When we think about hackers, we might imagine someone stealing data and selling it on the dark web for financial gain. But new research from the University of Delaware’s John D’Arcy suggests that some hackers may have a different motivation: disappointment in a company’s attempts to fake social responsibility.
“There is emerging evidence that the hacking community is not homogenous, and at least some hackers appear to be motivated by what they dislike, as opposed to solely financial gain,” said D’Arcy, who is a professor of Management Information Systems at the University of Delaware’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics. “Recent hacks against the World Health Organization, due to its actions (or supposed inactions) related to the COVID-19 pandemic, are a case in point.”