Trend 5: The evolution of the hacker
In 2011, hacker groups were still concentrating primarily on analyzing specific organizations in great detail and attacking them in a targeted manner. In 2012, large and very public attacks were in fact not hacking attacks but simply good PR. Hacktivist groups skillfully used the increased media attention for their own purposes. The best example: Anonymous, which claimed to have cracked an FBI laptop. To be as effective as possible, hackers in 2013 are concentrating on information that harms their targets. Their efforts are focused on the content management systems of public websites - using tried and tested techniques such as Google Dork searches or error grabbing. Simple but effective, with a focus on quantity rather than quality.