Blackmail isn’t just for low-life con artists anymore. Digital extortion—demanding ransom in return for not doing damage to critical computer systems—has become increasingly common in recent years. This Huffington Post has details.
huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/28/hacker-blackmail_n_5048853.html
Tag: hackers
Edward Snowden made a decision that changed the world. By leaking top secret government documents to the press, he revealed that US surveillance of private and public citizins goes far beyond what most of us had previously imagined. Because of those leaks, people all around the world are asking important questions about the balance between privacy and security in a free society. In a chilling statement to the BBC, Snowden claimed that he’d accomplished his mission by raising those questions. What do you think?
theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/24/edward-snowden-channel-4-christmas-day-message
In his state of the union message President Obama explained that he was issuing executive orders to deal with cyber threats to government and business. He also encouraged congress to enact legislation. But as this NPR story explains, the problem may require a more aggressive approach that’s complicated by the fact that our information infrastructure is mostly owned by private businesses.
npr.org/2013/02/13/171843046/victims-of-cyberattacks-now-going-on-offense-against-intruders
Wired writer Mat Honan recently lost just about everything he had stored on his computer and in the cloud. He literally watched while a malicious hacker wiped out his digital world.
This NPR story suggests five things you can do to avoid his fate.
Mat’s Wired article describes the hacker attack in detail.
thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-june-18-2012/parmy-olson
The secret global Internet subculture known as Anonymous has generated plenty of headlines, but most people don’t know much about it. Journalist Parmy Olson’s book, “We Are Anonymous”, reveals how the organization works and how it is evolving. In this light-hearted interview with Jon Stewart on the Daily Show she talks about what she learned writing the book.
One of the biggest tech trends isn’t a new gadget or tool; it’s a relatively new way of using gadgets and tools as agents of change. This article in CBC News explains why and how “hacktivism” is becoming an important—and potent—force in our world.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2012/02/06/hacktivism-.html
For three years a worm called Conficker has been wiggling its way into computers around the world, creating a massive botnet that has the potential to wreak havoc on the Internet. In this chilling NPR interview, author Mark Bowden explains to Fresh Air’s Terry gross how this little-known worm threatens our networks, our livelihoods, and our lives.
npr.org/2011/09/27/140704494/the-worm-that-could-bring-down-the-internet
The war against hackers has become a global war of economics and politics. This in-depth Vanity Fair article takes a penetrating look at the grossly underreported impact of Chinese hackers on the US economy.