Why malware writers write malware.

"What motivates who create malware?" This is a question that I have been asked more then a few times by those that I have helped remove malware. And while my answer is always a good one, it really does not paint a full picture. Because to really understand, we need to go beyond the scope of that question. We have to ask what motivated those that made the first pieces of real malware.

Back in the 1990s, malware writers were teenagers who really did not have much in the way of motivation. They wrote malware to create some interesting effect, or to impress friends. There was no intent to cause real harm with this. Some however, had a score to settle with someone such as a former boss. These few took another step and made a piece of software with the intent to cause harm. But even at this level, malware of the 1990s did not match the intent of malware today.

In the 1990s, very few writers tried for real and irreversible harm. Make it clear who was superior in this new world of technology and then move on. For a while, this was the system. But it had to happen, someone would change the world forever.

After those who had scores to settle did their malicious deeds, quite a few people realized that this new thing called malware worked well. And so began the first wave of serious malware. Most of this malware did something to either inconvenience the user, or made the computer unusable in some way.

Flash foreword to today, and those who write malware can now make money off of writing malware. And one thing that is often asked as how the malware writers of the 1990s would feel about the malware of today.

People ask if the malware writers from that time would be impressed at all. My answer is a theory which I really cannot verify, but I know it to be true. My theory is that the writers from the 1990s and the writers of today are the same people. They are the same people doing the same thing they have done for over a decade. And at this point, with all the ways to make money using malware, It is a sure bet that the malware writers are not letting their talents go to waste. They are getting paid, this is something I am sure of.

Thank You for reading. I invite readers to comment with any questions or comments.