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.