The exploit allows hackers to gain root access to Unix machines running Sun Microsystems' Solaris operating system. Once access has been obtained, hackers can install programs or delete Web sites. In the UK, hacking exploits such as these do not surprise security experts, who warn that the threat will continue to grow in tandem with the Internet's own expansion. UK organisations, however, have been lulled into a false sense of security because computer attacks are not always publicised. It's embarrassing for them to admit that their IT system was not secure enough, and there is the fear that the hacker will return.
Outsiders hacking into company IT systems fall into one of two categories.
These incidents are serious enough for the organisations affected to be heavily inconvenienced, and they can lose money through wasted business time. Such acts threaten companies' livelihoods and even peoples' lives. If they know where a hospital's patient records are held, they can go in and change them. Attacks on Web sites, where mischievous hackers go in and alter information, are already commonplace. Cookies, or information about visitors to Web sites, are another popular target - hackers can tap into users' browsers to get cookie data.