Background and Definitions
All computer systems have both users and, in some sense, anti-users: those trying, for one reason or another, to break into, control, or misuse a computer system and the data it manages. Anti-users, like computer users, fall into a few patterns that describe “threat personas” engaged in “threat scenarios.”
Classification of anti-users, based on an analysis of FBI cyber-attack data, clusters best when using two key axes: Motivation and Skill. There are four different motivations driving anti-users:
- Curiosity: “Because it was there” compels some anti-users. They want to experiment and try things out, perhaps indulging in a little vandalism along the way. They're not motivated by fame or gain (yet), but wile away the hours for their own enjoyment. A common physical analogy is kids who vandalize local parks for no apparent reason.
- Personal fame: Some anti-users want fame; they like to see their name “in lights...
