As the world grows closer to being more dependent on information systems, society exchanges old world problems for new problems. Being online is almost necessary to navigate this new world with every institution having its own app or strictly moving certain aspects of their business away from face-to-face communication. This means that participating in cybercrime becomes more enticing by the day with more victims awaiting unknown threats in their own pockets. The reading material gives examples of such motivations however some are more ubiquitous with criminal’s actual motivations than others.
Political (7) and Revenge (6) as motivations would fall into dead last. Though these motivations are connected to strong emotions and ideals, they pose too much of a risk for the rewards compared to the other motivations. Political attacks do not address an immediate personal need that could be met such as food and connection while requiring a threat actor to feel strongly enough for the said cause. Revenge as motivation is connected to a person’s ego being bruised, however the reactionary nature of the act can make those feelings very fleeting compared to the motivations above it.
Entertainment (5) and Boredom (4) are different however feed into each other. Seeking entertainment can be a product of boredom and being bored makes you seek out entertainment. Entertainment as a motivator falls flat due to the risk of committing serious and/or various cybercrimes not worth the reward for satisfying your boredom. Boredom goes in the middle of the pack because of its nature. One of the articles explained that children are notorious for this motivation but do not realize their severity until it is too late.
The Recognition (3) and For Money (2) categories are amongst the biggest motivators because they are deeply connected to the hierarchy of needs that we learned before. Recognition is related to the needs of “belonging” and “esteem” which are highlighted as huge motivators in multiple articles. An upgrade to one’s status amongst their peers and love interest have motivated persons for all human history. The For Money category is the second best because money allows one to accomplish the other needs as well as the physical needs of food and safety. With money more options are available to you in your everyday life, so it is a motivator for most people in general, not just criminals. With that said Multiple Reasons (1) is the penultimate motivator. As said above, these motivations often bleed together to push cyber criminals into committing crimes, and some are directly caused by the others. There is usually never a simple answer to human actions so people will always have a combination of motivations at once.
References
- Ben LoveJoy. (Jul 19 2021). Man behind LinkedIn scraping said he grabbed 700M profiles ‘for fun’. https://9to5mac.com/2021/07/19/man-behind-linkedin-scraping/
- The Economic Times. (Mar 26,2021). New generation of angry & youthful hackers join the ‘hacktivism’ wave, adding to cyber-security woes. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/new-generation-of-angry-youthful-hackers-join-the-hacktivism-wave-adding-to-cyber-security-woes/articleshow/81707844.cms
- News from Wales. (July 11, 2019). Revenge porn victims in Wales often feel ‘let down by the law’ as cybercrime slips through the net. https://newsfromwales.co.uk/revenge-porn-victims-in-wales-often-feel-let-down-by-the-law-as-cybercrime-slips-through-the-net/
- Nomahlubi Sonjica. (May 31, 2021). The Herald. Cyberbullying and online sexual grooming of children ‘on the increase’https://www.theherald.co.za/news/2021-05-31-cyberbullying-and-online-sexual-grooming-of-children-on-the-increase/
- The Register. (Jun 30, 2021). 8-month suspended sentence for script kiddie who DDoS’d Labor candidate in runup to 2019 UK general election. https://www.theregister.com/security/2021/06/30/8-month-suspended-sentence-for-script-kiddie-who-ddosd-labour-candidate-in-runup-to-2019-uk-general-election/760693
- Jennifer Carole. (Apr 11, 2018). Sex, Drugs and Toilet Rolls: How Cybercriminals Spend Their Money (infographic). HP Threat Research Blog. https://threatresearch.ext.hp.com/sex-drugs-and-toilet-rolls-how-cybercriminals-spend-their-money-infographic/
Kacy Zurkus. (Aug 15, 2018). What Drives Hackers to a Life of Cybercrime.https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/what-drives-hackers-to-a-life-of/?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=pmd_c1d89a4695edbd23f2bceb54d70f35ce5e536e86-1626721164-0-gqNtZGzNAfijcnBszQi6.