The golden age of hacking is far from over. There are too many people using the internet with malicious intent. This means that every website, every app, every system is vulnerable.
Hacking can broadly be defined as unauthorized access to or manipulation of a computer system. There are many different ways to hack a system, but some of the most common methods include:
1. Social Engineering: This involves tricking someone into revealing sensitive information or granting access to a system. This can be done through phishing emails or pretexting (posing as someone else in order to gain information). This recently happened to a dev for Axie, who thought he was applying for a job as a developer, but unbeknownst to him the role and job interviews were fake. They were run by the North Korean hacking group Lazarus, who eventually sent the developer a bogus job offer with a link, which he clicked. This gave the hackers access to $625 million of crypto, which they quickly stole.
Hacking for profit is often referred to as criminal hacking. In this case the hacker is after money. It is pretty easy to spot this one because the end result is usually profit. However, you may still get an email, which looks like it is from a friend asking for a quick donation to “help” out someone in need. If you don’t recognize the request, then you should not send any money. This advice applies to all forms of phishing.
If you think someone is phishing you, then here are the steps you need to take.
Step 1 – Do not reply to the email.
Phishing emails are sent out in large numbers. If you reply to the email it will not only show that you are easily fooled but it also exposes you to even more phishing attempts.
Step 2 – Contact the person/company via their website
Find the person’s email address and contact them via their website. Do not email them.
Step 3 – Do not click any links
Do not click on any links in the email. If the link is legitimate, it will be in the email, else it will be in the message body.
Step 4 – Review the URL
Check the url to make sure it is a legitimate one. For example, if you look at apple.com then the URL is https://www.apple.com/. This lets you know that this site is not phishing.
Step 5 – Check your Email Account
2. SQL Injection: This is a type of attack where malicious code is injected into a database in order to extract data or damage the system.
3. Password Cracking: This is a process of guessing or brute forcing passwords in order to gain access to a system. Common methods include dictionary attacks and rainbow table attacks.
4. Denial of Service: This type of attack aims to make a system unavailable by flooding it with traffic or requests. This can cause the system to crash or become slow and unresponsive.
5. Malware: This is short for malicious software, and refers to any type of code that is designed to harm a system or steal data. Common examples include viruses, worms, and Trojans.
There are a number of motivations behind hacker’s actions. Hacktivism is one. This means ‘civil disobedience motivated by cyber activism’. This normally takes the form of hacking into organizations and websites for a political motive. However, most hacking is motivated by the desire to enrich oneself and/or one’s organization.
As always, your best defense is knowledge and awareness.
These are just a few of the most common hacking methods, but there are many others. Hacking can be a serious threat to businesses and individuals alike, so it’s important to be aware of the risks and take steps to protect yourself.