Fortunately for purposes of this question, however, a number of such individuals have been interviewed by Phrack, a magazine that deals with the hacking culture. Their answers to the “why” question are both disturbing and revealing.

“Hacking is a means to an end,” says Grandmaster “Swamp” Ratte. “I don't give a rat's ass about hacking or any of that crap on its own. I just want to make cool stuff.” Cool, in this case, might mean bringing a company to its cyber-knees for a few hours and sharing the good news with one's cracker pals.

Another interviewee, DiGiT, says he spends “an absurd amount of time at my computer doing crazy stuff for no other reason than to get the best rush imaginable.” Move over, crack cocaine; there's a new drug in town. You, too, can get off by trashing someone's computer system.

Meanwhile, the musings of ParMaster take the whole question of motivation to a new level: “I don't know [why I did it]. I can honestly say I wasn't in conscious control of what I was doing. I have some theories about why. Some include a higher power; others include some pretty crazy stuff like mind control. I'm leaning somewhat toward the latter, because I had some severe memory problems.”

But, whether the motivation is being cool, getting high or being victimized by an outside force, the common denominator among these folks is a complete lack of empathy and social consciousness. It's all about their status, their pursuit of pleasure and their personal troubles. There is no regret, no thought of their victims' plight. In fact, as interviewee Glyph (who admits to engaging in “criminal hacking” in the past) puts it, “I'd do it all over again if I wasn't so old.”

How are we to explain this subculture that celebrates such unbridled narcissism and seeks to destroy, or deny, the conscience? I see this as the natural byproduct of a growing postmodern, politically correct movement in this country–a movement that tells us that there are no moral absolutes. (I've always wanted to ask people who believe this if, as theologian R. C. Sproul has suggested, they are absolutely sure about that.) No one's notions about any moral issue are any better than anyone else's ideas; all are blissfully equal, the postmoderns say. Being law-abiding and caring about your fellow man may be part of your morality, but don't try to push it on me. I have my own morality, and it's just as valid as yours.

Thankfully, not everyone buys such puerile rubbish, but there are certainly those in our culture who absolutely (or maybe just most of the time) believe it. They are spreading this dangerous thinking in schools and on college campuses–and it definitely has an appeal to young, impressionable minds. After all, if I can make up my own morality, what do I need with a pesky conscience? Goodbye guilt!

Internet security technology is a necessity for any agent, carrier or other business, but all the technology in the world won't be enough to stop the sociopaths whose universe of caring ends at their own epidermis. Ultimately, the real battle for security in our world will be won (or lost) in the minds and hearts of those we raise as children and train as future leaders.

Personal responsibility, what a concept!