Hackers Steal $9 Million
Federal officials busted eight individuals from Russia, Moldova, and Estonia for what authorities are calling “one of the most sophisticated computer hacking rings in the world.” The ring was able to effectively take $9 million in less than 12 hours by hacking into payroll debit card information last November.
Hackers are everywhere but the fact that they came from Estonia and Moldova is fascinating. Russia has lots of hackers but Moldova and Estonia aren’t the primary places most people think of when it comes to exceptional hackers.
The money came up missing from the Royal Bank of Scotland Group in Atlanta in 2008. The band of hackers was able to successfully breach the encryption that was protecting consumer data on payroll debit cards at the bank. After breaking in, and stealing the customer data they even raised the account confines on the compromised accounts. Thus securing even more money and messing up innumerable accounts.
Next, the ring of hackers had a collection of “cashers” set up. There were 44 phony payroll debit cards in which $9 million was taken from over 2,100 ATMS in 280 cities worldwide. Most of which were positioned in the U.S. The investigation is still going but at least the authorities won indictments against the eight people. This was a giant undertaking and it would be interesting to know the man hours and logistics that went into planning this operation.
Hacking is a huge problem and it’s only getting worse. Attacks are launched continuously at private sites as well as government sites. There are hackers that work by themselves, for businesses, and their governments. Just last summer North Korea started a new military section with 100 hackers onboard.
This special military unit of hackers was given the specific duty of infiltrating enemy networks and stealing sensitive data. The group is also in charge for creating malicious programs that have the power to take down IT communications if a war erupts.
This is no laughing matter and the idea is scary. There are continually reports on the news about cyber attacks against the U.S. government commonly from North Korea, China, or Russia. Merely a few months ago hackers got into the U.S. electric grid and government websites. They were responsible for disruptions and viruses that totally shut down the system for two weeks.
IT Security is tremendously important and there is a high demand for professionals. Governments and companies are constantly wanting specialists with the talents, wisdom, and capability to solve problems. They earn high salaries and are responsible for the safekeeping of the site which protects the operations of the site as well as information and capital.
Massive cyber attacks not only affect customers and companies, but also citizens. Day by day at every hour and every single minute there are cyber attacks. Anything is doable with a computer and the internet, which is why these attacks are so dangerous. There is a high demand for IT professionals that concentrate on security and battling hackers and their malicious programs.
Everyone has enemies out there and it’s crucial to guard yourself from attacks. A college degree in Information Technology and Security will put you on the fast track to a career that will protect companies and government from external attacks. This is a billion dollar business and you may be able to avert the next $9 million dollar hacking job from happening.
About the author: Diane Johnson writes articles and blogs about current events, accredited online schools and online degrees.
