A Brief History: Hacking

“I am the creeper. Catch me if you can!”

This message, which some experts agree is the first instance of a hacker creating malware, was created in 1971 by Bob Thomas who worked for BBN technologies in the United States.

But hacking can be traced back even further, although it was through telephone lines and not computers, with John Draper.

And Draper, whose ‘hacker’ alias was Captain Crunch, simply only needed a toy whistle to ‘hack’.

He used the toy whistle, that came free in boxes of Cap’n Crunch cereal, to manipulate phone tones and make free long-distance calls.

His technique was known as “Phreaking” and led to generations of hackers and tech enthusiasts, ever since.

Cyber security is born

At that time, when the Internet was relatively unheard of, the idea of having to protect your data or information was pretty unheard of too.

But, the simple cheeky message of The Creeper — which actually had no malicious intent — shook things up, changing the trajectory of cyber security and revealing the Internet’s vulnerability.

Did you know?

In 1971, Ray Tomlinson created the “Reaper program” to chase the Creeper program around to different computers and attack it and delete it.

This is often considered the first anti-virus.

Pretty interesting, right? But also pretty scary that your information can be so easily accessed.

We need for cyber security more than ever before

Human error is the primary cause of cybersecurity breaches, accounting for 95% of all data breaches.

And, as the Internet, email and other applications which are information-rich (such as banking apps etc.) have grown in popularity, so have the skills of hackers to breach this data.

And what once had no ill intent has turned into a tool to steal personal data that could be exploited for identity theft, fraud, or other malicious activities.

Cultivate a safer digital space

Over 4.1 billion companies online have malware to protect themselves. That’s a lot.

And this fact shows why ensuring your cyber security is really your best and main line of defence in a world where we engage with the Internet every single day, on numerous devices and various platforms.

Hackers aren’t picky

Simply put: a cyber attack happens every 39 seconds. We are the most vulnerable to hacking we have ever been.

Unfortunately we are in good company: Hackers will target anyone and everyone.

Throughout history there have been many other incidences of hacking from popular scams that need your banking details to claim the inheritance of your long lost great uncle; to Phishing schemes sending an email that appears to be from a legitimate source, such as your country’s revenue service.

The plots are elaborate, but the victims are many.

Without proper professional cyber security, no one is exempt from a hacker’s attack, no matter how large the corporation or brand.

In fact, one of the largest hacks in history happened to the Marriott International hospitality group in 2018. A data breach exposed 500 million guest records, including passport details, credit cards, arrival-departure dates and other Personal Identifiable Information (PII).

Hackers can also do damage to your career by manipulating your digital identity to send unauthorised messages, potentially damaging your professional reputation.

It’s important to ensure you, your organisation and everyone you know are educated and up-to-date on the importance of a secure digital ecosystem. Do the smart thing and be proactive in guarding your digital identity — it’s an invaluable asset in today’s digital age.

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Stay vigilant, stay updated, and most importantly, stay secure!