying and is a motivator because money is required to live. The article mentions that 15% of cybercriminals use their money to purchase diapers and other living necessities. This statement is kind of sad but is understandable in today’s economy. If money is something that is required to live and if someone wants to live a life of comfort, I could see this being a very strong motivator. Like money, recognition is a similar motivator. Fame, money, the spotlight is all something that some people might strive for. If you see the way the world has been changing due to social media and everyone wanting to be an influencer, you can see how people view fame and recognition. Political reason is another great motivator and is something that I can see being second or third if it didn’t tie into money and recognition. The article mentions how the youth of today is joining the Hacktivism movement and it’s due to the growing displeasure at how the cybersecurity world operates. It’s an avenue for the voiceless to have their voice heard. If someone has the money and recognition, I wouldn’t think they would be motivated by political reasons as they have the required status to have their voice heard without making a movement. The entertainment motivation is a funny one, as it also ties into money solidifying money as the most common motivator, the article mentions Tom Liner and how he “hacked” and compiled a database from LinkedIn and was offering to sell it. He mentioned he did it for fun. I think for most people, if something fun is illegal and could be detrimental, people wouldn’t do it. Again, it all ties into psychology and understanding what’s right and wrong. The boredom and revenge in my opinion can be interchangeable as both are insensible as the articles mention’s grooming of kids and revenge porn. I believe both are just nefarious and should be no reason of motivation for anyone, but the internet is a scary place and people are crazy.