9 Most Famous Hackers and Why They Gained Notoriety

 The cyber attackers are always motivated.

Organizations and governments are crippled by every single strain they create. As we move deeper into the connected world, they are not likely to stop. Only a few of the hundreds of thousands of hackers make it to the most notorious list.

9 Most Famous Hackers and Why They Gained Notoriety

You should know about the famous hackers.

We listed nine of the most devious hackers and gave a description of what they did to get their reputation.

• 1) Adrian Lamo.
• 2) Albert Gonzalez.
• 3) Gary McKinnon.
• 4) Jeanson James Ancheta.
• 5)  Kevin Mitnick.
• 6) An anonymous person.
• 7)  Marcel Lazr.
• 8)  ASTRA
• 9) Robert Tapan Morris.

1) Adrian Lamo.

The homeless hacker is called Alias.

Adrian Lamo became known when he changed a published article to include a fake quote from an ex-Attorney-General. He told the victim what he had done and helped the news agency address the issue.

The New York Times was the target of a similar misdeed in 2002. He used himself as an expert source for the article. He was placed on house arrest for six months because he didn't serve jail time.

The hacking community didn't like him after he reported the hacker who leaked the confidential documents to the public. From then on, he was called a snitch.

Where is he right now?

Lamo died from a drug overdose.

2) Albert Gonzalez.

CumbaJohnny, SoupNazi, and KingChilli are named after them.

Shadowcrew. com allowed its members to buy and sell stolen personal credentials, including bank accounts, credit and debit cards, student IDs, Social Security IDs, and health insurance ID numbers. Shadowcrew. com traded more than 170 million personal credentials from 2005 to 2007. The databases of Heartland Payment Systems and TJX Companies were hacked by Gonzales.

Where is he now?

He is currently serving a 20-year sentence after being arrested in 2005. He will be released in 2025.

3)Gary McKinnon.

The name of the show is Alias: solo.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the U. S. military were the targets of hacking by Gary McKinnon. The government spent as much as US$900,000 to recover lost data after the attacks.

At the age of 14, the Scottish hacker started infiltrating computer networks. He was able to prove the existence of aliens by hacking into NASA's server. He said in 2006 that NASA keeps high-resolution images of unidentified flying objects.

Where is he now?

He won a case against the US government. He was found to have a mental illness called Asperger's syndrome. He is staying in the U.K.

4) Jeanson James Ancheta.

The name is Resilient.

Jeanson James Ancheta was one of the most notorious hackers of all time, as he was the first hacker to successfully control a massive army of spammer. In 2004, a California-born hacker used a worm to take control of half a million computers, including those owned by the U. S. military. He was arrested via an elaborate sting in 2005 after he advertised and sold his services. An FBI agent posed as a client to catch him.

Where is he right now?

The last year of Ancheta's sentence is currently underway.

5) Kevin Mitnick.

The Condor and the Darkside Hacker are named after them.

Kevin Mitnick is believed to be the most wanted computer criminal in U. S. history. He was sentenced to a year of imprisonment after being found guilty of hacking into the Digital Equipment Corporation. He was released after serving his sentence. At the end of the period, Mitnick stole corporate data and broke the national defense warning system. He served five years in prison after being caught a second time.

Where is he currently?

Mitnick is a public speaker. He runs his own security consulting company.

6) An anonymous person.

Alias: Anons, Freedom Fighters, and Digital Robin Hoods A group of international activists called "Anonymous" use cyber attacks as a sign of protest against government agencies, private institutions, and even religious sects. They use the slogan, "We are anonymous". We are Legion. We are not going to forgive. We do not forget. You should expect us.

The group's roots can be found in the 4chan community. The majority of their attacks are in nature. The people involved in the cyber attacks follow strict rules such as not revealing their identity, not talking about the group, and not attacking the media, even if the movement does not have a leader and anyone can become a member.

Project Chanology was one of the cyber attacks associated with the group. The religious sect filed for a cease and desist case after a video of Tom Cruise praising the religion leaked. A group of 4chan users responded by sending black faxes, making prank calls, and launching a distributed denial-of-service attack on the site.

What are they doing now?

There are rumors that Anonymous is back after a video showing a figure with a Guy Fawkes mask surfaced. The Minneapolis Police Department received a message.

The black-clad figure said that they would expose the police department's misdeeds to the world. We are the Legion. Don't expect us.

7) Marcel Lazr.

The person is named Guccifer.

The hacker known as "Guccifer" is a Romanian who targets government officials, celebrities, and other prominent individuals. His claim to fame was hacking into the AOL account of the sister of a president. Bill Clinton was one of the high-ranking government officials that Guccifer hacked before he was convicted of hacking charges.

Where is he now?

Guccifer was sentenced to 52 months in the U. S. for his involvement in the hacking of the Democratic National Committee.

8) ASTRA

ASTRA is the only one who has yet to be publicly identified. He is a Greek mathematician who hacked into the server of the Dassault Group. He sold weapons technology software and other data to at least 250 people across the globe. ASTRA is a Sanskrit word for a weapon.

A person named Astra.

The name is ASTRA.

ASTRA is the only famous hacker who hasn't been publicly identified. We don't know if he is a Greek mathematician or not.

The Dassault Group's server was hacked into. He stole weapons technology software and sold it to at least 250 people around the world. The name ASTRA is Sanskrit for weapon.

Where is he now?

ASTRA served a six-year sentence after being caught. It is difficult to say where the person is right now.

9) Robert Tapan Morris.

Rtm is the name of the entity.

Robert Tappan Morris is best known for creating the Morris worm. His creation is considered the first computer worm.

The first person to be punished by the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act was Morris. He finished his PhD at Harvard after he was released from prison. He co-founds the online store Viaweb with Paul Graham.

Morris received tenure at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2006 for his work in the department of electrical engineering and computer science. He became a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 2019.

Where is he currently?

The National Academy of Engineering is an American nonprofit organization that is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Most of the famous hackers are paying for their crimes, but their actions show that everyone is vulnerable. Even the most protected networks are vulnerable to hacking. If you are a potential victim, you should always make sure that you are protected.

Conclusion

The world of hacking is diverse, with individuals gaining notoriety for various reasons, from ethical hacking to criminal activities. Understanding the motivations and impacts of these famous hackers sheds light on the evolving landscape of cybersecurity and the ongoing debates surrounding privacy, ethics, and technology in the digital age.