What is a hacker?

A Hacker with computer skills may as well hack into a system or network without permission. For instance, hackers can take advantage of this by stealing information, interfering with services, and exposing the weaknesses in security systems. Hacking may also result in breaches of data, and financial loss among other serious outcomes. In today’s digital world where much sensitive information and critical systems are connected to the internet, understanding hacking and ways of preventing it is important.

What is a Hacker?

A hacker is someone who does not have permission to break into computer systems or networks. It means that hackers can mess up your life by taking away your private information, spoiling your accounts, or interfering with the necessary systems. Some of the ways that these people get access to these gadgets are due to malware through downloads, emails, or even some false websites alternatively, they might exploit vulnerabilities in old software. The activities of hackers are significant since they cause grave injuries to people, organizations, and governments.

History of Hacking & Hackers

The term “hacking” was first used in the 1970s as a name, “hacking” as a phrase that became common in the 1980s. For instance, there is an article in Psychology Today entitled "The Hacker Papers" that came out the same year. In two years, Tron and WarGames were produced and released as movies. In these films, the main characters hacked into computer systems. Many people saw hacking depicted this way and realized how dangerous it can be to national security.

As expected, later on during that year several teenagers managed to get access to computer systems of major institutions like Los Alamos National Laboratory, Security Pacific Bank, and Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. An article in Newsweek magazine about this was the first to use the word "hacker" in a negative way, which is how we use it now.

This event also made Congress make new laws about computer crimes. But it did not stop the number of big attacks on companies and government systems. Of course, hacking became an even bigger problem when the public internet became available. This gave hackers more chances and bigger rewards for hacking. This made hacking techniques more advanced and led to many different types of hacking and hackers.

Types of Hacking/Hackers

There are usually four main reasons why attackers hack websites or systems-

(1) To take money or credit card credentials.

(2) To steal company secrets and provide reputational damage.

(3) To boast about their hacking powers.

(4) To steal company information or national secrets that would be beneficial for their country.

There are also politically motivated hackers called “hacktivists” who reveal sensitive data to attract public attention such as Anonymous, LulzSec, and WikiLeaks groups.

1. Black Hat Hackers

Black hat hackers are the "bad guys". They try hard to find weaknesses in computer systems and software so they can exploit them for money or to cause damage. They might do it to get a reputation, steal a company's secrets, or work for their country's government. Their actions can seriously hurt computer users and the companies they work for by stealing personal information, messing up computer and money systems, or breaking websites and important networks.

2. White Hat Hackers

White hat hackers are the "good guys" who try to stop black hat hackers. They use their tech skills to break into systems to check how secure the networks are, this is called ethical hacking. This helps find weaknesses before black hat hackers can exploit them. White hat hackers use similar or even the same techniques as black hats, but they are hired by companies to test their security defenses.

3. Grey Hat Hackers

Grey hat hackers are in between the good and bad guys. Unlike black hats, they break rules but they don't mean to cause harm or make money. They usually do it for a good cause. For example, they might expose a weakness to make people aware of it, but unlike white hats, they do it publicly. This alerts bad hackers to the weakness too.

Devices That Are Most Vulnerable To Hacking

1. Smart Devices

The most frequent targets of hackers are smartphones, which are beautiful in design. Android phones among others have more open software that changes constantly making it easy to lose or snatch the data. Nevertheless, with the increasing millions of devices joining the internet everything is a face-lifted fact.

2. Webcams

Webcams built into computers are a common target for hackers mainly because they are easy to hack. Hackers normally intrude into computer systems through Remote Access Trojan (RAT) malware and can not only eavesdrop on users but also read their messages, see what websites they visit, make screenshots, and manipulate the webcam.

3. Routers

Hacking routers allows an attacker to access data sent and received through them and the networks used on them. Hackers can also take over a router to do wider harmful acts like distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, Domain Name System (DNS) spoofing, or crypto mining.

4. Email

Among the most popular cyberattacks, email is the most common target. It can be used in instances of malware and ransomware distribution or phishing, which involves swindling a victim by making them open malicious attachments or links.

5. Jailbroken Phones

Jailbreaking means removing certain restrictions imposed by the phone’s operating system to install applications that are not available in official application stores. Other than violating the terms of service for the phone manufacturer, jailbreaking also exposes vulnerabilities that can be exploited by hackers who can then steal all data on such a device, potentially compromising connected networks and systems.

Prevention From Getting Hacked

1. Software Updates

Hackers are always looking for weak points in software that have not yet been fixed. To keep hackers at bay, it is very important to update your software and operating systems. All devices and programs should install the latest version of the software and turn on automatic updates.

2. Use Different Passwords

The most common cause of data breaches and cyber-attacks is easily guessable passwords or those that contain obvious words or names. It’s important to use strong passwords that are difficult for hackers to guess and don’t reuse them on multiple accounts. It can limit how effective they can be if you use different passwords.

3. HTTPS Encryption

Most fake websites are used by hackers to steal personal details from people who visit them pretending as genuine sites, therefore, one should look at the address bar of the web browser for https:// at the start of the URL like https://www.example.com

4. Avoid Strange Links

Hackers often use pop-up ads as well as strange links in emails or social media platforms so that you get malware downloaded onto your device, or visit a bogus website by mistake…you mustn’t click links that seem suspicious.

5. Change Default Passwords

Many people fail to change default usernames and passwords for their routers and other smart devices after buying them. Hackers easily break into millions of homes since these defaults are used by many millions more home users than any alternative password schemes available today. Consequently, ensure that each new device has its own username/password combination different from all others.

Protect Yourself Against Hacking

1. Download From Trusted Sources

Download apps or software from trusted organizations and authorized sources only, when you download them from unknown places, then it means that you don't know what exactly you are getting and this application could be infected with a virus, malware, or other threats.

2. Use Antivirus Software

Your computer must have antivirus software that can recognize potential malicious files and actions. A good antivirus can protect you from the latest malware, spyware, and viruses while also blocking other emerging threats.

3. Use a VPN

While using a virtual private network (VPN), one will be able to surf the internet securely and anonymously. It also protects your data from being intercepted by hackers or anyone tracking your activities.

4. Avoid Default Admin Accounts

Hackers are attracted commonly towards “Admin” because it’s often an account name used. By logging in with this user, you make yourself vulnerable, so don’t use default admin accounts.

5. Use Password Managers

Creating strong, unique passwords is vital but hard to remember. Password managers allow you to make use of secure passwords without having to memorize them.

6. Enable Two-Factor Authentication

Individuals who use two-factor authentication have a higher level of security when it comes to logging into their accounts since this may involve sending codes to your device which helps in ensuring that it is only you who has access to your account.

7. Learn Anti-Phishing Techniques

The end users must know about certain kinds of tricks that hackers apply such as phishing and ransomware. Understanding what indicates a phishing email or ransomware incident is essential.

Conclusion

Hacking is increasingly becoming a major concern. Hackers, otherwise known as malicious people, unlawfully breach computers and gadgets. They make away with private details, create havoc or sometimes just flaunt their abilities. Hacking can result in the loss of data, and money, and crashing systems. Use strong passwords, update your devices regularly, avoid clicking on suspicious links, use anti-virus software, and be cautious when revealing personal information online. There are some basic steps to secure yourself against hackers.

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• Ethical Hacking