John W. Thompson Quotes

With hacking getting more and more sophisticated, the hacking community has gone from the hobbyist in the basement to huge sophisticated companies that are essentially doing this, or groups of people or foreign agents inside and outside the United States.

It's more than unsettling to realize there are large companies out there developing backdoors, exploits and trojans.

I am convinced that there are only two types of companies: those that have been hacked and those that will be. And even they are converging into one category: companies that have been hacked and will be hacked again.

We've already seen digital picture frames pre-loaded with viruses; I'm not eager to have my refrigerator hacked or my alarm clock turned against me.

In our rush to connect everything [via the Internet], we have created a monster of bad guys just waiting to take advantage of a weak line of code in a very complex program.

From bank accounts to financial systems, power grids to air traffic controls - our most critical infrastructure remain attractive cyber targets, and if they are ever compromised, the effects could be devastating.

There are those who've been hacked by the Chinese and those who don't know they've been hacked by the Chinese.

It shouldn't just be Russia we're concerned about, because many countries that are not our friends have been hacking into American accounts across the board.

It is interesting that cyberwarfare is developing into something conventional and attacking objects, infrastructure, and critical services.

Cyber attacks are not going away.

We live in a world where we're all on computers and tablets and phones, all the time, so something as odd as computer hacking or a virus is really scary because it gets to the heart of our security.

We're all vulnerable, and it's all hackable. If someone wants you and has targeted you, you can be taken down, and that fact is really scary.

There are cyber threats out there, this is a dangerous world, and we have to be safe, we have to be secure no matter the cost.

Well, Keith Alexander, the former director of the NSA wants to say every company in the United States falls under one of two categories, those that have been hacked and those that don't yet know it.

The explosion of companies deploying wireless networks insecurely is creating vulnerabilities, as they think it's limited to the office - then they have Johnny Hacker in the parking lot with an 802.11 antenna using the network to send threatening emails to the president!

After all, just one virus on a computer is one too many.

I don't think we can afford to wait when it comes to cybersecurity. I think that every day we wait, if an attack occurs - and we're getting hit every day - but if a greater attack occurs, it's going to be on the head of Congress for not acting.

There are two types of companies in the world: those that know they've been hacked, and those that don't.

People's computers are not getting more secure. They're getting more infected with viruses. They're getting more under the control of malware.

Should we fear hackers? Intention is at the heart of this discussion.

The diverse threats we face are increasingly cyber-based. Much of America's most sensitive data is stored on computers. We are losing data, money, and ideas through cyber intrusions. This threatens innovation and, as citizens, we are also increasingly vulnerable to losing our personal information.

Hackers are becoming more sophisticated in conjuring up new ways to hijack your system by exploiting technical vulnerabilities or human nature. Don't become the next victim of unscrupulous cyberspace intruders.

Protecting yourself is very challenging in the hostile environment of the Internet. Imagine a global environment where an unscrupulous person from the other side of the planet can probe your computer for weaknesses and exploit them to gain access to your most sensitive secrets.

Nine out of every 10 large corporations and government agencies have been attacked by computer intruders.

I don't know the capabilities of our enemies. But I found it quite easy to circumvent security at certain phone companies throughout the United States. So if an inquisitive kid can do it, why can't a cyberterrorist do it?