Forecasting the Traits of Cyber Criminals Based on Case Studies

Introduction

The internet is probably the most powerful technological invention today and continues to change the daily life of almost everyone in the world. Millions of people use the Internet, and many thousands more enter the Internet daily. Not only has the Internet changed the way we interact with others and learn, but it has also permanently changed the way we live. As internet and computer technology continues to flourish; cyber guilty mind person has found ways to use this technology as a tool for their deviant actions. Cybercrime is a new type of crime that is committed using information or related technology. Cybercrime is different and more brutal than traditional / common crimes because crimes are committed electronically which makes it difficult to track and identify such type of cybercriminals. The most common type of cybercrime includes, data breach, cyber threat, identity theft, DDos attack etc. (Scarpitti et al., 2009) Within the realm of crime, there are several common theories that aim to explain why some people engage in illegitimate activity, while others avoid it. However, these theories were intended to explain the crimes committed in the ‘real world’, they are also applicable to cybercrime type of threat. These theories include differential association theory, community learning theory, low self-control theory, general strain theory, hypothesis of frustration anger, general work theory, crime prevention theory and rational choice theory. This chapter will consider the characteristics of the above ideas, to identify the most common causes of cybercrime.