Number 5 – Stuxnet
Stuxnet is one of the best known names when it comes to cyber-attacks. The worm (a self-replicating,
self-propagating computer virus) destroyed a fifth of Iran's nuclear centrifuges in 2009,
seriously hindering the country's atomic plans. What really made, Stuxnet stand out was how
well it was made. The payload consisted of three parts: the worm itself, an execution
.LNK file that allowed the worm to auto-execute, and a rootkit that hid the worm's existence.
Number 4 – Vladimir Levin
In 1995, Vladimir Levin, a Russian hacker, broke into Citibank's computers and allegedly
stole nearly $10 million by re-wiring it to various global accounts. The most famous part
of Levin's hack was that he did not use the internet to commit his crime. Instead, he
tapped into telecommunications systems to listen to customers rattle off their private
account information. Ultimately, he pleaded guilty to just one charge of making $3.7 million
in unauthorized transfers and was sentenced to three years in prison. He was also ordered
to pay back $240,000 to Citibank.
Number 3 – Gary McKinnon
Gary McKinnon was a Scottish computer hacker who was able to gain access 97 American military
networks between 2001 and 2002. He reportedly left the military a message on its website
too: “Your security is crap.” After the September 11 attacks in 2001, he deleted weapons
logs at the Earle Naval Weapons Station, rendering its network of 300 computers inoperable and
paralyzing munitions supply deliveries for the US Navy's Atlantic Fleet. McKinnon was
also accused of copying data, account files and passwords onto his own computer. US authorities
stated the cost of tracking and correcting the problems he caused was over $700,000.
Number 2 – Melissa Virus
The fastest-spreading virus of its day, Melissa was the cyber-attack that really made people
start taking electronic warfare seriously. Coded by a bored New Jersey programmer named
David L. Smith, the software was deceptively simple – disguised as a Microsoft Word document,
it would spread through email, automatically sending itself to the first 50 names in an
infected computer’s address book. The document was first uploaded to the alt.sex newsgroup
in 1999 and from there it exploded, being sent out so rapidly that it forced infected
companies like Microsoft and Intel to shut down outgoing mail until they got it under
control.
Number 1 – Max Ray “Iceman” Butler
Max Ray Butler, who went by the alias “Iceman,” was a computer security consultant who turned
into one of the world's biggest hackers. Butler digitally stole 2 million credit card numbers
and ran up over $86 million in fraudulent charges. In 2007, Butler was accused of operating
Carders Market, a forum where cyber criminals bought and sold sensitive data such as credit
card numbers. After pleading guilty to two counts of wire fraud, stealing nearly 2 million
credit card numbers, and spending $86 million in fraudulent purchases, Butler was sentenced
to 13 years in prison, which was the longest sentence ever given for hacking charges in
the United States of America. After prison, he will also face 5 years of supervised release
and is ordered to pay $27.5 million in restitution to his victims. He is scheduled for release in 2019.