Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
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Asymmetrical adversarialism
Cyber-terrorism
Blackmail
Destruction
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13.5.3.1
Computer Criminal Psychology
Criminal psychology has not changed, only now criminals have new tools and targets
in information technology. Some tools facilitate the exploitation of computers and
some tools use computers to facilitate non-computer-based crimes.
“Researchers have developed numerous classification systems that group hackers
according to their skill levels, motivations, and goals into independent categories
ranging from neophyte hackers to professional cyber-terrorists.” Dr. Ron Ross of
NIST points out that cyberspace attacks are becoming more sophisticated, but the
attackers are not. The reason for this is a repository of sophisticated cyber-attack tools
available on the Internet that are readily available and easy to use. IA justification
resides in the readily available repository of attack tools, readily available to both the
concerted effort and the merely curious.
he
Hacker's Manifesto
was written in 1986, over 20 years ago. The hacker men-
tality has been around for a long time, and a whole hacker generation has grown
up living the
Hacker's Manifesto
. In paraphrase, the manifesto expresses lack of
satisfaction and tolerance for a teaching system that does not give them what they
want. There is a desire to take over the (cyber) world and general dissatisfaction
with being labeled criminals for hacking: “You build atomic bombs, you wage wars,
you murder, you cheat, and lie to us and try to make us believe it's for our own
good, yet we're the criminals.” They justify their actions saying that the principle
of technical ability equates to the right to exercise that ability: “My crime is that of
judging people by what they say and think, not what they look like. My crime is
that of outsmarting you, something that you will never forgive me for.” The mani-
festo ends with a resolute solidarity, “I am a hacker, and this is my manifesto. You
may stop this individual, but you can't stop us all.”
This manifesto is a straightforward proclamation that technical capability
equates to the right to exercise that capability. Why do you climb Mt. Everest?
Because it is there. Why does a hacker break into your system? Because he can.
Door locks keep out the merely curious but do little to dissuade the burglar with
a specific objective. Likewise, standard IA mechanisms do succeed in keeping out
the casually curious. This is a valid justification for IA. For many companies, keep-
ing out the merely curious is enough. For many more companies, keeping out the
merely curious is just the beginning of more sophisticated IA.
Campbell, Quinn, and Kennedy, David M.,
The Psychology of Computer Criminals
, p. 6-18.
http://www.technozen.com/manifesto.htm.
