Individual Motives Behind Cybercrime — Ranked 1-8

#1 – For Money – I believe the number 1 motivation has to be the monetary factor. The world is run by money, and people are willing to go to any lengths to obtain it. This does not at all exclude cybercrime, which I believe to be one of the most common crimes to obtain money.

#2 – Political – Political messages are sent everyday, whether that is legally or illegally. People will do anything to voice their opinions, especially if it something they feel very strongly about.

#3 – Curiosity – I can recall countless times where I have seen criminals say they committed the crime “just to know what it feels like.” Cybercrime is included in this group, whether that be some teenage kid with a computer or someone with a cyber background, curiosity will always be one of man’s biggest motivators.

#4 – Revenge – Revenge crimes happen everyday in person and through the internet. I believe this to be a high motivator because of how easy it is to accomplish. A revenge cybercrime could be as simple as posting someone’s information online, or as extreme as stealing someone’s identity.

#5 – Recognition – Wanting to be recognized is, unfortunately, a HUGE part of criminal activity. This is something I believe leads back to childhood in what is known as psychodynamic theory. Whether this comes as cyber bullying, or cyber terrorism, criminals love to be known for their crimes. Often times this causes them to commit more severe crimes to get more people talking about it.

#6 – Entertainment – I have experienced this first hand, a lot of times the entertainment factor is through more casual cybercrimes. One time when I was on a video game, I remember two people on opposite teams got into an argument, and one of them proceeded to read out the other’s personal information while laughing about it.

#7 – Boredom – I believe boredom and entertainment go hand and hand. When someone is bored, they will at times go to far lengths to satisfy that itch.

#8 – Multiple Reasons – I did not want to put this any higher because there is never an instance where there is only one motivation behind a crime. All of these reasons listed go hand and hand with each other in some way. So instead I wanted to focus on the individual motivations themselves. However, if I am being honest, this is the #1 motivator.