The Organization of Hacking Community: Criminological and Criminal Law Aspects

Abstract

Digital technology is an integral part of our daily lives. Regardless of whether we have a computer at home, whether we use the possibilities of obtaining state and municipal services in digital form or simply operate electronic gadgets, society's dependence on technology is increasing. A secure digital environment enhances trust and contributes to the creation of a stable and prosperous nation. Government and the business community are also taking advantage of the technological revolution through greater adoption and use of digital technologies. Traditional forms of crime have also evolved, as criminal associations increasingly use the information and telecommunications network - the Internet - to commit cybercrimes and increase their profits. Digital crime is developing at an incredibly fast pace, and new types of criminal acts are constantly emerging. So we need to keep up with digital technologies, understand the opportunities they create for cybercriminals, and how they can be used as a tool to combat cybercrime. The active use of digital technologies in all spheres of social life in the last three decades formed a background for the emergence of a special type of criminals - the so-called hackers. Criminal groups of hackers pose a public danger because, if they unite, they are capable of planning a large-scale computer attack which could target, among other things, critically important information infrastructure objects. Besides, hacker groups have become a real danger for both governments, large corporations, the military, and for private persons. The trend for blurring the boundaries between hacker groups and organized crime, that the experts predicted a few years ago, has now become a reality. In fact, it is possible to say that a new independent type of organized crime has emerged - the hacking community. These circumstances make it necessary to develop a special norm that provides for the liability for organizing hacking community or participating in it. Such a norm will allow for a complex approach to the criminal law counteraction against such criminal groups by ensuring an adequate criminal law assessment of the actions of the organizers and coordinators of hackers organizations.