captainwillies said:
remember when hackers were cool and make "i love you" virus's across the globe and fucking with the pentagon. whatever happened to them. and why don't hackers to cool stuff anymore.
I suspect the common man in the street is now a little more familiar with the bad side of computer crime, having dealt with spyware, identity theft, phishing, e-mail worms, and so forth. Twenty years ago, you didn't feel the direct effects unless you were one of the (very small) number of computer users.
Regarding the I Love You worm, I was taking a class on an Air Force base on the day that beauty hit. Our instructor- a sharp guy, but not quite computer savvy- checked his e-mail before class started, and it went like this:
Him: "Huh, an e-mail that says 'I love you.' Oh, there's an attachment... I love you dot VBS? Wonder what that is."
RMcL: "VBS? It's probably a virus. Don't click on it."
Him: *clickity-click*
RMcL (slow motion): "
Nooooooooooooooooooo!"
Him: "Wait, what's wrong with my computer?"