Successful hacks can paralyze websites, enable corporate or personal data to fall into the wrong hands and potentially damage the image, reputation and sales pipeline of the organization under attack. For many, this begs the question ‘Why us?’ To find out, let’s delve into the psyche of the hacker and consider ways that organizations can defend themselves against cyber-attacks.
Hacking isn’t always about causing damage, destruction or for financial gain. The objective of many hackers, especially «hacktivists,» is purely to raise awareness, influence or to send a political message. For instance, the hacker group Anonymous was able to create a massive amount of publicity for itself in the run-up to the World Cup in Brazil by attacking the servers of global sponsors such as Adidas, Emirates and Coca-Cola. Ultimately, the actual damage caused was limited and did not affect the running of the tournament. Nevertheless, the hackers took advantage of worldwide interest in the event to draw attention to their particular goals and beliefs.