What's a Hacker?
"Hacker" is some of those terms that's a different meaning based on who uses it. Thanks to Hollywood, many people think a hacker is an individual who gains illicit access to some type of computer and steals stuff or breaks into military networks and launches missiles for fun.
These days, a hacker doesn't need to be a geek from a high university who breaks into banks and government systems. A hacker can be anyone, even a child next door.
With an ordinary laptop, everyone can download simple software off the Internet to see everything that switches into and out of some type of computer on a single network. And individuals who try this don't also have the most effective of intentions. Hire a hacker to catch cheating spouse
A Brief History of Hackers
Nowadays, the phrase "hacker" is now synonymous with those who sit in dark rooms, anonymously terrorizing the Internet. However it was not always that way. The first hackers were benign creatures. In fact, these were students.
To anyone attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology during the 1950s and 60s, the definition of "hack" simply meant an elegant or inspired treatment for any given problem. Most of the early MIT hacks tended to be practical jokes. One of the very most extravagant saw a replica of a campus police car put on the top of Institute's Great Dome.
Over time, the phrase became connected with the burgeoning computer programming scene at MIT and beyond. For these early pioneers, a hack was a feat of programming prowess. Such activities were greatly admired because they combined expert knowledge with an innovative instinct.
Why Does a Hacker Hack?
Hackers' motivations vary. For some, it's economic. They earn a living through cybercrime. Some have a political or social agenda - their aim would be to vandalize high-profile computers to produce a statement. This type of hacker is called a cracker as their main purpose would be to crack the security of high profile systems.
Others take action for the sheer thrill. When asked by the website SafeMode.org why he defaces web servers, a cracker replied, "A high-profile deface gives me an adrenalin shot and then after a while I want another shot, that's why I can't stop." [1]
These days, we're faced with a brand new form of hacker - your next door neighbor. Everyday, thousands of people download simple software tools that allow them to "sniff" wifi connections. Some try this just to eavesdrop about what others are doing online. Others try this to steal personal data in an effort steal an identity.
The Most Common Attacks
1. SideJacking / Sniffing
Sidejacking is a website attack method where a hacker uses packet sniffing to steal a program cookie from a website you simply visited. These cookies are usually sent back again to browsers unencrypted, even if the original website log-in was protected via HTTPS. Anyone listening can steal these cookies and then utilize them access your authenticated web session. This recently made news because a programmer released a Firefox plug-in called Firesheep that makes it easy for an intruder sitting near you on an open network (like a public wifi hotspot) to sidejack many popular website sessions. For example, a sidejacker using Firesheep could dominate your Facebook session, thereby gaining access to your entire sensitive data, and even send viral messages and wall posts to your entire friends.
2. DNS Cache Poisoning
In DNS cache poisoning, data is introduced right into a Domain Name System (DNS) name server's cache database that did not originate from authoritative DNS sources. It is an unintended results of a misconfiguration of a DNS cache or of a maliciously crafted attack on the name server. A DNS cache poisoning attack effectively changes entries in the victim's copy of the DNS name server, so when he or she types in the best site name, he or she's sent instead to a fraudulent page.
3. Man-In-the-Middle Attacks
A man-in-the-middle attack, bucket brigade attack, or Janus attack, is an application of active eavesdropping in that your attacker makes independent connections with the victims and relays messages between them, making them believe that they are talking directly together over an exclusive connection, when actually the entire conversation is being controlled by the attacker. The attacker must be able to intercept all messages going between the two victims and inject new ones. For example, an attacker within reception array of an unencrypted wifi access point can insert himself as a man-in-the-middle. Or an attacker can pose being an online bank or merchant, letting victims sign in over a SSL connection, and then your attacker can log onto the true server utilising the victim's information and steal credit card numbers.
4. Smishing
Packet sniffers allow eavesdroppers to passively intercept data sent between your laptop or smartphone and other systems, such as for instance web servers on the Internet. This is the easiest and simplest type of wireless attack. Any email, web search or file you transfer between computers or open from network locations on an unsecured wireless network can be captured by a nearby hacker using a sniffer. Sniffing tools are plentiful for free on line and there are at the very least 184 videos on YouTube showing budding hackers how to use them. The only path to guard yourself against wifi sniffing generally in most public wifi hotspots is to use a VPN to encrypt everything sent within the air.
5. Mass Meshing
Also known as mass SQL injection, this can be a method whereby hackers poison websites by illegally imbedding a redirection javascript from legitimate websites previously infected and controlled by the hackers. These javascripts redirect the visitor's computer to servers which contain additional malicious programs that could attack a user's computer.
The Most Common Targets
Hackers are thinking about various types of computers on the Internet. These list describes various kinds of targets and their attract hackers. [2]
1. Corporate Networks
Corporate computers tend to be heavily fortified so hacking into you've got high cachet. Behind corporate firewalls are repositories of customer information, product information, and sometimes, in the event of a software publisher, the merchandise itself.
2. Web Servers
Web servers are computers which contain websites. Though some contain customer financial information, web servers are generally targets for vandals because they could be defaced to show information the hacker chooses to the public.
3. Personal Computers
With the ever growing use of wifi, laptops are becoming one of the very most hacked devices. Everything a person visits online can come in contact with a person using software to "sniff" that connection. The web site URL, passwords used to log into an online banking account, Facebook pictures, tweets, and a complete instant message conversation can be exposed. It is the easiest type of hacking because it requires little skill.
4. Tablets and Palm Top devices
Tablets, cellular phones, and other mobile-ready devices are just as popular as laptops are in wifi hotspots. A hacker in a public hotspot can see a mobile device, as well as all data entering and from the jawhorse, in the same way easily as they can a laptop.
How You Can Protect Yourself
The straightforward the fact is that anyone connecting to the Internet is susceptible to being hacked. Thus, there is a need to be proactive when it comes to protecting yourself from such attacks.
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