Hackers get a bad rap. Businesses, industries, and even society as a whole covet their skills, yet they are often misunderstood and frequently despised. Is their vilification justified? This is the first book to use previously validated psychological inventories to explore and profile the personalities and behavioral traits of more than 200 self-admitted hackers. Many of the profiled are at the top of their game, revered by both the good hackers (white hats) and their more malevolent peers (black hats).

While there are serious reasons to fear the darker elements of the hacker community,...