Top 10 Most Notorious Hackers Of All Time

Computer hacking is the process of locating and taking advantage of network and system weaknesses in order to gain unauthorized access to those systems. Some hacking is not harmful. White hat hackers may work in cyber security, as software testers, or as engineers who look for flaws in systems so they may patch them. Hackers who use black hat techniques are motivated by evil. In spite of this, there is a sizable gray area occupied by political activists and hackers who use both identities.

Every year, hacking costs businesses and customers trillions of dollars. By 2021, cyber attacks will cost a total of $6 trillion, up from the $2 trillion in losses reported in 2019, predicts CPO Magazine. The same aspects of the internet that we all use to our advantage also contribute significantly to the problem of cybercrime. Even the most inexperienced hacker may quickly and practically for free find all the tools they require online.

Most Notorious Hackers Of All Time

• Kelvin Mitnick
• Anonymous
• Adrian Lamo
• Albert Gonzalez
• Matthew Bevan and Richard Pryce
• Jeanson James Ancheta
• Michael Calce
• Kevin Poulsen
• Jonathan James
• ASTRA

1. Kelvin Mitnick

Kevin Mitnick, a pioneer in American hacking, began his career while he was just a teenager. He was accused of stealing Pacific Bell computer manuals in 1981. He successfully compromised the North American Defense Command (NORAD) in 1982, a feat that served as the basis for the 1983 movie War Games. He gained access to the network of Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) in 1989 and copied software from the company. This action made Mitnick famous at the time because DEC was a well-known computer maker. He was ultimately detained, found guilty, and imprisoned. He broke into Pacific Bell's voicemail systems while he was on restricted release.

Throughout the course of his hacking career, Mitnick never made use of the information and access he gained. It's commonly accepted that he once took complete control of Pacific Bell's network to demonstrate that it was possible. For the Pacific Bell incident, a warrant was issued for his arrest; nevertheless, Mitnick eluded capture and spent more than two years hiding. He was apprehended and was sentenced to prison for numerous counts of wire fraud and computer fraud.

Mitnick may fall into the both-hats grey area even if he ultimately chose the white hat. 2014 saw the emergence of Mitnick's Absolute Zero Day Exploit Exchange, which sells key software exploits that have not been fixed to the highest bidder, according to Wired.

2. Anonymous

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The message boards of 4chan, in an unknown forum, are where Anonymous first appeared. With a hazy focus on the idea of social justice, the group lacks organization. For instance, the organization started blocking the Church of Scientology's websites in 2008 after taking issue with it, which had a detrimental effect on Google's search results and caused its fax machines to become overrun with all-black images. The now-famous Guy Fawkes mask was worn by a group of Anons in March 2008 as they marched through Scientology temples all around the world. According to The New Yorker, while the FBI and other law enforcement agencies have located some of the group's busier members, the lack of a true hierarchy makes it nearly hard to locate or disband Anonymous as a whole.

3. Adrian Lamo

Adrian Lamo, then 20 years old, altered a Reuters article in 2001 by using an unprotected content management system at Yahoo to add a false remark that was supposed to be from the late Attorney General John Ashcroft. Lamo frequently hacked into networks and informed both the media and his victims afterward. To increase their security, he occasionally helped tidy up the mess. However, Lamo went too far when he hacked The New York Times intranet in 2002, listed himself as an expert source, and started researching well-known public individuals, as noted by Wired. Lamo was known as The Homeless Hacker because he frequently traveled without a fixed location and preferred to roam the streets with just a rucksack.

4. Albert Gonzalez

Gonzalez, also known as soupnazi, started out as the troubled pack leader of computer nerds at his Miami high school, according to the New York Daily News. He subsequently started participating on the illegal online marketplace Shadowcrew.com, where he was regarded as one of its greatest hackers and moderators. Gonzalez was detained in New York at the age of 22 for stealing information from millions of card accounts in order to commit debit card fraud. He joined the Secret Service as an informant to avoid going to jail, which ultimately assisted in the indictment of other Shadowcrew members.

Gonzalez continued his criminal activities while working as a paid informant. Gonzalez stole more than 180 million credit card accounts from businesses like OfficeMax, Dave and Buster's, and Boston Market with the help of a number of accomplices. Gonzalez's 2005 attack on US retailer TJX, according to The New York Times Magazine, was the first instance of a repeated credit data breach. This well-known hacker and his crew established back doors in multiple business networks using a straightforward SQL injection, and they stole an estimated $256 million from TJX alone. Gonzalez was victimized in a way that the federal prosecution at his sentencing in 2015 described as “unparalleled.”

