Is there a cybercriminal personality? A study from the Netherlands (Vrije University, Amsterdam) compares cyber offenders and offline offenders on personality type.

While cyber offenders display significantly higher levels of patience, perfectionism, prudence, and inquisitiveness than offline offenders, both cybercriminals and offline criminals have a strong sense of self-importance and low levels of fear, the study finds.

“A notable personality difference we found between cyber offenders and offline offenders relates to conscientiousness. Cyber offenders’ tendency to be thorough and pay attention to detail and be cautious is useful for committing cybercrimes. Relatedly, cyber offenders appear to be unique in their level of …

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