On the latter side, this could also destroy a company. As in the scenario just mentioned, the corporation that would be losing secrets would lose money also by not getting their product to the market first. This could cause investors in the company to sell their shares and the company would shut down. Possibly hundreds of jobs would be lost. All of this is due to one hacker.
Corporations deal with breaches of security yearly.
It is an ongoing struggle that will never end. If the information is that of a corporation or a program that has been manufactured, it is illegal. The copying of a program without selling it is called Piracy. Piracy, like computer fraud, carries a stiff prison sentence plus a fine. Not everyone will admit it, but most everybody that has a computer has at some point committed the act of piracy.