Each person is different and finds motivation to commit cybercrimes, usually for more than one reason. For example, the hacker claims that the cyber-attack was politically motivated but, at the same time, earned a decent financial reward for their effort. The secondary driving factor for cybercriminals is monetary gain since they have to make a living. Once they see that it is easy money, it becomes a slippery slope when paying the bills isn’t enough. The third most popular reason is for recognition of their efforts because most cybercriminals want to show the world their true capabilities.
Politically motivated cyber-attacks are ranked next, whether hacktivists trying to bankrupt a company they believe is morally corrupt or its government-sanctioned threat actors seeking to destabilize an adversary’s government. Revenge is ranked fifth, with hackers breaking into celebrity cloud accounts and leaking their nude photos on popular social media sites. Entertainment and boredom are tied for last because we try to find enjoyment when bored.