"Profiling Hackers"

The Science of Criminal Profiling as Applied to the World of Hacking

18 November 2008. The debate on hacking, the activity of breaking into computer systems and databases, is constantly expanding as new security issues for information technology arise. However, the notion of hacking still remains unclear. Confusion surrounding the topic owes to the fact that it is considerably less studied, observed, analysed. Consequently, the problem of hacking is frequently not addressed in the appropriate manner. Misconceptions of hackers and their activities are undeniably at the root of the problem, as decoding hackers' features, thoughts and behaviour is a complex procedure. Profiling Hackers: the Science of Criminal Profiling as Applied to the World of Hacking, aims to tease out issues of hacking by combining in a concise way the behavioural science of criminal profiling with computer and information technology.

Based on the "Hackers' Profiling Project" which started a couple of years ago, the authors of the book present the outcomes in-depth. These, together with the scientific or technical expertise of the authors, are given in a clearly structured and explicit way, helping the reader understand the complicated environment in which hackers operate.

Profiling Hackers meticulously examines every component of the issues surrounding hacking, and presents them from a new perspective. The first and second chapters present the history and evolution of criminal profiling and cybercrime, respectively. The third chapter introduces the reader to the perplexing world of hackers, their interests, principles, motivations and their favourite modus operandi in an effort to understand them. The fourth chapter is a brief presentation of the HP Project - the results of which have been collected through 205 online questionnaires. This illustrates the phases of the project, the methodological tools used and the procedures that have been followed in order to draw conclusions. Finally, chapters five and six - which comprise the majority of the book - deal with every possible aspect of a hacker, from a social, psychological, cultural, professional and economic point of view, in order to obtain a clear image of hackers, and what makes them tick. In particular, in chapter six, the focus moves to their life online as well as their perceptions of ethics and criminal actions and behaviour.

Profiling Hackers Hackers is an exploration of an underground world where people "next-door" try to prove their invincibility and power by testing their intelligence through cyberspace, and where curiosity fits together with profitable motivations, in a world often criticised and criminalised but apparently not sufficiently understood. Constantly interested in Emerging Crimes and actively involved in Cybercrime, UNICRI collaborated with Raoul Chiesa, Stefania Ducci and Silvio Ciappi to produce a work with the purpose of serving as a trustworthy reference on this issue in the long run.

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For further informations please visit our web-page:
Cyber Crimes - The Hackers Profiling Project (HPP)