┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ THE ADVERSARIAL MINDSET │ │ HOW HACKERS THINK │ ├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ │ │ LEFT BRAIN — SYSTEM OBSERVATION │ │ │ │ Observations of the system and its components │ │ │ │ • Diagramming │ │ • Ambiguity tolerance │ │ • Creativity │ │ │ │ Patterns of relationships among interrelated parts throughout the system │ │ │ ├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ │ │ RIGHT BRAIN — PATTERN RECOGNITION │ │ │ │ Recognized trends and patterns of operation │ │ │ │ • Curiosity │ │ • Domain expertise │ │ │ │ Assumptions, generalizations, and mental images │ │ that shape understanding of the system │ │ │ ├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ │ │ CORE PRINCIPLE │ │ │ │ Hackers do not see isolated components. │ │ They see systems, relationships, feedback loops, and failure paths. │ │ │ │ Understanding emerges from: │ │ • Observation │ │ • Pattern recognition │ │ • Hypothesis and assumption testing │ │ │ │ This mindset enables exploration, exploitation, and defense. │ │ │ ├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ │ │ Inspired by: │ │ Timothy Summers — “How Hackers Think: A Mixed-Method Study of Mental Models │ │ and Cognitive Patterns of High-Tech Wizards” (May 2015) │ │ │ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ THE ANATOMY OF A HACKER │ ├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ │ │ MOTIVATION & MINDSET │ │ │ │ 75% identify non-financial factors as their main motivators for hacking │ │ 87% believe reporting a critical vulnerability is more important │ │ than trying to make money from it │ │ │ │ EDUCATION & KNOWLEDGE │ │ │ │ 68% of hackers graduated from college │ │ 14% completed graduate school │ │ 93% are fluent in at least two languages │ │ │ │ CAREER & INDUSTRY PERCEPTION │ │ │ │ 77% earn more now that most companies are working remotely │ │ 89% believe companies are increasingly viewing hackers in a │ │ more favorable light │ │ 96% agree that hackers help companies fill their cybersecurity skills gap │ │ │ │ COMMUNITY & CONTINUOUS LEARNING │ │ │ │ 50% engage with a social or community group related to security │ │ 60% follow cybersecurity news and recent breaches to learn │ │ where to look next │ │ │ │ IDENTITY (IMPLICIT) │ │ │ │ Hacker = Curiosity + Ethics + Skill + Community │ │ Not just technical ability, but judgment, responsibility, and awareness │ │ │ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ MENTAL MODELS OF HACKERS │ ├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ │ │ LEFT SIDE — SYSTEM OBSERVATION │ │ │ │ Observations of the system and its components │ │ │ │ • Ambiguity tolerance │ │ • Diagramming │ │ • Creativity │ │ │ │ Patterns of relationships among interrelated parts throughout the system │ │ │ ├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ │ │ RIGHT SIDE — PATTERN RECOGNITION & INTERPRETATION │ │ │ │ Recognized trends and patterns of operation │ │ │ │ • Curiosity │ │ • Domain expertise │ │ │ │ Assumptions, generalizations, and mental images influencing understanding │ │ of the system and its functionality │ │ │ ├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ │ │ CORE IDEA │ │ │ │ Hackers build internal mental models of systems by: │ │ • Observing components │ │ • Mapping relationships │ │ • Recognizing patterns │ │ • Testing assumptions │ │ │ │ These models guide exploration, problem-solving, and exploitation. │ │ │ ├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ │ │ Source (adapted): │ │ Timothy Summers — “How Hackers Think: A Mixed-Method Study of Mental Models │ │ and Cognitive Patterns of High-Tech Wizards” (2015) │ │ │ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ LEGAL NOTICE │ ├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ │ │ All users and viewers are expected to comply fully with all applicable │ │ federal, state, and international laws. │ │ │ │ The authors and publishers of this material do not accept liability for │ │ any misuse, misinterpretation, or unauthorized application of the │ │ information provided. │ │ │ │ This content is provided for educational and informational purposes only. │ │ │ │ Always operate within legal and ethical boundaries. | │ | 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