Breaking the Mold: How Autism Alters the Response to Turning Points of Active Malicious Hackers

• In Event: Exploring Cyber Offending Pathways: Motivations, Traits, and Tactics

Abstract

The growing integration of technology into daily life has led to an increase in cybercrime, resulting in significant financial and personal consequences. Despite the emphasis on research evaluating the motivations behind cyber-based criminal behavior, little attention has been given to desistance from such activities. Using Sampson and Laub’s age-graded theory, this study investigates how "turning points" (e.g., marriage, parenting, employment, joining a legal institution, and religious experiences) affect hackers' willingness to desist. Additionally, this study explicitly examines how autism might influence hackers’ willingness to desist, considering the increasing evidence of a high prevalence rate within the hacker population. Autism, measured via self-reported diagnoses and validated instruments, stands as a focal variable in this study, illustrating how hackers perceive and navigate turning points on their paths to possible desistance. By utilizing a sample of active hackers from Zone-H and employing multilevel modeling analyses, this study models how autism impacts turning points and the willingness to desist from online criminality. The policy implications for intervening in hackers’ criminal trajectories are discussed.

Authors

• Leah Keirnan, University of South Florida

• George Burruss, University of South Florida

• Mateus Renno Santos, University of South Florida

• John K. Cochran, University of South Florida

• Christian J. Howell, University of South Florida