INTRODUCTION TO HACKING - Hacking Secret: What Hackers don’t Want You to Know (2015)

Hacking Secret: What Hackers don’t Want You to Know (2015)

CHAPTER 3: INTRODUCTION TO HACKING

TYPES OF HACKS

There are four different types of hacks that your computer may be subjected to. Each one is designed to access your information and it is designed to do this in a way that uses what you already have on the computer or what is around your computer. Different hackers may attempt a variety of these hacks. If they are determined to get into your information they may attempt to use multiple different attacks at the same time. What you need to know is what these types of hacks really are and how you can make sure that you are protected when they start.

The first attack is a nontechnical attack. In these, you are the one that is the target rather than specific information. These hackers are the ones that run scams like catfishing. They are the ones that attempt to trick you into giving them your information, giving them your money or making it easy for them in some way. Because most human beings are very trusting, we like to believe that the person we’re providing information to is using it for a noble cause and that they are using it to help you or to help themselves in a way that they have disclosed to you.

Next, network-infrastructure attacks consist of exploiting your network in order to find more information and gain access to computers and other software that is connected to that network. These hackers access your network through a variety of ways. They may be near your house, picking up the signal so they can gain access. They may break their way through your network with a rogue modem or they could create a series of network requests that simply crash your network. Any type of attack that is geared towards breaking apart the network is a network-infrastructure attack and it can actually be performed from anywhere. That means they could be close to your house (this is usually the amateurs) or they could be thousands of miles away.

An operating system attack is actually one of the most common types. In order to use your computer you absolutely have to have an operating system and if someone can break into that they have complete access to everything on your computer. They can do this through exploiting different protocols that your computer runs, breaking your security systems, cracking passwords or even pushing their way through encryptions. This is dangerous and, even though it’s obvious when they’ve done it, that doesn’t mitigate the damage done.

Finally, application and specialized attacks are the use of programs to beat down your system and break their way in. These are the viruses, spam mail and spyware that you have heard of so frequently. When an email sends you a virus or introduces malware to your system this is a type of specialized attack designed to take down your entire system. It can cause a breakdown of your security software or it might even cause a breakdown of your firewall. These are the areas that many hackers will work to improve their skill and some hackers will do these things just for the fun of it.


KEEP INCREASING KNOWLEDGE

Make sure that you are continuing to educate yourself as a hacker. Even if you’re not intending to hack into anything or steal information from anyone you need to understand what hackers are doing and what they are capable of. You also want to understand where your system is the most vulnerable and how you are best able to develop your system to improve these areas. If you have weak passwords you want to understand that fact and you want to beef them up. If you have a week network security system you want to beef that up.

Keep looking into more information constantly. Make sure that you don’t let anything slip by you. As we’ll talk about later, knowing what hackers have done to others is going to make you less vulnerable. By knowing what you should be looking out for and by being sure that these aspects of your system are secure you will be able to protect yourself. Do this by attempting to hack into your own system through several different methods. It may seem strange (and it’s going to take some effort on your part to learn hacking) but it’s going to keep you safer.

COMMON PASSWORD STEALING

A brute force attack is when someone decides to break through your defenses, firewalls and security systems simply by beating their way through. For example, if you were to decide that you wanted to get into another room and did it by breaking the wall down you are using brute force. Some hackers prefer this method because it accomplishes the task faster (in some instances) and because they simply want to get the information and don’t care if anyone else knows that they were there. These are hackers that are generally unconcerned about getting caught either because they don’t care or they don’t believe that they can be traced.

A dictionary attack on the other hand is different. In these types of attacks your attacker is trying to break into your code and figure out what your password is. For example, if you’re presented with a locked door and a box of a thousand keys and you decide to try each key to figure out which one opens the door. These types of attackers will run a program that provides randomized keywords and attempts to use them to unlock your information or files. This is generally done after they have attempted more common or obvious passwords and considers a variety of different features.

Each of these can be very successful in their own right. Unfortunately, both can be fairly quick also, depending on how difficult your password is to figure out. What you need to do is follow the instructions we’ve given below for protecting your password and protecting your computer as much as possible as well.