NPR
By Tom Gjelten
June 16, 2011 

Computer users have for years struggled with viruses, worms and all sorts of malware. But the most recent cyberattacks have targeted institutions whose computer systems were thought to be relatively secure: the French Ministry of Finance, Sony, Lockheed Martin, Citibank, even the International Monetary Fund.

“These are first-class attacks,” says Luis Gorrons, technical director for Panda Security, a global cybersecurity firm. “We were always seeing attacks on small and medium companies, but now we’re seeing that many big companies are being targeted and successfully attacked.”

It’s a cyber barrage.

The people hacking into these big computer networks are for the most part highly sophisticated, with advanced tools and software at their disposal. But their motivations vary.

There are, for example, the “hacktivists” who break into networks largely just to disrupt them and make a political point. A recent penetration of the U.S. Senate computer system fit this pattern, as did an apparent attack Wednesday on the CIA’s website.

There are also cybercriminals, seeking to commit fraud or raid bank or credit card accounts, as at Citibank or Sony.

Read More …