Threat: Hackers

Hackers are people just like the rest of us, except their definition of fun is using a computer to gain access to other computers and take information or leave their mark.  The problem is that they have gotten more numerous and malicious recently.  It has been proven that no matter what computer is hooked up to the internet, where it is located, what security it is behind, or how many firewalls you have to go through, any computer can be hacked.  It is just a matter of time. 

Recently, the BIS (Bureau of Industry and Security) was attacked and caused them to disconnect from the internet.  They are in charge of U.S. exports and have connections with the military.  These computers were hacked and then the hackers installed rootkits and other applications.  These applications would transfer information from the computer to the hacker.   Formatting and deleting the rootkits are not enough, sometimes the applications are embedded in the BIOS.  The government has decided to replace the infected computers with brand new ones.  They have also installed new security measures and now it is just a waiting game before they get attacked again.