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Exploring Cybercrime's Real-World Impact: Threats and Consequences

Calendar Dec 13, 2000 • User Avatar Anthony Pell
1 min read
General Esm H446
Topics%20covered

Topics Covered

malware cybercrime security risks hacking threats data breaches impact
One year ago, computer hacking still seemed a novelty to most Americans. So what if the White House Web site could be defaced? But this year, computer criminals crept into everyday life. Now we know they have the power to shut . . . One year ago, computer hacking still seemed a novelty to most Americans. So what if the White House Web site could be defaced? But this year, computer criminals crept into everyday life. Now we know they have the power to shut down the world's biggest Web sites. And we learned they can sneak inside Microsoft's computer system, raid credit card databases, and of course, write viruses which bring the entire personal computing world to its knees. Now what?

COMPUTER CRIME WASN'T much of a front-page story a year ago; readers would remember the "cyberwar" that led to virtual graffiti being sprayed on FBI.gov and WhiteHouse.gov in 1999. But that kind of hacking was a mere novelty.