Before his well-known (and ultimately deadly) climb of Mount Everest, mountaineer George Mallory was asked why he wanted to tackle the mountain. George famously answered, “Because it’s there.” Those words are inspiring for a cultural figure, but quite unsettling when applied to hackers and malware. Oddly enough, that’s the main reason most hackers do it. Because they can.
Hackers vs. Malware Creators
Although usually lumped together, experts claim hackers and malware creators have very distinct personalities. Sarah Gordon, lead researcher for Symantec, claims that hackers look down on virus authors, since viruses attack indiscriminately. Hackers are surgical. Other experts claim that the personality differences between the two are dynamic, with hackers more often prone to risk-taking and aggressive behavior.
The Evolution of a Hacker
Unlike other crimes, profiling is almost useless in hacking, because they come from a wide range of backgrounds and incomes. Although more men tend to become hackers, experts believe that trend only exists because men have more access to computers across the world.
Typically, a hacker or malware author starts out simply seeing if he or she CAN bypass a security system or steal a password. These first steps are taking with the help a gregarious hacker. After that, the challenges increase, with attempts to hack or infect larger systems, larger databases and cause more damage. Like collecting wealth, it’s almost never enough.
A New Kind of Burglary
In a study by Danube University, psychologists suggest that the minds of hackers are identical to those of burglars or pickpockets. In fact, with the prime threat of hackers and malware being information and identify theft, the two crimes are essential the same, with one major difference: identity theft costs victims over $50 billion dollars a year. At the same time, this kind of “burglary” also destroys the life of the victim. Stealing a car stereo is an inconvenience, but identity theft can ruin a person’s credit, take away their home or even land them in jail (just like the wrongfully-accused Courtney Hailey of Memphis).
You Might Be Helping Hackers
Hackers and malware have only become more common and more destructive, and illegal downloading is paving the way. Those that use torrent sites like The Pirate Bay for games, music and movies are assisting the distribution of harmful malware and how-to manuals for newbie hackers. These sites even distribute personal information, which is what happened last year to 6.5 million LinkedIn passwords.
By frequenting these sites, “innocent” users are propagating the matrix containing and distributing stolen information. It is like letting a friend put stolen goods in your home. No matter how much you disapprove, it’s still aiding crime until you kick them out.
Don’t Lose Sleep
Average consumers have little to worry about when it comes to hacking. A few typical precautions like an encrypted wireless signal, frequent changing of passwords, complicated passwords (not “1234”) and a frequently updated antivirus program is usually enough. However, commercial business, small or large, should seek advice from computer security professionals, as should those already infected by viruses. Like so many other things in life, a few dollars now can save a few thousand later.