This
paper explains that
hacking is
unauthorized use or attempt to circumvent or bypass the
security mechanisms of an information system or network for the thrill of learning and "looking around" or for the malicious intent of gathering information for gain, data corruption, or access to a system. The author points out that a
hacker replaced the home page of the Burger King UK site with a parody of arch rival McDonald's site, stating "Eat our food, we want your money," and suggesting to visitors that they should go to McDonalds instead. The paper relates that it is hard to quantify the financial losses of clean-up and investigation from hacking, but the real
costs are soft costs, such lost
business opportunities. Graphs and illustrations. Table of Contents Introduction What Is Hacking? Hacker Motivation The Costs of Hacking on Business Burger King Cert.org The FBI and SirCam NetNames and Osama Bin Laden Adobe and Dmitry Sklyarov Companies' Hacking-Related Insurance Costs The Effects of Cyber Criminal Activity Conclusion