When you think of Internet hackers… do you think HERO or VILLAIN?

Normally folks think VILLAIN, a nerdy computer geek glued to a computer causing mayhem in the lives of innocent citizens.

But this week the image of hackers has broadened. Two major hacks have Internet security teams running(again) for cover.

The first attack was a group effort. An invisible army of hackers from around the world have decided to attack the computers at Visa, MasterCard, Paypal and other online financial vendors.

These online vigilantees were amassed in a virtual counterattack against the enemies of WikiLeaks. They called it Operation Payback.

As everyone knows by now, Wikileaks has been accused of treasonous acts by the US government for the release of secret diplomatic communications.

The government has requested Visa, MasterCard and the like to withdraw their business services from Wikileaks. When these companies complied, the hackers reacted.

The hacks caused chaos for a time. The question remains… were these hackers heroes or Villains?

VILLAINS if you are associated with the Gawker media websites. Their websites which include Gizmodo, Jezebel, and Fleshbot were hacked. The hackers grabbed Internet log ins and passwords and posted 200,000 online.

The Wall street Journal surveyed the information and discovered this funny (or sad) scenario

Of the “Top 50 Gawker Media Passwords” found, the top one was “123456.” Second place, even more dismaying, was “password.”