Welcome to the Scene

Abstract

Objectives. This article seeks to describe and understand the social organization as well as the distribution of recognition in the online community (also known as the warez scene) of hackers who illegally distribute intellectual property online. Method. The data were collected from an online index that curates a list of illegal content that was made available between 2003 and 2009. Sutherland's notion of behavior systems in crime as well as Boase and Wellman's notion of network individualism are used to theorize the social organization and the distribution of recognition in the warez scene. These were then analyzed using social network theory. Results. There is a strong correlation between the productivity of the hacking groups and the recognition they receive from their peers. These findings are limited by the lack of data on the internal operations of each hacking groups and by the aggregate nature of the network matrix. Conclusions. We find that hacking groups that make this online community generally have a very limited life span as well as low production levels. They work and compete in a very distributed and democratic community where we are unable to identify clear leaders.

The Illicit Ecosystem of Hacking: A Longitudinal Network Analysis of Website Defacement Groups

“…This area of scholarship continues to challenge out-of-date impressions of hackers as solitary and unsociable offenders, showing “computer intrusions come not from random, obsessed individuals but from a community that offers network and support.” (Jordan & Taylor, 1998, p. 758). Studies suggests hackers embed themselves within close-knit online communities where collaborative ties are forged (Dupont et al, 2017), specialized skills acquired (Leukfeldt et al, 2017), and social status sought (Dècary-Hetu et al, 2012). Although a growing body of research yields rich insight into the interpersonal dynamics of hackers, much of this work focuses on the connections between individual hackers, and less is known about the groups they belong to.…”

“…This represents an important gap as group affiliation increases the frequency, severity, and duration of offending (Esbensen & Huizinga, 1993; Melde & Esbensen, 2013; Pyrooz et al, 2016; Sweeten et al, 2013; Thornberry et al, 1993). There is also reason to believe these findings carry over to online settings, where the most active groups within the hacking community receive the greatest recognition and provide a pool of affiliates from which to confer and receive social status (Dècary-Hetu et al, 2012). By scaling up the unit of analysis to the group-level, greater insight can be drawn into the interventions designed to disrupt group formation as well as individual-level explanations of joining or leaving groups (McGloin & Nguyen, 2013; Tremblay et al, 2019).…”

“…In one of the few studies to examine the social organization of hacker groups, Décary-Hétu et al (2012) proposed a theoretical framework to better understand the illicit ecosystem of hackers. Drawing from Sutherland’s (1947) concept of a crime behavior system and Boase and Wellman’s (2006) network individualism thesis, they crafted a theory of social organization in cyberspace (Décary-Hétu et al, 2012).…”

“…In one of the few studies to examine the social organization of hacker groups, Décary-Hétu et al (2012) proposed a theoretical framework to better understand the illicit ecosystem of hackers. Drawing from Sutherland’s (1947) concept of a crime behavior system and Boase and Wellman’s (2006) network individualism thesis, they crafted a theory of social organization in cyberspace (Décary-Hétu et al, 2012). The theory examines the social organization of hackers as a behavior system, which regards hacking as a “group way of life” rather than an “aggregation of individual … acts” (Sutherland, 1947, p. 238).…”

“…In view of the opportunities afforded by telecommunications however, hackers will socially organize themselves in pursuit of homophilic ties (Boase & Wellman, 2006). Using this framework, Décary-Hétu et al (2012) proposed online illicit communities would consist of a decentralized network, within which more enduring close-knit clusters would emerge. Specifically, they expect within-group connectivity to be denser and more robust, and between-group connectivity to be weaker and more transitory.…”