The pursuit of justice: A history of hacktivism [Infographic]

Hacktivism is at its peak. Anonymous and groups like it have made sure we are aware of hacking activists. In 2011 hacktivism became a powerful virtual weapon, and hackers found their way onto high-priority most wanted lists.

How do hacktivists differentiate themselves from cyber criminals, who hack websites for financial gain? Simple: a Hacktivists’s goal is to make political statements through hacking.

Every day more hacktivist are cropping up and it seems that no government has the power to stop them. Shawn Henry, a departing member of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that the current methods of fending off hackers are “unsustainable”. He believes that cyber criminals are simply “too talented” and defensive measures “too weak” to stop them.

Hacktivists such as Anonymous and Lulzsec use digital tools to tumble security systems to protest issues they believe in motivated by the pursuit of justice, and is often they are often untraceable.

“I don’t see how we ever come out of this without changes in technology or changes in behavior, because with the status quo, it’s an unsustainable model. Unsustainable in that you never get ahead, never become secure, never have a reasonable expectation of privacy or security,” said Henry.

Cyber crimes are evolving and so are cyber activists. An infograhic by Frugal Dad, takes a look at the history of hacktivism and how it became a virtual weapon.

The infographic outlines three types of hackers: White hat hackers, who breach security systems for altruistic or non-malicious reasons. Grey hat hackers hold ambiguous codes of ethics, and willing to break hacking laws. Black hat hackers, the show off or the criminals, who hack just because they can.

The top five countries hackers reside in are United States, the United Kingdom, Nigeria, Canada and China.

Source: frugaldad.com