Current Developments in Hacking
In the early 2000s, more malicious activity started to appear in the form of more advanced attacks. In fact, in the first few years of the new millennium the aggressiveness of attacks increased, with many attacks criminally motivated. Malicious attacks that have occurred include the following, among many more:
■ Denial-of-service attacks
■ Manipulation of stock prices
■ Identity theft
■ Vandalism
■ Credit card theft
■ Piracy
■ Theft of service
One of the many situations that have contributed to the increase in hacking and cyber-crime is the amount of information being passed and the overall dependency on the Internet and digital devices. Over the last decade the number of financial transactions has increased, creating a tempting target for crooks. Also, the openness of modern devices such as smart- phones and technologies such as Bluetooth has made hacking and stealing information easier. Lastly, we could also point to the number of Internet-connected devices such as tablets and other gadgets that individuals carry around in increasing numbers. Each of these examples has attracted the attention of criminals with the temptation of stealing never before heard of amounts of money, data, and other resources. As computer crime laws
began to be passed, the bragging rights for hacking a website became less attractive. The prank activity seemed to slow down whereas real criminal activity increased. With online commerce, skills started going to the highest bidder, with crime rings, organized crime, and nations with hostile interests using the Internet as an attack vector.
