The search to find the mastermind of the attacker group Lapsus$ led to a home outside Oxford, England. The suspected leader was a 16-year-old. He helped take down some of the world’s biggest companies, including Microsoft, from his mother’s house. The BBC reported the teen is alleged to have earned $14 million from his attacks. The search for other group members led researchers to the arrest of six other teens.
The Lapsus$ group is just the latest example of teen cyber criminals. In 2021, Canadian police arrested a teen for stealing about $36.5 million in cryptocurrency using a SIM swap attack. Another teen, Ellis Pinsky, began stealing crypto when he was 15 and passed the $100 million mark by the time he was 18.
Reducing cyber crime committed by teenagers starts with knowing their motivation and paths. Of course, each person has their own reasons for their actions. Many teens start hacking because the challenge and fun entice them. Other teens turn to cyber crime because of their beliefs regarding a specific issue. Money is also a common reason, as in the case of Lapsus$.
Many teens stumble into cyber crime by mistake as they cross the line between ethical and unethical activities. In episode 112 of Darknet Diaries, a teenager who identifies himself as Drew shares his journey. Drew started by running a discounted server for a video game that led to selling stolen usernames.
While some teens start out with video games and piracy, new tools have created new paths into cyber crime for teenagers. Crypto is quickly emerging as a gateway, with a 13-year-old becoming a multimillionaire selling NFT art. Cybercrime related to NFTs is also increasing, including phishing, fake art and crypto wallet cracking. Both NFTs and related cyber crime may rise. It’s likely that many teen cyber criminals will start their journey with NFTs.
Teens who become cyber criminals often have a passion for, and expertise in, technology. The key to reducing the number who put on the black hat starts with focusing on using their interest and skills in positive ways instead of negative. The media often glorifies attackers, which can cause teens to gravitate toward the dark side. What if the industry focuses on increasing coverage and accolades for cybersecurity workers? That way, teens can see white hat roles or other professional careers in cyber defense.
Here are other ways to keep teens on the white hat path:
The cybersecurity industry needs more workers to help reduce the skills shortage and the high number of open positions. And at the same time, the industry needs to reduce the number of cyber criminals. Focusing on educating teenagers, especially younger teens, can help accomplish both goals. By encouraging careers in cybersecurity, the industry can gain the professionals needed to combat increasingly high-volume and sophisticated attacks.
Jennifer Goforth Gregory is a freelance B2B technology content marketing writer specializing in cybersecurity. Other areas of focus include B2B, finance, tec…
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