Re: Virus author profiling

Harlan Carvey wrote:

[Re: Yahoo Technology article; "Computer Virus Writers Mostly Obsessed Males -- Expert"]

> Is there anything about Mr. Hruska or his background
> that gives him the skills necessary to perform
> profiling?

The inherent problem with this profile (and with so many other popularized profiles) is that it's so sweeping and general as to be easily proven correct.

Computers are a male-dominated industry/area of study, this much we know (the reasons for this are beyond the scope of this discussion). As for the age range; 20 years is a large gap. In the past 20 years (from the time when the 34 year olds were 14 until today) we've seen huge inroads of computing technology to the household and places of business. Vis, computers have become commodity items, readily available for anyone technically-minded, including (pre-)teens. This is how I first became interested in computers, at a young age with my parents' 8086.

This leaves us with a huge population of 14-34 year olds who posess the skills and experience with computers (specifically programming and networking) to pull this off.

The leap from having and using said knowledge is a simple one, at best.

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Given the nature of IT today, the girlfriend comment seems a bit spurious to me. The computers industry, like many others (and in some ways, moreso) is highly demanding. Fields of study are always expanding to the point where being a jack of all trades is all but impossible. Even those who specialize in a small part of the industry are in a cycle of constantly upgrading their knowledge. The time to expand one's knowledge isn't always available during the hours of 9-5 (whoever works solely within those confines, BTW, raise a paw), so time must be taken outside of the 'normal' work day.

This places a strain on one's social life; exactly what happens in any other demanding career. I have several non-IT friends and family who barely have time for 'on-again, off-again' relationships, letalone a steady significant other.

Personally, at present, I fall into this category. So do atleast three of my friends. A month ago, or into the future - different story. Have any of us ever written a line of viral code? Not on your life.

People should be admonished to mind the generalizations they make. Profiling is dangerous and leads to things like internment camps, not positive change.

Of course, it is entirely possible that Yahoo! has sensationalized Mr. Hruska's statements, so I'll take the article with a fine grain of NaCL for the moment.

-- 
Stewart Honsberger
http://blackdeath.snerk.org/
"Capitalists, by nature, organize to protect themselves.
-- Geeks, by nature, resist organizaion."