Cybercrime and Sociopathy: How a Lack of Empathy Can Threaten Cybersecurity

When cybersecurity professionals consider all the complicated reasons why people commit different kinds of cybercrime (and other crimes), we think about many of the political and financial motivations that can be factored in. People often overlook the psychological aspect and fail to consider that certain individuals may be motivated by mental conditions, which could drive them to commit crimes against others.

According to this article by Cybercrime’s Dark Triad from the Security Boulevard, many cybercriminals (but not necessarily most of them or not all of them obviously) are sociopaths who might do something for some kind of personal gain or amusement while simply not caring about any of the consequences of their actions.

One thing about sociopaths is that they can be described as “hot-headed” individuals who do not think too much about the impact of their deeds on other people. Many times, a sociopathic individual may attack an organization without some kind of clear motivation. An example is the Vermont hospital cyberattack that happened back in 2020. According to an article from the Associated Press about the incident, workers at the hospital “found a file directing them to contact the attackers if they wanted their systems restored, but it did not contain a request for money” and ultimately their systems were damaged anyway.

What is sociopathy?

According to MayoClinic - it is a mental condition known as antisocial personality disorder or ASPD, for short, where a person regularly shows no regard for right and wrong & ignores the rights/feelings of others.

Symptoms of ASPD can include repeatedly:

• Ignoring right and wrong.
• Telling lies to take advantage of others.
• Not being sensitive to or respectful of others.
• Using charm or wit to manipulate others for personal gain or pleasure.
• Having a sense of superiority and being extremely opinionated.
• Having problems with the law, including criminal behavior.
• Being hostile, aggressive, violent, or threatening to others.
• Feeling no guilt about harming others.
• Doing dangerous things with no regard for the safety of self or others.
• Being irresponsible and failing to fulfill work or financial responsibilities.

Untreated ASPD affects 3% of the population. This means that approximately one in thirty-three individuals have an untreated version of this condition, which potentially contributes to their inclination to commit crimes against others. It is important to note that not all cybercriminals are sociopaths. However, gaining an understanding of individuals with conditions such as Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) is crucial in comprehending the motivations behind criminal behavior.

While ASPD is not the only reason for cybercrime, it will continue to contribute a considerable quota as long as people continue to deal with this mental condition, as we’re fairly certain they will seeing as about 50% of ASPD cases are genetic.

All of this reminds people why cybersecurity experts and other forms of security professionals are so important: because even if political and financial motivations disappeared tomorrow, there would still be plenty of people who would desire to mess with other people’s property both in real life and in cyberspace!