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‘Hactivist’ group Anonymous tend to
attack religious and political groups, and
large corporations. Many members opt
to wear the stylised Guy Fawkes mask
restricted.” Restricted or not, there is the entrants to the field.”
potential for some creatively unpleasant But who are these hackers anyway? The security community
hacking. “Imagine a ransomware attack linked is generally cagey about attributing attacks to certain groups
to your heating system!” says Emms. or countries, seeing it as the responsibility of law enforcement
So, you don’t have to worry about someone to act on their pure analysis of the code. Nonetheless, the
hacking into your smart kettle – yet. anonymity offered by the internet makes it hard to be certain.
But that’s only because there are easier ways The few major hacking groups that are known to security
for criminals to get what they want, whether researchers are the exception, not the rule, and their actual
that’s by simply buying leaked data, sending membership can be even harder to pin down.
out a few thousand phishing emails, or Cal Leeming gained notoriety as the UK’s youngest convicted
exploiting existing vulnerabilities that go hacker in 2007. According to Leeming, his natural talent was
unfixed by users who neglect to update their “given a bit too much freedom.” He was carrying out illegal
software. attacks at the age of 12, then, in 2006, he was sentenced for
using stolen credit card data to buy £750,000 worth of goods.
BLAME GAME Now running his own security consultancy for high net worth
But we can’t place all the blame on lazy individuals, he laughs when asked if hackers really fit people’s
individuals or companies. The majority of image of them.
security researchers concur that, without “Stereotypes do generally exist for a reason,” he says.
punishment, crime is allowed to flourish. Still, he doesn’t quite live up to these stereotypes, as his
“It is a myth to think criminals have some childhood hacking was borne of a need to support his family
magical edge,” says Stephen Cobb, senior rather than a desire for mischief. “Back when I started, it really
security researcher at antivirus specialists was the Wild West out there. And there was an innocence to it.
ESET. “Right now, it appears that way with When groups of us met in chatrooms, we didn’t really realise
cyber criminals because of the massive failure we were creating criminal gangs. I used to think the internet
of governments to mobilise international law should be totally free, no rules, everything goes,” he explains.
enforcement. How many culprits involved “But we have got to a point where the internet, and anonymity
in watershed breaches have been brought to in particular, has brought out the very worst in our culture.
justice? Clearly, not enough to deter new It has brought out the best too, but we have become desensitised
