All the reasons why people write viruses and spam?

Why do people write viruses and other mobile malicious code? The answer isn’t as simple as it used to be.

Maybe a reason that people spend their lives writing viruses is because they want to be able to just claim that they did it.
When some of these characters get caught they always come up with the same cock and bull story that they have seen a flaw in the security and they wrote the code just to show that it is there (just like the mountain) and to 'educate' the ignorant users about security.
Many virus writers would say they never hurt a person they just like to manipulate the system.
There are many reasons why people write viruses there has been a measure of success in clamping down on unsolicited e-mail and spam - and spammers need to find new ways to amuse themselves.
There are still some who still do it for the kudos so much so they have formed loose communities to perpetrate their mischief.

Adolescent at a computer

Aside from the growing organised crime element, there are still some who do it for the kudos in their community, so much so they have formed loose "gangs", usually between 16 and 26 years old.
The gangs give the adolescents a sense of belonging and help raise their esteem
Many do it for the technical challenge, although it is actually extremely easy to write a virus, and does not require a genius IQ, Mr Cluley says.
Others have even claimed that viruses are an art and a form of expression, and should not be stopped.
Most do it to impress their mates
The answer is to claim territory, to make a mark in space - or cyberspace - that will be seen by many.
Others are driven by ideological motives, for political reasons or to highlight questions about freedom of information or information security.
"They will often write something then prove to themselves it can work, it's like a scoring thing," says Mr Wood.

via bbc