Cyber Attacks are Viral

We have to take cyber attacks seriously for our safety. With any new computer technology that creates new doors for users, there also comes the ability for enemies to pick the locks of those doors. "The Cuckoo's Egg" reveals one of the first major cyber attacks. It was 1986. Because hacking was early in the life of computers and networks, many people, including the FBI, did not realize the abilities hackers had at taking crippling advantage of them. Clifford Stoll understood the danger a hacker was posing on his school network. He used every bit of energy he had to track down and capture the spy that was invading. He borrowed terminals to check every phone line, slept under his desk at night, and even wrote down every keystroke the spy was making. Clifford is a great example for how we can prevent our own cyber attacks. Whether we know very little or a lot about computers and networks, we must take very seriously any attack made on us through our cyber security. If someone has access to our computer, they can have access to much of our life through email, Facebook, and any other records stored on our computer. The most respected companies and the most powerful country in the world are currently becoming immobilized by hackers. The well known and respected Sony Computer Entertainment company had a major cyber attack that paralyzed their company for more then a month. Sony's online service that users were paying for was gone and their personal account information was possibly stolen for thousands of individuals. According to CNN this month, Major FBI websites are being hacked by a group called Anonymous. This directly effects the safety of all Americans. We have to treat these and future cyber attacks as a serious incursion of our safety.