The world has seen hackers in many forms since the start of the electronics industry, something as simple as reverse engineering can be seen as hacking but the current hacking that goes on against companies or organisations, even personal computers for a moral crusade is nothing short of terrorism.
Many large scale companies in pretty much all industries have seen a hack of some sort with the hacker(s) seeing themselves as crusaders, fine it keeps people like me in demand, yet the damage they do along the way to stand up and count as some-kind of victory effects everyone. While I don't really want to talk about the Sony hacks of late, the ones of past from the cretins at Anonymous which crippled the PSN for several weeks was a hack that really stuck in my throat. Now exposing some email addresses and maybe part of a credit card number might be their way of getting their point across over whatever issue has "wronged" them so much, it gives them no right, zero, to speak "for the people" they are so keen to protect. Seems a little narrow-minded that somehow releasing personal information helps anyone to make a point, as the point gets lost in the hassle it causes just about everyone who has to put it right. Does anyone think, oh great I'm glad those hackers did this. No, nobody ever.
Sony's 14 days
If we do go back to the hacks of the last few weeks, its clear that many businesses wouldn't have survived against this level of attack, in fact the Senate committee was hearing that the attack was so “persistent” and “organized” that it could have penetrated 90% of public listed companies - that's nothing to be joking about. The merits of the hack isn't in question but the attempt to bring down a company with exposing personal data of the corporate kind maybe says more about our need to know "gossip" than it does about the actual data released. One exec said this to one exec blah blah, please, this goes on inside every company I'm sure. Whats disturbing is that this could be any terror organisation which could do this, imagine secrets getting into the hands of organisations that carries threats to your country or origin or wherever you call home.
Terrorism
Its for this reason that we all should think very carefully about glamorizing or applauding hacker groups such as Anonymous or GOP because we don't really know who they are or what they are capable of. Those reporting on the crimes against Sony or any other organisation just throw fuel on the subject which needs to be addressed in another way.Until we all recognize hacking as another form of terrorism then its going to be glamorized by those obsessed with making a story, that needs to stop.