Computer Hacking And Its Impact On Our Lives

In recent years, we hear more and more about the threat of computer hacking. This is linked to the increase in the number and power of computers, as well as the development of the Internet. As computers have proliferated into every corner of our lives, so their potential for good or ill has increased in a way that would have been unimaginable even twenty years ago. In addition, the Internet has made it far easier for a hacker to gain illegitimate access to a computer, and to share techniques with other hackers.

Back in the Seventies, only large organisations owned computers: individuals and small businesses owned calculators at best. With the advent of the affordable personal computer, everything changed. Now, non-specialists have access to more computing power than was used to put men on the Moon. With this quantum leap in technology has come a corresponding ratcheting up of the stakes. So much of our everyday information now depends on computers that if that data were to be stolen or corrupted through "cybercrime", then the consequences would have a significant impact on our lives. For example, carrying out online banking transactions, or filing a tax return online, might carry a risk of identity theft or even loss of the money in a bank account, if the website security has been compromised.

Hacking into a computer used to be a technically demanding speciality, but nowadays many of the easier "hacks" can be performed automatically using readily-available software. The people who do this (known as "script kiddies") may have negligible technical skills, but their sheer numbers make them a threat in aggregate. At the same time, the more skilled of the computer hackers are able to carry out crimes that, at the time, there is not yet any defence against. This means that computer hacking is a very real threat for anyone who uses a computer, or whose information is stored on a computer somewhere. In an economically advanced country, this means everyone.

The motivation of computer hackers can vary. Some of them are driven by sheer intellectual curiosity, eager to test their technical skills by penetrating the defences of another computer. Once they have succeeded, they generally cause little or no damage, and content themselves with boasting about their exploits on Internet forums. A few "crackers" may be driven by animosity towards a person or an organisation (e.g. a disgruntled ex-employee), and will restrict any damage to the target of their efforts. Others, however, are more dangerous. They may be working for themselves or for organised crime, but in both cases their goal is to gain access to resources that can be used to steal money (such as credit card details). These are the criminals who are pursued by official high-tech crime agencies.

In summary, the threat of computer hacking is growing all the time, and nobody can consider that they are safe from hackers. Even the most harmless hacker will cause a little disruption to a computer system, while the most dangerous hackers can potentially cause major damage, not only to a computer but to people's wealth and welfare.