Were we ever able to predict who was most likely in high school to be the cyber criminals of today? Was it you? What is the persona? Is it real?

And how are cyber criminals different to traditional criminals? Do the same things motivate them?

The media has always utilised stereotypes in their portrayals of cyber offenders, especially the more technically skilled ones, such as criminal hackers. We all know the hoodie wearing sketchy character that is supposedly socially awkward, a loner, pizza eating, and computer games addicted.   How accurate is this? Why does it matter?

The digital nature of cyber crime and the technical skillsets required to activate them suggest that the characteristics of an individual who is capable of committing malicious cyber acts will likely differ from both those of the general population and those of traditional criminal offenders.

Find out more about the motivations and characteristics of those who conduct cyber crime for cyber criminal gangs, individuals and nation state actors. It’s a fascinating world and Kylie is here to give you insights into just who you are dealing with along with real life examples, that hopefully help you and your teams predict your cyber defence responses into the future.