November 12, 2007

Hackers (Frontline)

Hackers (Frontline) Hackers leave no fingerprints. They spend days casing potential victims, planting bugs that eventually allow them access to homes and businesses around the globe. Their crimes range from vandalism to credit card fraud to identity theft to multimillion-dollar bank heists.These self-described techno-nerds devote their time and energies to demonstrating just how vulnerable the internet has made once-secure information. But are hackers merely the mischievous high-tech pranksters they purport to be, or serious criminals costing businesses billions each year? And can nations and corporations safeguard sensitive information from professional hackers with potentially deadly aims?FRONTLINE’s “Hackers” explores these questions through interviews with top computer security experts, government officials, and hackers themselves. The one-hour report journeys into the hackers’ world, from a Las Vegas hackers conference to hackers’ homes where their attacks were launched. It also visits with those on their trail, from security experts tracking individual teen hackers to information warfare experts playing virtual war games to prepare for future cyber terrorists.FRONTLINE’s inquiry begins by demonstrating that the threats posed by hackers are not targeted solely at corporations such as Microsoft; much of today’s hacking involves ordinary home computers. FRONTLINE meets with victims of home computer invasion, including a victim of identity theft using the woman’s computer to get personal information.