Cybercrime Is Low‑Skill Work

Most online criminal activity is carried out by large numbers of low‑wage, low‑skill workers (scam call centers and informal‑economy operators) rather than a small class of highly gifted lone hackers; the skilled hacking capacity is disproportionately state‑sourced, with only a few thousand criminal hackers focused on ransomware. That workforce composition limits both the scale and sophistication of many cyberattacks today. — If true, policy and defense should pivot from imagining hyper‑technical lone wolves toward disrupting recruitment, economic incentives, and state sponsorship—shifting interventions toward social, regulatory, and international levers.