Monday, May 18, 2009

86% of teenagers involve in Internet hacking out of curiosity

A new survey published by Panda Security shows that hacking on occasion is something natural for teen Internet users like downloading music from a website. Panda Security composed a report based on the poll of over 4,000 15 to 18 year-olds. The report revealed that nearly one in five of them have the knowledge to use 'advanced' Internet-distributed hacking tools. Of that group, nearly a third claimed to have used them on at least one occasion.
The survey further says that 2/3 of the group admitted they had actually succeeded in hacking instant messaging or social network accounts of people known to them, with% saying that they published embarrassing photographs or videos of acquaintances on the Internet.
While among the reasons there were mischief-making and competition with their peer group, other substantial motivation for them was that trying out hacking appears to be curiosity, with 86 percent citing that as the point from which their involvement started.