Computer Security Handbook, Fifth Edition

CHAPTER 12

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF COMPUTER CRIMINALS

Q. Campbell and David M. Kennedy

12.1 INTRODUCTION

12.2 SELF-REPORTED MOTIVATIONS

12.3 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES ON COMPUTER CRIME

12.4 SOCIAL DISTANCE, ANONYMITY, AGGRESSION, AND COMPUTER CRIME

12.4.1 Social Presence and Computer Crime

12.4.2 Deindividuation and Computer Crime

12.4.3 Social Identity Theory and Computer Crime

12.4.4 Social Learning Theory of Computer Crime

12.5 INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES AND COMPUTER CRIMINALS

12.5.1 Narcissistic Personalities and Computer Criminals

12.5.2 Five-Factor Model of Personality and Computer Criminals

12.5.3 Asperger Syndrome and Computer Criminals

12.5.4 Computer Addiction and Computer Crime

12.6 ETHICS AND COMPUTER CRIME

12.7 CLASSIFICATIONS OF COMPUTER CRIMINALS

12.7.1 Early Classification Theories of Computer Criminals

12.7.2 Rogers's New Taxonomy of Computer Criminals

12.7.3 Virus Creators

12.8 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

12.9 NOTES

12.1 INTRODUCTION.

In modern society, it is virtually impossible to go through the day without using computers to assist us in our various tasks and roles. We use computers extensively in both our professional and personal lives. We rely on them to interact with coworkers and associates, to regulate the climate in our homes, to operate our automobiles, to update our finances, and even to monitor and protect our loved ones. However, this ever-increasing reliance on technology comes at a cost. As we become more dependent on information technology, we are also becoming ...