Hackers have a bad reputation in the online world. They cab be criminal masterminds and technical geniuses. They are having the ability to crack even the most secure systems easily. 97% people think that the best hackers in the world works from a secret place and can’t be found. However, many hackers have engaged in cyber crimes against governments and huge company, while others have done it for personal gain. The best hackers in the world is hard to find. They are known for having skills and knowledge in hacking that no one else has. Here we have listed The top 10 most dangerous hackers in 2023.
10 Best Hackers in The World
1. Kevin Mitnick
Kevin Mitnick, an outstanding person in American hacking, started working as a teenager. In 1981, he was charged with robbing Pacific Bell of computer manuals. The 1983 film War Games was based on his 1982 hacking of the North American Defence Command (NORAD).
In 1989, he accessed Digital Equipment Corporation’s network and stole software. Because DEC was a well-known computer manufacturer at the time, this conduct helped Mitnick build his name. He was later arrested, convicted, and put in jail. While on limited release, he broke into Pacific Bell’s voicemail systems.
Mitnick never used the knowledge and access he obtained during his hacking career. It’s well acknowledged that he once overran Pacific Bell’s network to prove it was feasible. Despite having a warrant out for his arrest for the Pacific Bell incident, Mitnick escaped and spent more than two years in hiding. He was arrested, convicted on many counts of wire and computer fraud, and given a prison term.
Even if Mitnick ultimately opted for the white hat, he might still fall into the both-hats grey area. According to Wired, “Mitnick’s Absolute Zero Day Exploit Exchange,” which sells critical software exploits that have not been patched to the highest bidder, first appeared in 2014.
2. Michael Calce
Michael Calce, a 15-year-old formerly known as “Mafiaboy,” discovered how to gain access to college computer networks in February 2000. He currently holds a position as a cybersecurity expert. He combined their forces to dethrone Yahoo, the most popular search engine.
Within a week, he launched a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack against the Dell, eBay, CNN, and Amazon websites. This caused the corporate servers to break due to server overload. The Internet supporters and financiers in cyber-attacks may have found Calce’s wake-up call to be the most terrifying.
3. Vladimir Levin
Russian hacker Vladimir Leonidovich Levin is extremely intelligent. He accessed the accounts of numerous sizable corporate Citibank customers in 1994 while operating from a flat in Saint Petersburg using a dial-up connection and a laptop, obtaining USD 10.7 million.
He ultimately served three years in prison. However, in 2005, a gang of unknown hackers claimed to be in charge of the heist and that they had provided Vladimir with the data he needed to steal the money.
4. Jeanson James
The first hacker to ever build a botnet – a collection of hijacked computers that cooperate for legitimate purposes – was Jeanson James Ancheta. He began using a botnet robot in 2004, a computer worm that could extend his network of infected machines and give him control over 500,000 machines, including computers used by the US military. He had to forfeit his BMW, pay more than $58,000 in fines, and spend 60 months in jail.
5. Jonathan James
Jonathan James, also known as a comrade, the first child to be jailed for a cybercrime at 16, gained access to the US Department of Defence’s Defence Threat Reduction Agency.
Additionally, he set up a sniffer that examined the communications between DTRA staff. In addition to keeping an eye on the communications being passed around, he also stole crucial software while collecting the staff’s passwords, usernames, and other such personal information. Due to all this, NASA had to pay $41,000 out of its own money to shut down its system. However, Comrade ended bitterly when James committed suicide in 2008.
6. Anonymous
Being a “digital Robin Hood” was not yet a concept, but someone has likely already claimed this title in the age of computers. Among its fans, the “hacktivist group” Anonymous is called the “digital Robin Hood” by its pen name.
As they are known, Anons have made themselves known by targeting governmental, religious, and commercial websites while appearing as Guy Fawkes in public. Among their victims have been the governments of the Vatican, the FBI, the CIA, PayPal, Sony, Mastercard, Visa, China, Israel, Tunisia, and Uganda. Many of the group’s members have made it clear that their goal is to combat internet censorship and control, despite Anons debating whether to engage in serious activism or just for fun.
7. Astra
The hacker who dealt in weapon theft and sales went by the handle Astra, which is Sanskrit for “weapon.” Hacking into the computers of France’s Dassault Group allowed a 58-year-old Greek mathematician to steal sensitive information on weapons technology and sell it for five long years to various nations.
Officials have stated that the ASTRA had been wanted since 2002, but his true identity is still unknown. Astra damaged Dassault by $360 million by selling the information to about 250 persons worldwide. Even though the best hackers in the world seems mysterious, there is no doubt that they are a digital genius.
8. Vladimir Levin
Russian hacker Vladimir Levin was in charge of one of the biggest bank thefts in recorded history. He and his group broke into Citibank’s computer network in 1995 and transferred $10 million to accounts under their control. Additionally, they failed to steal $12 million from other banks. After being caught in 1995, Levin was extradited to the US, where he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years in prison.
After being freed in 1998, he went back to Russia. He might still have access to Citibank’s computer systems and launch another attack anytime.
9. Gary McKinnon
He must have been a curious, restless youngster because he believed gaining direct access to NASA channels to learn more about UFOs was preferable. He installed viruses on 97 computers belonging to the US military and NASA, and a few files were destroyed. Despite all efforts to pique his interest, he ultimately murdered the cat out of interest. It was quickly discovered that McKinnon had hacked NASA and the military websites from the London home of his girlfriend’s aunt.
Although accessing and removing the files from those websites wasn’t enough, McKinnon considered calling out the security personnel by placing a notice on the website saying, “Your security is crap.”
The Washington Network, which is made up of roughly 2000 computers used by the U.S. Military, was shut down for 24 hours by McKinnon, making it the largest computer breach ever! Because Gary McKinnon believed it would be wise to have direct access to NASA cables to learn about UFOs, he must have been a curious, restless child. One of the largest hacks ever was carried out when he gained access to 97 systems belonging to the US military and NASA.
10. Adrian Lamo
Adrian Lamo, then 20 years old, added a bogus statement to a Reuters article 2001 by utilizing an unprotected content management system at Yahoo and impersonating the late Attorney General John Ashcroft. Lamo routinely breached networks and then notified the press and his victims. He periodically assisted in cleaning up the debris to boost their security.
However, Lamo went too far when he acquired access to The New York Times intranet in 2002, designated himself as an authority source, and began researching well-known public figures, as mentioned by Wired. Lamo earned the moniker “The Homeless Hacker” due to his penchant for roaming the streets with nothing more than a knapsack.
Conclusion
The best hackers in the world may be found in every part of the globe and any ethnicity, but they share a deep-seated fascination with computers from a young age. Many people find hackers to be beneficial. While some put their talents to good use, others turn to evil.
Many of the most famous hackers were also early adopters of new technologies who put them to the test in various ways, including legal, ethical, and technical ones. Their efforts led to new regulations and guidelines in the cybersecurity and hacking sectors. The best hackers in the world are always being watched by security agencies around the world because they are a threat to private data and systems. No matter where they fall on the political spectrum, everyone can agree that hackers are among the world’s most resourceful and innovative minds.
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