Hackers Steal $9 Million

November 26, 2009
By system

Federal officials busted eight people 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 fewer than 12 hours by hacking into payroll debit card information last November.

Hackers are in all places but the fact that they were from Estonia and Moldova is fascinating. Russia has lots of hackers but Moldova and Estonia aren’t the first places most people think of when it comes to brilliant hackers.

The capital came up missing from the Royal Bank of Scotland Group in Atlanta in 2008. The band of hackers was able to successfully break the encryption that was shielding consumer data on payroll debit cards at the bank. After breaking in, and stealing the customer data they even increased the account limits on the compromised accounts. Thus securing even more money and messing up innumerable accounts.

After that, the ring of hackers had a set of “cashers” set up. There were 44 counterfeit payroll debit cards in which $9 million was taken from over 2,100 ATMS in 280 cities worldwide. The majority of which were situated in the U.S. The investigation is still going but at least the authorities won indictments against the eight people. This was a monstrous undertaking and it would be fascinating to know the man hours and logistics that went behind this operation.

Hacking is a huge problem and it’s only getting worse. Attacks are launched endlessly at private sites as well as government sites. There are hackers that work alone, for companies, and their governments. Only last summer North Korea started a new armed forces unit 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 ability to take down IT communications if a war erupts.

This is no laughing matter and the idea is horrifying. There are continually reports on the news about cyber attacks against the U.S. government regularly 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 completely shut down the system for two weeks.

IT Security is extremely important and there is a large demand for professionals. Governments and businesses are constantly wanting specialists with the talents, wisdom, and aptitude to resolve problems. They earn high wages and are responsible for the defenses of the site which protects the operations of the site as well as information and funds.

Gigantic cyber attacks not only affect customers and companies, but also civilians. Everyday at every hour and every single minute there are cyber attacks. Everything is possible with a computer and the internet, which is why these attacks are so dangerous. There is a high demand for IT professionals that specialize in security and battling hackers and their malicious programs.

Every person has enemies out there and it’s imperative to defend 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 exterior attacks. This is a billion dollar business and you may be able to stop the next $9 million dollar hacking job from happening.

About the author: Diane Johnson writes articles and blogs about current events, accredited online universities and online degrees.

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