In Pursuit of an Aptitude Test for Potential Cyberspace Warriors

The Air Force has officially assumed the cyberspace mission. In order to perform the mission to the best extent possible, it is important to employ personnel with the necessary skill sets and motivation to work in this type of environment. The first step in employing the right people is to screen all possible candidates and select those with an aptitude for acquiring the skill sets and the motivation to perform this work. This thesis is an attempt to determine the necessary skills and motivations to perform this work and recommend a screening process to select the candidates with the highest probability for success. Since this mission is new, determining what skills and motivations are necessary is difficult. To assist in determining the skills and motivations for cyber warriors, this thesis considers the skills and motivations of computer hackers. If the skills and motivations of successful hackers can be identified, those skills and motivations can be used as a tool for developing an aptitude test to be used as a screening device. Aptitude tests have proven to be a valuable resource to the military and academia. A blueprint for an aptitude test is provided based on the findings of the hacker skills and motivations.