Hacking - The How, The Why, The Costs

Hacking attempts are on the rise across the world and costs to the global economy are well into the billions. Often payment data, customer records and company data are targeted and routes into hacking are constantly multiplying. In response to this, IT Security is becoming increasingly sophisticated in the ways in which it addresses threats from hackers and businesses are developing vital awareness too. So what can you do to prevent hackers from accessing your data and protect the interests of your customers and colleagues? Knowing the different forms hacking comes in is a good place to start, as these range from malicious and criminal hackers, who aim to steal money or data, to hacktivists, who announce ideological messages on other sites.

Many hackers have become infamous for attempting to infiltrate high-profile sites, such as Jonathan James, who tampered with the servers of NASA and the MOD in 1999. Although this was only a temporary threat, it affected the Defense Threat Reduction Agency and cost NASA $41,000 to repair. More recently, threats from companies including Lutz Security have emerged. They claim to have infiltrated the customer data of Sony in April 2011, a criminal hack that resulted in the exposure of the payment data of over 100 million customers. As a result of this, Sony are unable to sell games through the PlayStation Store, which has not yet been brought back online.

The cost to businesses could be catastrophic, as shown by the reported $3.5 million loss experienced by PayPal in 2011 due to the Anonymous group of hackers. The key to preventing hacking is understanding how it works, what its targets are and where it might emerge from. Take a look at this infographic for more essential tips on hacking: