Demonstrating the growing need for those with a computer science degree or cyber crime degree, a recent report declared 2011 the year of the hacktivist - someone who cyberhacks to advance political or social objectives.

The Verizon 2012 Data Breach Investigations Report showed that 58 percent of the data stolen in 2011 was linked to hacktivism. The trend strays from the previous pattern, in which most of the data hacked was linked to cyber criminals.

"With the participation of our law enforcement partners around the globe, the '2012 Data Breach Investigations Report' offers what we believe is the most comprehensive look ever into the state of cybersecurity," said Wade Baker, Verizon's director of risk intelligence. "Our goal is to increase the awareness of global cyber crime in an effort to improve the security industry's ability to fight it while helping government agencies and private sector organizations develop their own tailored security plans."

Perhaps the most well-known hacktivist group is Anonymous, which recently took down several Vatican websites in protest of the "corrupt Roman Apostolic church."