Just as fast as the internet has risen, so too has the threat of cybercrime. For many years these would have come in the shape of viruses which were sent to someone’s inbox, these are considered nuisance crimes which are designed to cause problems for people. People like Michael Coppola, an expert in the industry however, focus less on these cases and more on the big issues which cybercrime presents. Hacks can happen to businesses and residential properties alike and they are a big risk to us all.
So what exactly are hackers all about and why do they bother hacking us? Let’s take a look.
One Upmanship
Many hackers take great pride in their ability to breach a system and as such there is a percentage of the hacking community which is basically looking for a challenge. This is why we often see government agencies hacked and enormous companies like MasterCard and Sony. The reality in these cases is that any level of theft would create too much of a storm, the key is simply getting into the network in the first place.
Selling Information
Those who hack and steal are doing things for very different reasons indeed. What people are looking for when they hack homes and businesses is to gather as much information as they possibly can, sensitive information. For example they will look to get information on people such as social security numbers, images, important dates and financial information. The reason why they will usually do this is so that they can make money by selling that information on the dark web. Those who are buying this information do so in order to create fake profiles. With the information that someone can steal from your home computer, someone could create a fake passport, take out a credit card and essential commit identity fraud in order to then perform any number of crimes. Most hackers steal information not to use, but to sell.
Hacking For Hire
Another small branch of the hacking community do what is called hacking for hire, this is rare but it certainly does exist. What we may see here is a business or a the front for a crime operation, seeking to find out and steal information of a competitor. They will pay hackers to breach systems and then look to find the information which they are looking for, that they can then use for leverage or bribery. These are very specific hacks which are designed for one purpose only. Again this is a very small percentage of the hacking community but it does certainly exist.
The reality that everyone needs to realize is that no matter whether you have a business or you are looking at your home network, you have to have high protection in terms of cybersecurity. Hacks happen and they take place all of the time, at all levels. If you have any sensitive information it is critical that you have it protected.
