The popular opinion is that individuals working in the field of information technology are “weird”, and hackers are not deprived of this label either, regardless of whether they are on the side of ensuring the confidentiality of data or on the part of criminals. The emergence of this preconception may be due to the fact that they are people with a reduced ability to interact with people who do not share the same passions and ideas as them. Whether introverted or not, they spend many hours in front of the computer, documenting new cyber discoveries, actively participating in discussions about various aspects of data security and vulnerabilities already known, and, in addition, give a good chunk of time to online games.
This detachment from the outside world may be due, first of all, to an impossibility of correct adaptation to the social norms of the community, a fact that has been visible since childhood, but which will worsen throughout life. She will be introverted, withdrawn from others, avoiding any human contact and spend their time looking for new ways to spend their free time, they are active on blogs or social networking sites, they have a very rich vocabulary that I use it to attract a “virtual audience” to appreciate it. Most often, these individuals are skilled manipulators, who manage to obtain all the necessary information from others, using the assertive communication skills acquired, when behind a monitor. For this reason, they take advantage of others to achieve their goal, and if they fail, they can show non-specific violence to the usual peaceful behavior, but only in extreme cases. However, in most cases, they have a fairly high level of resistance to external stressors, considering that they are not entitled to act aggressively and prefer to hide rather than act. Paranoid by nature, this human typology can be found in the case of gray-hat hackers, who work as collaborators of large companies, looking for new ways to test the computer systems in question.
On the other hand, this refuge in the computer world may be due to a passion, which later became an obsession. This manifests itself from the first years of adolescence, characterized by many hours spent learning everything possible about computer systems, how to implement a computer network and program development. The “black hat” hackers of tomorrow are always looking for ways to assert themselves, out of the desire to popularize the acquired knowledge, always attacking targets of a greater complexity than the previous ones. Also, the need for adrenaline pushes them to find new ways of acting, adapting “on the fly” to new technologies so that they are always one step ahead of investigators. If they are caught, they will show ignorance and contempt for the competent body in the case and will only want to talk to someone who has similar knowledge. Narcissists by nature and sometimes with paranoid elements, these “black hat” hackers divide the world into two categories: “us” and “them”, where “they” are “ordinary mortals” and “we” are the leaders of the virtual world that it works for the “common good” of mankind.
The interweaving of the two possible profiles defines the specific characteristics of the third possible typology. Analytical individuals, calculated, in control of themselves and the situation, able to adapt to a new social situation and communicate assertively with partners. Known as white hat attackers, these individuals stand out for using their technical knowledge gained over time to test the security level of a computer system or computer network and to identify possible vulnerabilities that could be exploited. The results obtained are presented in the form of a recommendation report, where they note all the problems found and the related solutions, so that the chances of a successful attack are minimal. Paranoid, I see in any user a possible weak link, not trusting what they are told, but only in tangible facts and their own experience. Balanced firms, which, although they have a high technical education, are always looking for new vulnerabilities that could be exploited and implement new utilities to help them in the work they perform.
No matter what type they belong to, the vast majority of hackers are individuals eager to assert themselves, to demonstrate their acquired abilities and to be seen as heroes of the computer network. They are relatively orderly people, but they do not have a very healthy lifestyle, being sedentary, eating fast food and repeatedly depriving themselves of the minimum recommended hours of sleep. They find it difficult to break away from the monitor screen, socialize with strangers and adapt to new situations. Most of them still have a strong dependency on their parents, always needing someone to supervise their lifestyle and intervene when the situation demands it.
The typology of “white hat” type hackers illustrates orderly people, sometimes up to fixism, perfectionists and, especially, self-taught. Eager to help someone, she pays full attention to a single project and does not allow herself to be influenced by external factors, which try to attract them to commit computer crimes.
