Cybercrime Offender Profiles: Psychological Characteristics of Hackers and Online Predators

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6239-610-4_8How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Cybercrime; Psychological Profiling; Hackers; Online Predators; Cyber psychology; Forensic Science

Abstract

In rapid-changing digital world, cybercrime has grown into a worldwide danger that ignores borders, cultures, or laws. Because people now rely heavily on linked systems, getting insight into what drives hackers mentally is a key to building smarter defenses, responses, and probes. The research looks at the mindsets and actions of two major types of digital criminals - hackers and online predators - who create different but just as risky issues for safety and fairness online.

Looking at findings from cyber psychology, crime studies, and behavior analysis, this study explores the mindset, drives, and warped thinking behind hacker actions. Smart, tech-savvy individuals who crave learning or proving their skills tend to get involved in hacking - not just for gain but for personal satisfaction. Still, some also show troubling signs like ego-driven attitudes, isolation, lack of concern for others, along with ways of thinking that make breaking rules seem acceptable - framing breaches as clever stunts or defiance against systems. On another side, people who target victims online usually act out of control urges, deception, and cold-heartedness; they carefully build false trust to take advantage of emotional weaknesses. These actions come with twisted reasoning, a need to dominate, trouble managing feelings, made worse because hiding online makes it easier to ignore consequences.

The research combines mind analysis with computer evidence techniques, showing how criminal types might guide sharper investigations, quicker threat spotting, or better danger forecasts. Instead of just reacting, police could predict actions by studying online behavior - like word choices, messaging styles, or tech footprints. On top of that, digging into what drives hackers may shape recovery plans, focusing on personal therapy and responsible internet training rather than one-size-fits-all fixes.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Shradha Verma
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/05/05
TI  - Cybercrime Offender Profiles: Psychological Characteristics of Hackers and Online Predators
BT  - Proceedings of the First International Conference on Advances in Forensics and Cyber Technologies (ICFACT 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 60
EP  - 71
SN  - 2352-538X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-610-4_8
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-610-4_8
ID  - Verma2026
ER  -