The Rise of Script Kiddies: How Young People are Drawn to Malicious Computer Programming

“Script kiddies” are young hackers who use off-the-shelf programs to attack computer networks.

“A script kiddie is someone who wants to perform malicious activity, whether it’s breaking into a system or stealing credentials”says Mike Jones, a former hacker who calls himself H4UNT3D Hacker.

Script kiddies don’t know how to code or create scripts, however, as explained by Alexander Urbelis, a lawyer at Crowell and Moring LLP and a member of the Privacy and Cybersecurity group.

“Basically, a script kiddie is someone who doesn’t necessarily understand hacking techniques and relies on scripts or programs created by someone else”he explains.

“He takes a script, runs it, maybe configures it to run against a particular target, but he doesn’t necessarily understand how the technology works and doesn’t have the skills to appropriate.”

With the evolution of the digital underground, these youngsters now have the whole world at their fingertips, with hacking tutorials available on YouTube and pre-written codes to download.

While many young people learn about hacking through online games, there are many other entry points: from the influence of classmates to online forums and video streaming sites, where users download informative content.

To learn more about script kiddies, we interviewed two anonymous hackers about how they got into hacking and the consequences that followed.

First steps in hacking

“My way of getting into hacking was very different from the usual method, which is to experiment with little cheats”says the one we’ll call Chris, a 14-year-old hacker who asked to remain anonymous due to his involvement in illegal activities.

When he was 12, a friend online told him he had found a computer script and wanted to try it on himself. “He inserted my phone number into this program and was able to take control of my WhatsApp account”says Chris.

“He was able to send messages to all my friends. It was from that day that I started to get interested in hacking.”

Likewise, GhostExodus, a former black hat (an evil hacker), became a hacker after meeting one at his new school. “I became obsessed with what he was doing and became friends with him.”

After developing a friendship with the hacker, GhostExodus began reading about hacking, online, and joining forums before jumping in and forming the Electronic Tribulation Army (ETA), a group of anarchist hackers.

Is hacking becoming an addiction?

Many young people start hacking for fun and to impress their friends.

“I was like, ‘Guys, today I hacked into the class computer.says Chris. And they wanted Pornhub to appear on school computer screens. They were going crazy.”

Many are unaware of the consequences of their actions. And the excitement of successfully hacking a system can also be addictive, as GhostExodus explains.

“I didn’t think about the consequenceshe said. Hacking gave me a ton of dopamine, like an endorphin rush. Like when you’re in Las Vegas and you’re playing slots or whatever, it’s an addictive rush.”

The heady mix of dopamine, peer validation, and the thrill of being where you shouldn’t be can have serious consequences for script kiddies.

How do you punish script kiddies?

Like many reformed hackers, Mike Jones thinks there’s a better way to handle the situation.

“I don’t think taking a kid who’s done a white-collar crime on a computer and throwing them in jail is the right solution, when we can take this kid who probably doesn’t even know the laws around cyber, teach him the laws, reorient him and make him a successful man who is at the forefront of the industry”he explains.

If the malleable brain of young people makes them experts in hacking, it also means that they are able to change quickly, especially if they are well guided.

The FBI works with a large number of hackers who serve as informants about the activities of other members of the community.

Regardless of how young hackers are caught, GhostExodus believes they should be kept out of the prison system, especially adult penitentiaries.

“In my opinion, they should not be treated like adults. On the one hand, teenagers, their brains and minds are not yet fully developed. And on the other hand, I think each case should be treated differently . But not like adults.”