Last December, many people suffered from Target’s hacker
scandal. This included people being
unable to use their credit cards, losing money, and customers abandoning the
company. But the real loss created
through these forms of hacking isn’t as clear.
As stated in The Cuckoo’s Egg,
hacking creates an environment of distrust that hurts the progress of society.
In a network where people would
like to share ideas freely we are constantly blocked and pressured by the
mountains of security every company has to use to function. We ourselves are nagged by the notion that
any file or website could unleash a virus that could destroy our software. Companies suffer because they must now supply
protection for their data that they would otherwise not need. This cuts into company costs and also limits
companies from initiating new ideas.
Worst of all is that hackers are nearly impossible to catch and
convict. All of this creates a network
that is limited by the lack of trust among its members.Though hacking can seem alluring to some, one should remember that there are consequences. Hacking can be beneficial, but only when used to show software weaknesses. Hacking for gain or even just pleasure can create a negative effect on others trust. Though a future where all computer users are noble is unrealistic, it still is a better goal to strive for in each of us than the alternative.
