If you picture a cyber criminal to be some nerdy middle aged guy who does his dirty work from the basement at home…think again.

The latest community threat report from AVG Technologies reveals that the current generation of malicious software developers haven’t even hit their teens.

The threat report details a case of an 11 year old that designed malware to steal login details from online gamers which may sound like a minor problem..but then those accounts are linked to credit cards and other personal information it quickly becomes a very serious crime.

 We believe these junior programmers are motivated mainly by the thrill of outwitting their peers, rather than financial gain, but it is nevertheless a disturbing and increasing trend. It is also logical to assume that at least some of those responsible will be tempted to experiment with much more serious cyber-crimes.

– AVG Technologies Chief Technology Advisor, Yuval Ben-Itzhak

You can read more about the latest online threats from by checking out the Q4 2012 Community Powered Threat Report.