Hackers and Security. What Are the Effects of Data Encryption and Firewalls? Over the last several years, the computer industry has grown to an all time high of technology and knowledge. With the existence of hackers, swift precautions are being taken. The placement of firewalls and the task of data encryption are becoming a necessary fact of business for those with confidential information. And still, this is not enough. Hackers have become so involved with the tasks of cracking firewalls and decoding encryption, it seems that privacy is a virtue of the past. People are no longer safe as they once were. The presenc