Understanding the Connection Between Hackers and Their
Hacks:
Relation to the Principles of Social Science:
Within this article the scientist used many principles of social science. Firstly, the article is based
on relativism. The relation between the characteristics between hackers and their hacks. It is
objective in nature. They are set out on studying cybercriminals, and the statistics shown are
shown objectively. They based their results on the statistics provided, and not emotion.
Research Questions:
Though there were many questions asked in this study, the study itself revolved around two
major questions. What is the relationship between the characteristics of a hacker and the
characteristics of the hack itself? How do the characteristics of the hacker relate to the attack
sophistication? (Gerstenfeld, 2023, p. 60)
Research Methods:
Within this study, Gerstenfeld uses content analysis by reading text, interviewing “ex-
hackers”, and analyzes the data firsthand accounts in a quantitative manner.
Data Collection and Analysis:
In this study, Gerstenfeld uses quantitative analysis to by using statistics about the hacker (age,
gender, location) compared to the types of hacks and their sophistication level.
Concepts Related to the Article
A concept that I believe relates best to the slides would be victim precipitation. Though it
does not directly link hackers and their victims, it mentions follow-up access with regard to the
hacker. That said, it would be more likely to predict if the hacker will attempt to access a system,
or retain their access based on the sophistication and nature of the hack.
A concept that I believe relates best to the slides would be victim precipitation. Though it
does not directly link hackers and their victims, it mentions follow-up access with regard to the
hacker. That said, it would be more likely to predict if the hacker will attempt to access a system,
or retain their access based on the sophistication and nature of the hack.
Challenges, and Concerns:
The challenges and concerns I found with this study are the fact that scientists have little
headway when identifying hacker characteristics. This is due to many factors, but due to us being
enshrined in the digital age, we need more studies like this to predict and deter hackers based on
personal characteristics.
Challenges, and Concerns:
The challenges and concerns I found with this study are the fact that scientists have little
headway when identifying hacker characteristics. This is due to many factors, but due to us being
enshrined in the digital age, we need more studies like this to predict and deter hackers based on
personal characteristics.
Contributions:
I believe this contributes to forecasting where the hacking community will continue to grow.
Being able to place characteristics with the sophistication of most hacks helps us see the future
with regard to hacking.
References:
Gerstenfeld, J. (2023). Understanding the connection between hackers and their hacks:
Analyzing USDOJ. International Journal of Cybersecurity Intelligence and Cybercrime,
6(1), 59-76. Retrieved from
https://vc.bridgew.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1157&context=ijcics