The term hacker historically was use to refer to anyone who used computers and had an interest and knowledge of how they worked and how to make them do other tasks. Now it has become a weapon of mass distraction from the media and governments to elevate the people's fear of threat level and is applied rigorously in this aim.

In the past, the targets of hackers have been large organisations such as Microsoft or government websites, generally leaving the public alone. However, since the increase in the uptake of broadband services, the home user has become a soft option as most home computer users have not had to take the issue computer security seriously and overall, are misinformed by the general media.