5. Matthew Bevan and Richard Pryce

In 1996, a group of British hackers led by Matthew Bevan and Richard Pryce broke into a number of military networks, including those at Griffiss Air Force Base, the Defense Information System Agency, and the Korean Atomic Research Institute (KARI).

After dumping KARI research onto American military systems, Bevan (Kuji) and Pryce (Datastream Cowboy) have been charged with almost sparking a third world war. Bevan believes he was seeking evidence to support a UFO conspiracy idea, and the BBC has noted similarities between his case and that of Gary McKinnon. Bevan and Pryce showed that even military networks are susceptible, whether or not there is malicious intent.

6. Jeanson James Ancheta

Jeanson In order to achieve social justice, James Ancheta had no interest in breaking into systems to steal credit card information or disrupting networks. Ancheta, on the other hand, was interested in the usage of bots, which are software-based robots that can infect and ultimately control computer systems. He was able to infiltrate over 400,000 machines in 2005 by using a number of sizable botnets. Ars Technica claims that he afterwards rented out these PCs to marketing firms and received payment for putting adware or bots on particular computers directly. A 57-month prison term was imposed on Ancheta. The usage of botnet technology resulted in the first ever jail sentence for a hacker.

7. Michael Calce

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Michael Calce, popularly known as Mafiaboy, a 15-year-old, learned how to hijack computer networks at universities in February 2000. He pooled their resources to overthrow Yahoo, the leading search engine at the time. By utilizing a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack to overwhelm business servers and bring down their websites, he also shut down Dell, eBay, CNN, and Amazon within a week.

The biggest shock for supporters of the internet and investors in cybercrime came from Calce's wake-up call. Was any online data truly safe if the largest websites in the world, valued at over $1 billion, could be so quickly shut down? It is hardly overstatement to claim that Calce's hack made the creation of cyber crime legislation an urgent government priority.

8. Kevin Poulsen

Under the identity Dark Dante, a 17-year-old Poulsen gained access to the Pentagon's computer network ARPANET in 1983. Despite being swiftly apprehended, the authorities chose not to press charges against Poulsen, who was still a minor at the time. Instead, he was given a warning and released.

Despite being warned, Poulsen persisted in hacking. In 1988, Poulsen broke into a government computer and searched through documents relating to Ferdinand Marcos, the ousted president of the Philippines. Poulsen hid when he was apprehended by the cops. Poulsen remained active while he was on the run, hacking into government databases and leaking information. His own website claims that in 1990, he hacked a radio station contest and made sure he was the 102nd caller, earning a brand-new Porsche, a trip, and $20,000 in prize money.

9. Jonathan James

Jonathan James hacked into multiple businesses using the moniker cOmrade. The New York Times claims that James' intrusion into the computers of the US Department of Defense is what truly caught people's attention. The fact that James was only 15 at the time was even more astounding. In an interview with PC Mag, James acknowledged that the book The Cuckoo's Egg, which describes the 1980s search for a computer hacker, served as a source of inspiration. Through hacking, he gained access to over 3,000 messages from government workers as well as usernames, passwords, and other private information.

James was arrested in 2000, given a six-month house detention term, and prohibited from using computers for leisure. He did, however, spend six months in jail due to a probation breach. Jonathan James was the earliest person to be found guilty of breaking the legislation against cybercrime. A retail shop called TJX experienced a cyberattack in 2007 that exposed the private information of several customers. Despite the absence of proof, authorities believe James might have been complicit.

James shot himself to death in 2008. I have no faith in the 'justice' system, he said in his suicide note, according to the Daily Mail. Possibly this letter and my activities from today will convey a clearer message to the general public. Regardless, I no longer have control over this circumstance, and this is the only way I know how to reclaim it.

10. ASTRA

In contrast to the other hackers on this list, this one has never been named in the media. The Daily Mail claims that some information concerning ASTRA has, however, been made public. Specifically, he was identified as a 58-year-old Greek mathematician when he was detained by authorities in 2008. He allegedly spent close to five years hacking the Dassault Group. He stole state-of-the-art software and data related to weapons technology during that time and sold it to 250 people worldwide. His hacking caused $360 million in losses for the Dassault Group. Nobody is sure why he has never revealed his full identify, although the word ASTRA is a Sanskrit word meaning “weapon”

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Some of these elite hackers sought to improve the world, while others sought to disprove UFO theories. Others wished for fame, while others desired money. Each of these individuals made a significant contribution to the development of the internet and cyber security.