October 29th, 2008
The BBC has recently reported on a rise in amateur, casual, and very young computer hackers.
Chris Boyd, the director of malware research at FaceTime Security, reports seeing hackers as young as eleven sharing credit card details and hacking information.
Many youth tend to enter the world of hacking by looking for exploits and cracks for computer games. Various forums provide this gray-area information, along with other details on more illegal behaviour. These low-level crimes can then escalate into more troubling activities, like phishing, hacking, and writing viruses.
However, given their age and lack of technical know-how, these young cyber-vandals and pick-pockets can pose more danger to themselves than to the general public. Their hamhanded hacks and clumsy programming can leave them especially easy to track, identify, and prosecute.
Boyd describes the scamming attempts of young hackers: “Some are crude, some are clever, and some are stupid.”
Another computer security specialist spoke of youth which had completely disabled their PCs after infecting themselves with a virus that they themselves had created.
Often, these youth do not recognize the seriousness of their crimes, and the potential for fines, jail-time, and convictions which would taint their future careers and lifestyles.
This is compounded by the fact that young hackers take great pride in publicising their work. To gain kudos from their forum, chatroom, or other group, hackers will claim credit for their successful hacks, and post videos of themselves performing the actual hack.
All of this makes young hackers particularly likely to be caught, and to unwittingly garner a criminal record for activities which they may consider harmless fun. Youth must be informed early on about the seriousness of these crimes, and the consequences - both for those that they harm and for themselves.
Along with discussion and education about these dangers, parents can help to prevent a child going down the path of e-crime by blocking forums and websites espousing hacks and cracks.
-Kai