9781422284858

The FBI and other government agencies actively recruit future cyber security experts to work for them, in hopes of staying ahead of the black-hat hackers.

steal credit card information or social-security numbers. They could disrupt power and water supplies, get industry secrets from a busi- ness competitor, or totally shut down a network. In addition, if you don’t think a hacker can actually hurt someone physically, think again! In 2008, a Web site for people who suffer from epilepsy was hacked by vandals. They programmed the site to flash bright images rapidly. Epileptic seizures can sometimes be triggered by flashing lights, so that was a foolish and dangerous prank. Some experts say that every second of the day, nine new pieces of malware are developed! Large U.S. companies spend more than $12 million per year each combating and defending against cyber attacks. It’s easy to understand why there is such a need to keep cyberspace safe and secure. The experts who do that work are basically cyber spy hunters.

14