Page 83 - BBC Knowledge - October 2017 IN

to how awfully we’re treating each other.” As an emerging hacker,
Leeming lacked guidance but also felt that the law was too heavy-handed. The big tech
“It has criminalised schoolkid mischief,” he says. He cites the tendency
of small crimes to turn into bigger ones. “We need people who can interact companies need
with those kind of young adults – people who otherwise develop no grasp
of ethics or personal responsibility.” to take a step
However, the general consensus among experts is that hackers and hacking
are something we need to accept will never disappear, yet that doesn’t mean back and
we have to give up the fight.
“There will always be some level of criminal hacking, but it is possible realise that
to improve human behaviour. For example, there’s a lot less crime
in America and the UK today than there was 25 years ago, and not because their future
all the criminals have gone online,” says Cobb.
When the diagnosis is as all-encompassing as a global issue like cybercrime, profits are
so the prescriptions are going to be pretty far-reaching. For David Emms at
Kaspersky, it’s an education issue. “Cyber attacks are so often reliant on humans in serious
and their mistakes, so big businesses could go a long way towards dealing
with the problem by focusing more on a culture of awareness and developing jeopardy if we
education,” he says. “It’s like parenting, you can’t expect to tell your kids to do
something once and they’ll never do it again. It’s a longer-term process.” do not improve
However, there’s no question that serious vulnerabilities remain. “I think
the big tech companies need to take a step back and realise that their future cybersecurity
profits are in serious jeopardy if we don’t improve cybersecurity across the
board,” says Cobb. “There are massive tech companies sitting on billions across the
in cash and I would argue a chunk of that cash came from the corner-cutting
we have done so far.” board
But that doesn’t mean it’s all doom and gloom. It’s a glorifying myth, says
Harley, to think of it as “genius hackers versus plodding security companies”.
Instead, if we think of hackers like ordinary criminals and guard against them
in the same way, there’s no reason why society, including the public, the media, CHRIS HALL is a science and technology journalist
companies and governments, cannot keep cybercrime under control. who has written for Esquire, Men’s Health and GQ.