Hackers have established large online communities in the form of online discussion forums. These forums help hackers with their goals: to hack, commit credit card/identity fraud or theft, launder money, and carry out digital attacks on physical infrastructure. There is need from security organizations and law enforcement to monitor these activities to identify individuals of interest, emerging threats and malware, and develop effective disruption strategies. However, as studies have consistently shown that as these communities […]

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Researchers have previously explored how right-wing extremists build a collective identity online by targeting their perceived “threat,” but little is known about how this “us” versus “them” dynamic evolves over time. This study uses a sentiment analysis-based algorithm that adapts criminal career measures, as well as semi-parametric group-based modeling, to evaluate how users’ anti-Semitic, anti-Black, and anti-LGBTQ posting behaviors develop on a sub-forum of the most conspicuous white supremacy forum. The results highlight the extent […]

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