We’re constantly reading stories about hackers ripping off personal information and stealing money. In September, we even heard that someone broke into a certain vice presidential candidate’s e-mail account.

http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1842097,00.html

I must confess a certain intellectual curiosity concerning who these hackers actually are. Their psychological makeup if you will. After all, we wouldn’t be in business if it weren’t for these criminals.

However, it turns out that most hackers don’t view themselves as criminals. USA Today has a fantastic read on the mind-set of the two cyber thieves recently busted for stealing tens of millions of credit card numbers from TJX and other retailers two years ago.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/computersecurity/hacking/2008-10-22-hackers-mindset-data-theft_N.htm

Subject No. 1 is 27-year-old Albert Gonzalez, a Cuban-American who was previously arrested in 2003 on other credit card fraud charges. Seems to me that when Mr. Gonzalez is released, he should consider choosing another career. Because cybercrime is hardly profitable when you’re sitting in prison.   

Subject No. 2 is Irving Jose Escobar, who has amassed a pretty impressive rap sheet during his 20 years on the planet, including a home invasion robbery and—you guessed it—“illegal use of a credit card,” according to the paper. Ditto on the new career advice for Mr. Escobar.

Both of these men adamantly claim their innocence. And both claim the system that penalized them for stealing millions of dollars is corrupt. USA Today says many hackers are “young men…who think they’re doing the system a favor by exposing flaws and have no qualms about opportunities to exploit rich Westerners.”

Indeed, one cybercrime expert, David Perry, says most hackers “simply believe they are showing vulnerabilities in the system.” (And netting a nice paycheck in the process.)

Gonzalez and Escobar aren’t the only people charged with cybercrimes who are delusional. In July, a city of San Francisco computer engineer was recently arrested for withholding crucial access codes to a network that handles 60 percent of the city’s data. The engineer, Terry Childs, claimed he was protecting San Francisco by keeping the mayor and others out of the system.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/22/BAGF11T91U.DTL

The study of hacker personalities has even been debated in academia. Some professors have classified hackers into different groups, just like they have for violent criminals. Take a look at this Wired story from 1999.

http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/1999/01/17427

I don’t know if better knowing the psychology of a hacker better prepares you to defend against them. But it certainly doesn’t hurt.

'Til next time,
Joan
The eSecurity Diva