The security landscape is changing faster than ever, driven by the expanding attack surface and the rise of AI. To stay ahead, organizations must deeply understand the individuals working at the forefront of digital defense and offense: the hackers.

Our latest report, Inside the Mind of a Hacker 2026, surveyed and interviewed over 2,000 of the world’s leading hackers to reveal their evolving demographics, motivations, collaborative methods, and their aggressive adoption of AI.

The findings confirm that we are firmly in the era of human-augmented intelligence, where human creativity and machine scale are converging. Here are the key highlights you need to know from the report.

Hacker demographics and motivations

The stereotype of the lone wolf hacker is giving way to a more complex reality. Our data sheds light on who these hackers are and what truly drives their work:

  • A young, educated workforce—The majority of hackers are 34 or younger (92%) and well-educated, with 69% holding a college degree or higher.
  • Neurodiversity is a strength—One in five hackers (20%) identify as neurodivergent, underscoring how hacking’s demand for deep pattern recognition and systems thinking aligns perfectly with these unique cognitive strengths.
  • Motivations are complex—While financial gain (74%) is the top motivation, hackers overwhelmingly view their work as an art form (95%) and take immense pride in it (98%). For 85%, reporting a critical vulnerability is more important than making money.
  • The problem of disclosure—A shocking 65% of hackers have chosen not to disclose a vulnerability because the company lacked a clear, safe pathway to report it. This represents a massive, preventable security gap for organizations.

Hacking in teams: Collaboration as a force multiplier

Attackers work in teams, and so do the best backers. Collaboration is no longer optional; it’s essential for tackling modern, complex exploits.

  • Teams yield better results—A significant 72% of hackers believe that working in teams yields better results, and 61% report finding more critical vulnerabilities when collaborating.
  • The desire for teammates—40% of hackers currently work in a team, and another 44% actively want to but haven’t found the right partners.
  • The right structure—The most effective teams are small (3–4 members, according to 70% of hackers), boast balanced skill sets, and operate with a “no-ego culture” that fosters trust and fast adaptation.

Hackers and AI: A relentless 24/7 schedule

AI has moved beyond experimentation and is now an integral part of the elite hacker’s toolkit, acting as a tireless sidekick that amplifies human ability.

  • Widespread adoption—A dominant 82% of hackers are already using AI as part of their hacking workflow.
  • AI accelerates value—74% of hackers believe AI has increased the overall value of hacking, allowing them to focus on creative problem-solving by automating “the boring stuff.”
  • Top use cases—Hackers are primarily leveraging AI for speed and automation (e.g., generating recon tools and custom scripts), code analysis (parsing massive, messy codebases for vulnerabilities), and getting unstuck (acting as an instant research assistant).
  • The unforgiving nature of success—As one hacker noted, “Security is a race where the finish line keeps moving and the only way to stay ahead is to run faster than everyone else. By utilizing AI, the pack not only gets ‘smarter’ but also quicker, running on a relentless 24/7 schedule.”

The future of security is about embracing this human-augmented intelligence. Organizations that understand the modern hacker—their motivations, their collaborative practices, and their use of AI—will be best equipped to build more resilient and effective security programs.

Download the complete report, Inside the Mind of a Hacker 2026, today to learn how to attract, engage, and leverage the world’s most talented hackers.

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