Viruses, malware trojans....WHY

[Average Joe]

Barring the criminals out in cyberspace...

How have we got to the point in society where people spend their free time on projects designed to disrupt, annoy and damage peoples computers.

Its like cyber graffiti all this malware

[Tarheel]

You're absolutely right. I and many others are equally puzzled and frustrated. Without the "baddies," we'd have no need for the "goodies." The "goodies"?...our Hero Prince: Patrick Kolla!!! Regards, Tarheel.

[djpailo]

I agree, but we can't answer the question. It was inevitable it was gonig to happen.

[Average Joe]

What I am trying to understand is why do people go to these lengths to disrupt others from getting on with things by creating these malware items.

I can understand some one getting drunk and kicking rubbish bins over or singing loudly on their way home but actually designing and programming something to be a nuisance is beyond me.

[bitman]

For the same reason they break into homes and businesses and steal, money.

Most major current malware is designed to net someone profit, either directly or indirectly. Whether pushing ads for per/click counts or stealing your identity to misuse your credit, they're really just after money.

This is the new field of battle in a virtual war that has been theorized about for years, but looks alot less techie and pretty then was thought. In fact, it's alot like real war; dirty, underhanded, ruthless, though less deadly physically.

To believe the Internet would be any different then the real world, especially due to the apparent anonymity and high-tech dark corners the bad guys can hide in, is denying reality. The days of an enlightend populace left with the educational and research organizations when they created Internet2.

With that left the weekend/student hacker, only interested in creating something for notoriety or the thrill of seeing its effects. Some of these grew up and turned their creations into something more deadly, others simply took their wares, posted on hacker sites to increase their exposure, and tweaked or combined them in a never ending blend to bypass existing security.

In this war the poor unsuspecting average user stands exposed in the crossfire, often unaware of the volleys shooting past them in the virtual world displayed on their screen. They become aware only when directly hit or winged by one of these virtual bullets, hopefully due to the warnings from their security software, but often due to injuries to their OS or side effects that pop-up seemingly out of nowhere.

Either way, they loose money either due to direct theft or more subtle effects like the cost of protection software, security improvements in the Operating System and other software, and even the most valuable; time itself.

[Average Joe]

I understand that there is a criminal element behind a large proportion of malware but it is the percentage who create things just to cause disruption and nothing else which beats me.

These people out there programming stuff to deliberatley cause disruption must have similarities to the characteristics of your unadjusted serial murderer, feeding on a desire to exert their power on others. They are calculating, cunniving, unremorsful and relentless in acheiving their goal.....to cause you and your equipment harm!!!

[DisguisedRose]

What I am trying to understand is why do people go to these lengths to disrupt others from getting on with things by creating these malware items. ...

According to what I've read, some do it because it gives them a sense of being powerful.

[ChrisRLG]

Mostly it is for the old evil - Money.

This is big business - so lots of the seedier advertising companies are involved. Infect a computer and you have a captured advertising machine. Or infect a machine and use it to send out spam adverts to thousands of email accounts.

Then it is the old pretection racket - 'I have an army of 3000 zombie computers - mister gambling site pay me $500k or your site gets DDoS'ed off the net for a week.'
You may not believe that, but that DOES happen.

Or the old favorite, brick through window, turn up and offer to fix it, that is your spyaxe/spywarestrike, infect you, then ask for money to get it clean.

Those are all about money, pure and simple.