One of the most common security risks in relation to computerised information systems is the danger of unauthorised
access to confidential data. Contrary to the popular belief encouraged by the media, the risk of hackers, gaining access to
a corporate information system is relatively small. Most security breaches involving confidential data can be attributed to
the employees of the organisation. In many cases, breaches are accidental in that employees are unaware that particular sets
of information are restricted. Deliberate breaches are typically the result of an employee’s wishing to gain some personal
benefit from using the information obtained. However, we must consider that the threat posed by hackers is starting to
increase as more organisations make use of the Internet for business purposes. In addition, it should be noted that even
a relatively small number of hacking incidents can account for significant losses to industry.
A hacker is a person who attempts to gain unauthorised access to a computer-based information system, usually via a
telecommunications link. However, this is the popular use of this term and is considered incorrect by many IT professionals.
Traditionally, ‘hacking’ referred to the process of writing program code, so hackers were nothing more than skilled
computer programmers. Even today, many people consider themselves to be ‘hackers’ of the traditional kind and dislike
being associated with the stereotype of a computer criminal. Furthermore, many people draw distinctions between those
who attempt to gain unauthorised access to computer-based information systems for malicious reasons and those with
other motivations. A person who gains access to an information system for malicious reasons is often termed a cracker
rather than a hacker. Similarly, many people claim to use hacking for ethical purposes, such as helping companies to
identify security flaws or assisting law enforcement agencies in apprehending criminals. In general, most people consider
hackers to fall into one of three categories of those who wish to demonstrate their computer skills by outwitting the
designers of a particular system, those who wish to gain some form of benefit (usually financial) by stealing, altering or
deleting confidential information and those who wish to cause malicious damage to an information system, perhaps as
an act of revenge against a former employer. Understandably, the most common crime committed by hackers involves
telecommunications fraud. Clearly, the first task carried out by most hackers is to obtain free telephone calls, so that the
time-consuming task of breaking into a given system can be carried out without incurring a great deal of expense. However,
the growth of digital communications technology means that it is possible to implement countermeasures against hacking.