Who Writes Malicious Programs and Why? Hackers and malware writers come from different age groups, backgrounds, countries, education and skill levels…with varying motivations and intents. I would say most malware writers and cybercriminals today treat it as a business venture for financial gain while “script kiddies” typically do it for the thrill and boosting a reputation as being a hacker among their peers. Below are a few articles which attempt to explain who these individuals are and why they do what they do.

• Who is Making All This Malware — and Why?
• Who creates malware and why?
• What goes through the minds of hackers?
• Why do people write viruses?
• Meet The Hackers Who Sell Spies The Tools To Crack Your PC (And Get Paid Six-Figure Fees)
• What Makes Johnny (and Janey) Write Viruses?
• Hidden Backdoors, Trojan Horses and Rootkits…Hacker Tools of the Trade