Perceived formal and informal sanctions on the willingness to commit cyber attacks against domestic and foreign targets

Scholars have expressed concerns over the effectiveness of formal sanctions in deterring cybercrime, particularly regarding computer intrusions and cyber attacks. Little empirical research, however, examines deterrence in the cyber world. This study examines the effects of perceived formal and informal sanctions, computer skill, online behaviors, cyber deviance, and beliefs on college students’ willingness to commit cyber attacks against domestic and foreign targets, specifically defacing websites, compromising bank servers, and searching government servers. The study found that anticipated formal sanctions did not deter students from their willingness to commit caused-based cyber attacks, but that perceived informal sanctions did. The implications for future studies examining intentions to commit cause-based computer intrusions are explored.