Taking the fight to the net: on 25 January 2008 one of the world's best hackers, a 58-year-old male code-named Astra, was arrested in Athens, Greece. Astra is suspected of hacking into France's Dassault company's computer systems, stealing corporate secrets and selling them through the Internet to buyers in Europe, South Africa, Asia, South America and the Balkans for more than $ 361 million.

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Security

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Taking the fight to the net: on 25 January 2008 one of the world's best hackers, a 58-year-old male code-named Astra, was arrested in Athens, Greece. Astra is suspected of hacking into France's Dassault company's computer systems, stealing corporate secrets and selling them through the Internet to buyers in Europe, South Africa, Asia, South America and the Balkans for more than $ 361 million.

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Many readers will relate to the aforementioned by virtue of television or Internet-based news articles covering the exploits of hackers attacking websites, intranets and servers of high-profile commercial corporations. Although denial-of-service attacks were once the norm many 'highly-qualified' hackers have come to realise that, once access has been gained, there will always be a buyer for company secrets.

Unauthorised entry into computer systems, although considered illegal, is not a one-way stream. In many countries government agencies have been organise...

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