Cybercriminals psyche - is money the only motivation?

Hey cyberpookies! So, recently I watched Mindhunter on Netflix and what a series! The series takes a deep dive into psyche of criminals, well more into sequence killers. It made me question why 'cybercriminals' commit crime? Is it only about money or there’s something far sinister in the world of cyberspace?

In a dark room with couple of neon lights, a girl in hoodie is working on a laptop.

Today, we will start with the basics of criminal minds, the reasons behind their crimes, sociological elements. Along with mental and economical ones and ultimately dive into the psyche of cybercriminals.

Introduction

A criminal that does crime for personal gains, and a criminal that does crime for no reason. Before uncovering the factors which lead criminals to the crime, we’ll understand the crime, criminals through the criminology.

Crime is why we have laws today. As we all know humans are social animals, and conflicts are a fact in society. So to secure our state or society from the conflicts between individual’s will against the community at large, we made laws. Or in the words of renowned jurist, Blackstone, “Crime as an act committed or omitted in violation of a public law either forbidding or commanding it.”

Types of Criminals

One should keep it in mind that criminal classification has evolved over time to modern day intrinsic statistical one. However, the main categories of criminals divides into by the type of crime, by motivation and by the frequency that they commit it. We’ll go with the most known earliest classification of Cesare Lombroso, the criminologist who classified criminals into four types -

Born Criminals: Characterized by the physical stigmata which is associated with atavism and viewed as biologically fated for the life of crime.
Insane Criminals: Who lack physical traits of the former but due to mental illnesses or psychological disorders contributes to criminal behavior as well.
Occasional Criminals: Who commit crime because of influence with specific environmental or situational factors.
Criminals by Passion: Where actions are motivated with intense emotions such as anger, revenge or love, setting them specifically apart from those who have inherent biological tendencies.

Criminology

Why do we need to know about the reasons behind the psyche of criminals to commit crime? And can we really know what’s behind a criminal's psyche when it is impossible to know of a man's thoughts? Criminology is the science of why, what, how behind the crime and the criminals.

And according to criminology, one of the ongoing research is whether criminals are born or form? There are complex individual, social, economic, and political factors that contribute to criminal behavior along with the theories related from psychological and biological explanations to sociological perspectives on poverty, inequality, and social disorganization.

However, today we are focusing on a different ongoing research and that is ‘impact of technology on crime’ where we’ll dive into the rabbit hole of cybercrime. Why does a hacker hack a computer? Is it purely for monetary reasons or is there some other ‘why’ phenomena behind the cybercriminals?

Cybercriminals

Cybercriminals are those that commit crime in cyberspace beyond the tangible bounds of a world that is without walls. In other words, cybercriminals are individuals or hackers who commit cybercrime, which is a criminal activity – that either targets or uses a computer, a computer network, or a networked device. Most are motivated by financial gain, but some aim to damage systems for other reasons.

Types of Cyber Criminals

Here we have divided each type of cybercriminals into distinct categories. Beware, the list is quite long.

Based on Motivation Cybercriminals:

➥ Financially Motivated Cybercriminals: Individual Financial Gain.

Credit Card Fraudsters, Identity Thieves, Phishers and Scammers, Online Banking Fraudsters, Investment and Cryptocurrency Scammers, and E-commerce Fraudsters.

➥ Organized Cybercrime Groups:

Ransomware Operators, Cyber Extortionists, Carding Rings, Money Laundering Networks, Botnet Operators.

➥ Ideologically or Politically Motivated Cybercriminals:

Hacktivists, Targeting government agencies, corporations or organizations to promote a political or social agenda.

➥ State-Sponsored Cyber Actors:

Cyber Espionage, Intellectual Property Theft, Sabotage Critical Infrastructure, or Engage in Cyber Warfare on behalf of National Governments.

➥ Revenge-Motivated Cybercriminals:

To retaliate against individuals, organizations, or former employers.

➥ Thrill-Seeking or Ego Driven Hackers:

Those who engage for challenge, recognition or to prove their technical skills within the hacking community.

Based on Skills and Techniques:

➥ Script Kiddies, Novice Hackers, Gray Hat Hackers, Black Hat Hackers, White Hat Hackers, Social Engineers, Malware Developers, and Cyrptojackers.

