Children as young as eight are being recruited into cybercrime through popular online games like Minecraft and Roblox, according to a new report. Former hacker Conor Freeman said his own path into cybercrime began at age 12 when someone showed him a "cool trick" in Minecraft. Freeman, who later served prison time for cybercrime-related offenses, now works in cybersecurity.
Former hacker shares his story
The UK National Crime Agency found that one in five children aged 10 to 16 have engaged in behavior that violates the Computer Misuse Act. Data from Europol and the FBI indicates that 61% of cybercrime suspects started hacking before age 16, often through gaming cheat forums. Freeman described how the process escalates gradually: "What started as messing around on Minecraft became taking over other people's accounts. Taking over accounts became stealing cryptocurrency."
Freeman noted that the grooming often looks indistinguishable from ordinary gaming, making it hard for parents to detect. "The grooming doesn't sound like anything. It doesn't look like anything. It reads like gaming, because from the outside that's what it is," he said. Fergus Hay, CEO of The Hacking Games, said the same technical curiosity that leads children into cybercrime can also lead to legitimate cybersecurity careers. "The only difference is who got to them first," Hay said.
Roblox acknowledged cybercrime as an industry-wide challenge and said it works closely with law enforcement. The company has hired several young people directly from its HackerOne ethical hacking program who now work full-time securing its systems. The report highlights the need for early intervention to steer young talent away from criminal activity.
Source: DEXERTO
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