Introduction

We have seen a rise in computer misuse at a global level. It is generally thought that hackers are responsible for these attacks. Hackers are perceived as being adolescent males in dark bedrooms, able to cause massive damage across the world just by the use of their computers. A more romantic perception portrays them as determined cyber knights with a code of conduct to live by just like the great Arthurian knights. This chapter looks at hackers, their motivations, and objectives at times of crisis. Doing this provides important insight into some of the reasons why electronic monitoring of employees is rife. Obviously, much, and perhaps most, hacking and computer misuse are not carried out by employees , but some are, and it is part of the more general problem discussed here.

The impact of computer attacks is well known. Recent surveys of computer crime in Australia have found that 42% of Australian respondents experienced one or more computer attacks. Total losses for 2003 are more than double the quantified losses for 2002 (about A$12 million, compared to about A$6 million in 2002). Financial fraud, laptop theft, and virus, worm, and trojan infections are the largest source of computer crime losses (AusCERT, 2003).