by Paul Dice

Created on: August 29, 2007

The term hacker historically was use to refer to anyone who used computers and had an interest and knowledge of how they worked and how to make them do other tasks. Now it has become a weapon of mass distraction from the media and governments to elevate the people's fear of threat level and is applied rigorously in this aim.

In the past, the targets of hackers have been large organisations such as Microsoft or government websites, generally leaving the public alone. However, since the increase in the uptake of broadband services, the home user has become a soft option as most home computer users have not had to take the issue computer security seriously and overall, are misinformed by the general media.

One of the desired aims of hackers is to gain control over your pc and use it to either launch Distributed Denial of Service attacks on other websites by turning yours and many other pc's into slaves to their bidding. They also would like access to your bank details and your credit cards to help fund themselves.

The software tools to do this are to be found easily on the net, and coupled with a bit of psychological and social engineering, find their way in to our pc's.

Yes, there are those out there who would use your computer for their own aims, but they are not only master criminals, or terrorists but also government security agencies who feel that they have the right to place malware upon citizens' computers in the name of national security.
I know this from personal experience. I visited a government agency website because they were offering tips regarding computer security.

What they didn't tell you of course was they wanted access to your security!

They left me with several little devices aimed to get to know my thoughts, beliefs and opinions, bank details and emails, anything they wanted!

First was Advanced Invisible Keylogger v1.5, then LttLogger v1.0, and finally Timbuktu Pro a cross platform, Win/Mac remote operation software, giving them access all areas of my computer.

The celebrity hacker generally chooses a high profile target to challenge their knowledge and ingenuity and will gain him or her prestigious within their peers when they breach their targets security. Overall, this type of hacker generally do not utilise the public to achieve this.

Financial hackers are more likely to go for the softer targets such as the home user to gain access to their cash.

Then there is the blackmailers who will deny you access to your files unless you pay a ransom, sexual

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