Wherever you are on the internet, there’s often a virus lurking around the digital corner. As processor power and bandwidth increases, so does the number of viruses. A hacker will always find a new way of getting your data – and turning it into money.

That’s why Hacker Halted – held in Miami, Florida this October – is boldly circled in the IT security professional’s calendar. And as we found-out at last year’s event; hacking has developed from threatening our data security, to potentially threatening our lives.

YES.

Hacker Halted 2011. A ‘white hat’ hacker addresses the bewildered audience armed with an automated insulin pump, and a PC that could be found in any hospital. The pump delivers insulin to the patient based on pre-determined programming of the computer software. Guess what happens to the unsuspecting patient when that program is infected by a virus…

This is obviously an extreme case. But in the USA alone, more than 27 million have fallen victim to identity theft over the last five years, according to the National Crime Prevention Council. That’s 27 million lives affected by hackers.