Cyber security horror stories

It’s October, and that means spooky season! So grab a flashlight, gather round, and I’ll spin you some truly horrifying tales of cyber criminals, their devious deeds, and the alarming aftermath that businesses are left to deal with once they’ve been exposed to a cyber attack or data breach.

Ghost in the Ether

It was 1903 and the “father of the modern radio,” Guglielmo Marconi was on the lecture stage at the Royal Academy of Sciences, preparing to send a communication using the first ever wireless broadcasting technology. As he was readying himself to transmit the message, the device began—seemingly of its own accord—to tap out a message in Morse code: Tap. Tap. Tap.

RATS. RATS. RATS, the message read, and kept repeating, over and over again. Was there a ghost in the ether? Nope! According to OpenMind, it was Marconi’s professional rival, Nevil Maskelyne, participating in what was referred to at the time as “scientific hooliganism,” but we know today to be the first ever case of hacking.

 

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