People store all sort of personal material in their e-mail accounts. Bank account numbers, social security numbers, addresses, phone numbers, and even secret social encounters are often in these ultra-secret online accounts. However, recently 400,000 innocent Yahoo users’ privacy was violated when they were notified that they had been hacked by a notorious group of tech criminals. The group, known as D33D, has admitted that they were responsible for the hack, and said that they wanted Yahoo to realize that their security was low. They explain that they intended to expose the lack of safety on Yahoo’s accounts, rather than violate people’s personal profiles.
The hackers say that only 5% of the accounts that they hacked had valid passwords. In most cases, the men and women who were suddenly vulnerable to hackers had passwords such as “123456” or “abc123.” Among the other top passwords hacked were accounts with “password” or “welcome” as their secret code to log in. “Ninja” was also a popular choice. Yahoo admitted that they were very sorry for the hack, and that they want people to change their passwords as soon as possible. They also suggest that people change their passwords on a regular basis, and use special guidelines to craft a secrete keyword that isn’t easily detectable. Yahoo says that they have a page on their website dedicated to crafting better passwords, and suggest that users brush up on the information therein.
The hack, which happened on Wednesday, may have also affected other internet and e-mail providers such as Gmail, AOL, Hotmail, and more. Hacking is considered an internet crime, and the hackers could end up in trouble for their law-breaking. The group used a SQL injection too infiltrate Yahoo’s system. It is the same method that damaged Sony in 2011. While many people joke about hacking, the act can get you in serious trouble. In the past, people have ended up in prison for this offense. Some of the felony crimes associated with computer hacking include wire fraud, computer fraud, identity theft, and obstruction of justice.
With wire fraud, a hacker is essentially using a computer, radio, or television to get money or property from someone else through dishonest means. A person who hacks e-mail accounts for bank information and credit card numbers could be detected as a wire fraud offender. Computer fraud is essentially the same as wire fraud, but is carried across various states. The law for computer fraud only covers crimes that are involved with financial institutions, the government, or foreign commerce. Hacking one of these sites or accounts in a way that tampers with state or federal practices is considered computer fraud.
As well, computer hacking can lead to the crime of identity theft. This is when a person uses deception or fraud to assume another’s identity. This can include stealing a social security number, driver’s license number, and other information that is tailored specifically to each individual. This is easily done on the internet when someone finds a person’s personal information in an e-mailed document in their inbox or sent folder. Identity theft can even be something as simple as hacking a person’s account and e-mailing family and friends of that individual. In this case, the offender is assuming another’s identity and falsely providing information that is not true.
A last internet crime that often starts with a hack is the obstruction of justice. This is a broad charge, but essentially means that the offender has interfered with some legal process or investigation. If a hacker tries to erase his evidence from the computer before it is discovered, then he or she is guilty of this crime. If you have been charged with hacking or a crime associated with hacking, then talk to a criminal defense lawyer in your area for information on how to tactfully develop a defense strategy in court.
