Every responsible Internet user knows that hacking is a serious crime. However, we all know as well that justice may not be on hand for its victims. A lot of private and public companies, including governments, have lost revenues due to information theft leading to loss of income and damage brought about by hackers. The sad thing is, laws don't seem to be tough enough on cyber offenders. In some cases, they're not even considered offenders at all due to the lack of legislation that defines and covers Internet crimes. This simply leaves us wondering what happens to a hacker when he's caught.
There are, of course, celebrated cases where hackers have actually been brought to justice. However, it's not very reassuring to take into account how the film industry has even somehow created this perception of hackers as being cool and even sexy. It seems as though Hollywood has forgotten to portray these black hats as they really are. It actually looks as though people have developed a distorted perception of this act and don't realize that it can be seriously damaging. Still, we are left only to wonder why this is so.
The very important question now is, what happens to hacker if and when they're caught? Do they even pay for what they've done? Do they serve a jail sentence? Are they made to pay damages to the victim? It's crazy to think that some people in government actually think the problem could be solved by confiscating the hacker's equipment and banning him from buying any new gadgets. It actually is downright ridiculous to think that the problem could be prevented by confiscation. After all, any black hat can hire anyone to buy him a new computer, modem or storage device and then he'll be right back on his trade as if nothing happened.
Definitely, hacking is a far more serious offense than most justice officials are ready to accept. And this leniency is, in fact, making the situation worse. Because these people know they can easily get away even if they were caught, they will simply continue robbing people and companies of their identities and causing their victims massive detriment while they take off in their private jets and burn some cold cash in an offshore casino.
If things go on like this, then Internet users will have to ensure their online security on their own by employing every measure there is to keep hackers at bay. Because these cyber offenders can begin by installing keyloggers into your computer, it would always be wise to have basic computer safety software installed. The firewall is another key component in securing your system along with an anti-virus software and every other type of anti-malware there is.
For general precaution, you can make use of an IP hiding software which works by disguising your IP address so even if you actually met a hacker while surfing, he wouldn't know how to get back to you because you've stashed your IP in some place he couldn't reach. Of course, this offers a reliable cloak of protection and you'll be gone from every hacker's life from then on.
