It is usually believed that hackers often hack websites to seek financial gain, but a recent study of 57 Web-site hacks revealed that many times hackers hack websites for other reasons. The study found that stealing money or data is not always the aim of hackers. 

The study that analyzed 57 Web-site hacks carried out in 2008, found that 24 percent of the hacks were carried out to deface sites instead of seeking money or any financial gain or causing monetary losses to the companies. That means 14 out of 57 hacks were aimed at defacing sites. 

The researchers collected the study data from the Web Hacking Incidents Database, which is maintained by the Web Application Security Consortium (WASC). The study was sponsored by Breach Security Inc., a Carlsbad, California based security software vendor.

The researchers found that most of the Web-site defacements, which they analyzed in their study, "were of a political nature, targeting political parties, candidates and government departments, often with a very specific message related to a campaign, while others had a cultural aspect, mainly Islamic hackers defacing Western Web sites."

In the study, the researchers wrote, "While financial gain is certainly a big driver for Web hacking, ideological hacking cannot be ignored."

According to the study, stealing sensitive information or data was the second most popular reason for hacks; 19% hacks (11 out of 57 hacks) were aimed at stealing sensitive information or data. The no. 3 popular reason for hacks was planting malware; 16% (9 out of 57 hacks) of hacks were carried out to planting malware. Just the 13% 
(7 out of 57 hacks) were carried out for causing monetary loss.

The researchers found that SQL injection attacks were the most commonly used style in the studied hack cases. They elaborated that SQL injection attacks involve inputting commands into Web-based forms or URLs in order to steal information from databases or plant malware in an attempt to infect the computers of users visiting a Web site. According to the study, 17 of the 57 attacks, or 30% of the hacks were carried out through SQL injection attacks.