Cybercrime increases in sophistication as hackers age, according to new research

The vast majority of cyber crimes are perpetrated by middle-aged hackers, according to new research from Orange Cyberdefence.

The study, which analysed public law enforcement cybercrime data, found that hackers aged between 35 and 44 were responsible for 37 per cent of hacking offences undertaken between 2021 and the middle of 2025.

It also explored the different motivations and techniques of hackers of different ages, with middle-aged cyber criminals deploying a range of “high-impact, financially and politically significant actions”.

Their most common cyber offences were cyber extortion (22 per cent), malware (19 per cent), cyber espionage (13 per cent), hacking (10 per cent) and money laundering (7 per cent).

For 30 per cent of cyber crime, the offenders were aged between 25 and 34 years of age.

They focused on selling stolen data (21 per cent), extorting victims (14 per cent) and deploying malware (12 per cent), with the aim of making a financial profit from their crimes.

Meanwhile, hackers aged 18-24 were behind 21 per cent of cybercrime, with their most common offences being hacking (30 per cent), the sale of stolen data (10 per cent) and distributed denial-of-service attacks (10 per cent).

According to Orange Cyberdefence, the findings for cyber criminals in the 18-24 bracket suggest they’re more “experimental, multifaceted” with their offences. Often, they’ll want to “test boundaries and trial tactics” in the early stages of their cybercrime careers, and they may very well find their hacking niche or move on to more sophisticated hacking techniques in the future.

The least amount of cybercrime (5 per cent) was masterminded by 12-17 year olds, which Orange Cyberdefence claims goes against the common notion that hacking is something undertaken by teens in their bedrooms.

Like hackers in the 18-24 demographic, teenage hackers will likely be experimenting with hacking and, should they decide to keep at it, will unlikely see it as a money-making career choice until later in their lives.

Charl van der Walt, head of security research at Orange Cyberdefense, said: “The surge in cyber offences committed by teenagers in recent years may be creating a false impression of the age of today’s cybercriminals. The sensationalist interpretation of cybercrime’s youthfulness makes for a good headline, but these findings appear to tell a different story.

“While younger, less experienced hackers engage in highly diverse, and often noticed and reported – they may be less likely to engage in calculated, profit seeking activity. Instead, cybercrime careers appear to peak much later into adulthood, accompanied by vastly more sophisticated and intentional techniques.”