Based on Targets:

➥ Cybercriminals Targeting Individuals, Cybercriminals Targeting Businesses, and Cybercriminals Targeting Governments and Critical Infrastructure.

Specific Types Based on Crime:

➥ Cyberstalkers and Online Harassers, Distributors of Illegal content, Online Election Interference Actors, Cyber Terrorists, Insider Threats.

Challenges to Categorization of Cybercriminals:

Overlapping Categories: There are many cybercriminals that fall into multiple categories.
Evolving Tactics: And today’s rapidly changing world the techniques and targets of cybercriminals are constantly changing making it a continuous challenge to categorize them definitively.
Anonymity: This is one of the biggest challenges as the anonymity afforded by the internet can make it difficult to determine the exact type and motivation of a cybercriminal.

Cybercriminal's Motivations

The categorization gives a little idea on what are the motives of a Cybercriminal to commit a crime, however to know why we have to dig a little deeper. These are the following factors that come into play to know more about if a criminal is born or formed.

Legal Factors: The foundation of Criminality.

A criminal is becomes a criminal because when they commit acts that are prohibited by cybercrime legislation.
Mens Rea (Intent): A criminal liability requires a “guilty mind” (Mens Rea). In simple words, a cybercriminal must have intended to commit the prohibited act.
Actus Rea: This refers to the “guilty act” itself – the evidence of actual commission of the cybercrime.

Criminological Factors: The ‘Why’

These are the factors which explain the underlying reasons or circumstances that contribute to an individual engaging in cybercriminal behavior. This doesn’t define the ‘criminal status’ but rather helps understanding the why phenomenon.

➥ Psychological Factors:

Personality Traits: According to a meta-analysis of 2024 where a relationship between personality traits and cyberbullying was conducted. It was seen how personality traits like Neuroticism, Machiavellianism, Psychopathy, and Narcissism were risk factors.
Psychopathology: This study analyses how psychopathy is a factor in cybercrime and cyber abuse. Some cybercriminals may have underlying mental health issues or personality disorders that are contributing to their antisocial online behavior.
Rationalization and Neutralization: The cognitive technique to justify their act, minimizing feelings of guilt or responsibility.
Thrill-Seeking and Challenge: Some cybercriminals are after the sense of excitement and accomplishment that comes with the acts of hacking and overcoming security measures.
Perceived Anonymity and Deindividuation: The online environment creates a sense of anonymity, reducing inhibitions and making cybercriminals feel less accountable.

➥ Social and Environmental Factors:

Differential Association and Learning: The interactions in online or offline environments can influence an individual to learn criminal behavior and norms.
Social Strain Theory: An individual may engage in cybercrime as a means of achieving their goals if they are holding in the feeling of frustration, anger, or lack of opportunities.
Subcultural influences: Some subcultures normalize and even glorify cybercriminal activities which influences many individuals.
Exposure to Cybercrime: Witnessing or being a victim can also sometimes lead individuals to the path of cybercrime.
Availability of Resources and Opportunities: Accessibility of hacking tools, tutorials, and online forums helps the aspiring cybercriminals.

➥ Economic Factors:

Financial Gain: This is a primary motivator for most cybercriminals.
Economic Inequality: Economic disparity is another factor that contributes to cybercriminals as a means of financial survival or advancement.

➥ Technological Factors:

Anonymity and Pseudonymity: Ability to operate online under pseudonyms and through anonymizing technologies reduces the perceived risks of detection and apprehension.
Global Reach: Borderless nature of the internet allows cybercriminals to target victims and systems across the world which complicates jurisdiction and efforts of law enforcement.
Evolving Technology: Constant development of new technologies are creating new vulnerabilities and opportunities for cybercrime.

Now, after the ‘why’ factors, what do you think, are criminals born or formed?

Conclusion

A cybercriminal becomes a ‘criminal’ because they commit prohibited acts. However, the ‘why’ phenomenon behind the cybercriminal can be understood through the psychological, social, economic, and technological factors that contribute to this behavior. So, this is why using Criminals for knowledge and insights to assess the criminal minds is important. And as the character Bill Tench said in Mindhunter – “how do we get ahead of ‘crazy’ if we don't know how ‘crazy’ thinks?”

This is a quote of character Bill Tench who says the following in Mindhunter – “how do we get ahead of ‘crazy’ if we don't know how ‘crazy’ thinks?”