ABSTRACT
The chapter shows that due to the commonalities between cyber terrorists and cyber criminals, particularly hackers, one can extend the understanding of the risk factors and psychological characteristics of hackers to construct a foundation or framework to better understand the psychology of cyber terrorists. It focuses on behaviours that are purposeful, include violence or the threat of violence, and are not aimed at the military or governmental agency that is directly or indirectly tied to the military. Certain private sector companies have claimed they were the victims of cyber terrorism, but a "root cause analysis" often points back to a nation state or state sponsored entity. Several authors have stated that they are doubtful that terrorist organizations attract members with enough technical acumen to allow them to conduct cyber attacks at the level required to be worthy of being coined as acts of terrorism.
