"How Kids Get into Hacking"

A new study conducted by researchers from Michigan State University explores the characteristics and gender-specific behaviors that lead kids to juvenile hacking. Research has focused on the scope and threat posed by hacking. However, there is a lack of understanding surrounding the background factors, social connections, and personality traits that lead to a path of hacking. Thomas Holt, lead author and MSU cybercrime expert in the School of Criminal Justice, determined the predictors for hacking by examining responses from 50,000 teens. Predictors include low self-control, negative peer-associations, and obsession with playing computer games. It was also discovered that there is a difference in predictors between boys and girls. This article continues to discuss the predictors of juvenile hacking, the differences in predictors based on gender, and how parents can encourage their kids to use their skills in a positive way. 

Homeland Security News Wire reports "How Kids Get into Hacking"