"While many hackers have the knowledge, skills, and tools to attack computer systems, they generally lack the motivation to cause violence or severe economic or social harm"
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Denning’s line is a quiet rebuke to the way “hacker” gets flattened into “violent threat” the moment a breach hits the news. Her most strategic move is the separation of capacity from intent: yes, many hackers can break in, but ability alone doesn’t equal a desire to burn the house down. In a policy ecosystem that often treats technical competence as inherently criminal, that distinction matters because it determines what kinds of laws get written, what kinds of surveillance get justified, and who gets swept up as a suspect.
The subtext is an argument for proportionality. Denning is carving out space for a more granular view of the hacking world: pranksters, tinkerers, whistleblowers, security researchers, ideologically motivated actors, and profit-driven criminals all get lumped together when “cyber” is discussed as a national-security menace. By emphasizing “generally lack the motivation,” she’s not romanticizing hackers; she’s insisting that motivation is the true variable that predicts damage. That implicitly challenges the reflexive “worst-case” framing that can turn every exploit into a pretext for broad crackdowns.
Contextually, Denning comes out of the tradition that helped define computer security as a field while advising institutions that prize risk management. Her language reads like a bridge between two suspicious camps: technologists who know the culture is more complex than Hollywood villains, and public officials who need categories that guide enforcement. The sentence works because it’s calm. It treats moral panic as the real vulnerability.
The subtext is an argument for proportionality. Denning is carving out space for a more granular view of the hacking world: pranksters, tinkerers, whistleblowers, security researchers, ideologically motivated actors, and profit-driven criminals all get lumped together when “cyber” is discussed as a national-security menace. By emphasizing “generally lack the motivation,” she’s not romanticizing hackers; she’s insisting that motivation is the true variable that predicts damage. That implicitly challenges the reflexive “worst-case” framing that can turn every exploit into a pretext for broad crackdowns.
Contextually, Denning comes out of the tradition that helped define computer security as a field while advising institutions that prize risk management. Her language reads like a bridge between two suspicious camps: technologists who know the culture is more complex than Hollywood villains, and public officials who need categories that guide enforcement. The sentence works because it’s calm. It treats moral panic as the real vulnerability.
Quote Details
| Topic | Privacy & Cybersecurity |
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