Most famous hackers

Computer hackers usually fall into two categories: those who do it for financial gain and those who do it for notoriety. Over the years there have been many individual hackers, as well as organised groups that have undertaken hacking activity. Regardless of their backgrounds, nearly all hackers are self-taught and succeed through experimentation and persistence.

However, hackers don’t just break down the security barriers of large organisations or government bodies. In fact, every time that your home computer is hit with a virus or an online business is crippled by a DDOS attack, it will have been created by some clever individual sat in front of a computer. It goes without saying that hackers are smart, determined and often very mysterious.

Businesses looking to tighten their security inevitably need a mix of firewalls, anti-virus software, security updates and maybe even more specific measures such as NCC DDOS protection to ensure maximum security.

But who are the people behind some of the biggest cyber security breaches of all time and what makes them tick? Let’s find out as we unmask five of the greatest hackers that have ever graced a keyboard.

Gary McKinnon

Born in 1966, Gary McKinnon started his computing career as a Scottish systems administrator. At the time, it was definitely not obvious that he would go on to cause what is known as the “biggest military computer hack of all time.”

Between 2001 and 2002, McKinnon reportedly hacked into some 97 US Military and NASA computers from the innocent location of his girlfriend’s aunt’s house. McKinnon, who suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome, has always claimed that he was only ever looking for information relating to UFOs. However, the US government has stated that important information was erased during the breaches and that McKinnon caused over $700,000 worth of damage.

Lengthy extradition proceedings began in 2012, however shortly afterwards UK Home Secretary Teresa May announced that the extradition was to be blocked. This was due to concerns for McKinnon’s personal welfare as he was considered at a high risk of suicide.

Adrian Lamo

Adrian Lamo was born in 1981 and currently works as an American threat analyst. Yet before holding this prestigious position, he was in fact a hacker. He found notoriety by hacking into numerous high profile business networks such as Yahoo!, Microsoft and The New York Times, which ultimately lead to his arrest in 2003.

Lamo was nicknamed ‘the homeless hacker’ because he preferred to operate from public locations such as coffee shops, libraries and internet cafés. Many people consider him as a hacker with some morals because he would often advise a website or network owner about their security flaws after he had made a successful hacking attempt.

One of his most tongue-in-cheek stunts came in 2002 when he hacked into The New York Times network and added his name to its list of expert sources. However, his most newsworthy episode occured when he revealed to the world that Bradley Manning had leaked top-secret documents to the Wikileaks website.

Kevin Mitnick

Kevin Mitnick is an American computer security consultant, author and former hacker. He refers to himself a ‘social engineer’ which in the eyes of the law is also considered a ‘cyber-criminal.’ Mitnick spent years eluding and bypassing the security safeguards of some of America’s largest corporations. He is also rumoured to have wiretapped the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and gained access to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), a computer controlled by the Department of Defence.

Nowadays, Mitnick runs his own computer security consultancy company, which is pretty impressive for a man once dubbed “the most-wanted computer criminal in the United States.”

 

Stephen Wozniak

Did you know that the co-founder of mega brand Apple started out life as a hacker? Well now you do! Stephen Gary Wozniak was born in California in 1950 and would become one of the single most important people in the world of computing.

It should be highlighted that Wozniak was by no means a prolific or indeed malicious hacker, but he did bypass his university’s phone system so that he could make free long distance calls. It was at this time that he first met Steve Jobs and sparked a partnership that would go on to create Apple computers and define a generation.

 

Sven Jaschan

Were you using a computer online in 2004? Did you experience or hear about either the Netsky or Sasser worms? Well, if you did then you have got only one guy to thank – Sven Jaschan. These super worms spread like wildfire and at one point, accounted for 70% of total malware spreading over the internet at that time.

When the perpetrator was apprehended and turned out to be a teenager, the computer world was gobsmacked. Due to his age, Jaschan didn’t serve any jail time and instead received a suspended sentence. He was also immediately hired by a security firm to devise antidotes for computer viruses.