History of Security Attacks
Attacks on modern infrustructure evolved over the decades:
1940s and WWII
: The use of the
Enigma
message encryption machine by the Nazi Germany, and its deciphering by
Alan Turing
.
1970s
: People known as
phreakers
(e.g.,
John Draper
) exploited the weakness of digital-switching telephone systems for fun and free calls.
1980s and 1990s
: The earliest attacks on modern day computers. There were few attacks, but the attackers gain fame. Examples:
Robert Morris
,
Markus Hess
,
Vladimir Levin
,
Jonathan James
, and
Kevin Mitnick
.