Young Cybercriminals Raise Concerns

Cybercriminal groups are attracting a significant number of tech-savvy minors, lured by money, a sense of community, or scoring online fame with little concern for the risks of prosecution, government and private-sector experts warn.

In a July 23 alert, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) noted that one growing group, Hacker Com, has attracted a wide variety of English-speaking minors to “a broad community of technically sophisticated cyber criminals.” In early July, the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) arrested four people — a 20-year-old woman, two 19-year-old males, and a 17-year-old male — in connection with the cyberattacks against and disruption of two retailers, Marks & Spencer and the Co-op.

More young people are joining groups online — either connected to gaming or other communities — and crossing into criminality, says Rebecca Taylor, a manager with the Counter Threat Unit at cybersecurity firm Sophos.

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