Network Security, Firewalls, and VPNs, 3rd Edition

Hackers and Their Motivation

Hacking originally meant tinkering with or modifying systems to learn and explore. However, the term now refers to malicious—and possibly criminal—intrusion into and manipulation of computers. In either case, a malicious or criminal hacking is a serious threat. Every network administrator should be concerned about hacking.

Hackers are people—often misguided, unethical, ingenious, and criminal—but still people. When you design security, keep in mind that the threat is ultimately and mostly human. This awareness should lead to better selections of deterrent, detection, and response tools and techniques. A deterrent is any tool or technique that makes hacking your network less attractive than hacking another network. ...