What is Hacking? Introduction to Hacking
Hacking can be explained as a method by virtue of which technical devices like desktops, laptops, or smartphones can be penetrated and influenced to behave abnormally causing great difficulty to the user to operate such tools.
It can also be described as activities meant to compromise digital devices and extract confidential information without the permission of the users.
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We would like to use this platform and space to highlight and educate our esteemed readers about hacking. You all must have heard this term quite a few times in the past, but this article will provide you more insights into this area called as hacking. The world of hacking is usually related to negativity and violation of laws which is correct, but it has certain other dimensions and shades to it. It may not be for negative or illegal purposes all the time. It is used for boosting security measures as well. It's imperative for us to know more about this world which is often considered to be a dark world. This article will remove a lot of fallacies about hacking and hackers.
Introduction to Hacking and its types
Types of Hacking
Usually, if you go by the pattern observed, there are four specific reasons due to which hacking-related activities take place. The hackers break into networks or computers for four different reasons, discussed below.
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- ☝ The first form of hacking is inspired by the lust to make easy money by breaking into users' computers, stealing all the relevant information and exploiting the information to squeeze out money from the bank account of the users. For instance, stealing credit card numbers or defrauding the banking system. Such types of fraudulent activities are experienced nowadays quite frequently, as hackers use various ploys to either hoodwink the users to disclose their confidential information in good faith or in the pretext of technical penetration into the system.
- ☝ The second one is all about creating a misadventure to prove one's superiority. Certain hackers love to leave their mark on websites they vandalize and challenge the authorities. They want to prove a point that they have the capacity to go against the system. It's more to do with creating scuffling however, it causes great damage and inconvenience to the owners of the website.
- ☝ The third type is related to corporate espionage. The idea is to employ the services of a hacker in order to extract information considered valuable in the context of negating competition like finding out the market policy of another company in a similar business etc. In order to have an edge in the market place lot of companies get tempted to resort to such unethical means.
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The subsequent form of hacking, probably the biggest in terms of resource and power used. It is used by one country to access the key national security information of its rivals or enemies. This can be termed state-sponsored hacking to cause as much damage as possible to enemies. It can destabilize the economy, security affairs, and even infrastructure-building capabilities of enemies creating all-around chaos and confusion leading to a state of destabilization in the enemy camps.
It is believed by a lot of people that Russia & China have carried out such attacks on Forbes.com. Recent attacks on Democratic National Alliance made a lot of news. There have been numerous instances of such types of hacking by one country on another. Security establishments of various countries are concerned about such attacks and they usually don't leave any stone unturned, still, foolproof security is a tough ask.
- ☝ Another form of hacking exists. These categories of hackers/cybercriminals are politically motivated and influenced to divert public attention on an issue by garnering unflattering attention on the target or extract information pertaining to an individual who holds an important office and tarnish/malign his image by bringing to light certain acts of that person which potentially can destroy the career of that person in politics. These hackers can cause a great degree of damage and give a severe blow to someone's chances of making it big in the political field.
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Ethical Hacking? White, Black, and Grey Hats
Hackers can be categorized into black hat hackers, white hat hackers & gray hat hackers. The following paragraphs will throw more light on the roles of these three forms of hackers.
- A black hat hacker usually does hacking for corporate espionage, theft, to destroy someone's status, or nation-state hacking. Therefore, we can safely infer that a black hat hacker is mainly into activities that can be considered malicious.
- White hat hackers as the name suggest are into using hacking for a good cause like strengthening or improving the security system of a business concern by detecting/identifying the areas which can be exploited by others hackers. The whole idea is to keep the hackers at bay so that the organization can put a lid on identity theft or cybercriminals.
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Yes, if felt the organizations can appoint full-time white hat hackers on their payroll, or the services of such hackers can be obtained from other agencies or outsourced.
- Gray hat hackers can be termed as computer security experts who may although breach or violate laws but does not have malicious intention as observed in the case of black hat hackers.
How to Protect from Hacking
It is wise to protect your computers, tablet PC or smartphones by providing them with the necessary cover. These are susceptible and vulnerable to hackings. Certain hackers are always on the lookout for opportunities to break into other's technical devices and see how they can be exploited. See being a user of such technical devices, you reserve the right to protect your gadgets in whatever possible. The onus lies with you especially when you know there are people around who need the slightest of space to penetrate into your system with an intention to wreak havoc on you and your system.
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1.Protection from Anti-Malware
You got to download a reliable anti-malware product ( app in case of a phone) that can negate or nullify the threat of malware, making it very difficult for malicious phishing websites to access it. It is always recommended layered protection of malware bytes for Windows, Mac, Android, Chromebook, iOS, and business products. Not providing or putting enough security measures in place may lead to great damage. You can't expose your system to unreliable sources and give free hand to such elements so that they can access your confidential stuff. They can't be made privy to your internal business strategy or account details etc hence, such security measures are required.
2.Download Apps from Reliable Store
Make it a point to only download phone apps from legitimate sources that police themselves for malware-carrying apps. Some examples of such sources are Amazon Appstore or Google Play. You got to check out the ratings as well reviews before downloading an app, as it will guide you to a great extent. The moment you come to know that the ratings seems low or very few users have downloaded that app then it is advisable to avoid downloading such apps.
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3.Protect Your Personal Data
It is of immense importance to know, that bank or online payment system never asks for confidential information in the form of your login IDs, passwords, social security numbers, or for that matter your credit card number. Come what may don't divulge such information.
4.Use Updated Software
Updating your operating systems of phones or computers must be at the top of your priority list alongside updating other residents' software as well.
5.Wisely Browse
Never commit the harakiri or blunder of visiting websites that appears unsafe and no way walk into the trap of downloading unverified attachments or click links in unfamiliar emails. These are few precautions you have to take manually while operating your computers or smartphones. Unknowingly people land into soup by not adhering to the suggestions mentioned out here.
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6.Password Safety
We would like to draw your attention to another key area. Due attention must be given to password protection. Assuming you are using the same password for multiple services and if a hacker can somehow access it or discover it, without your knowledge then it will be an ideal opportunity for him to exploit the situation to the fullest to his advantage. Always go for a long, complex, and unusual password, it's something like thinking out of the box. You must be aware of the fact, the value of even a single hacked email account can rain disaster down on you. So be alert, vigilant, and aware of the need to look after your password in terms of ensuring that it does not get to an unreliable person.
Conclusion
Remember hacking is a passion for some people while for some it is the easiest way of making some easy bucks. You give access to people knowingly or unknowingly, you are in for some hard times. The responsibility lies with you to protect your device and be aware of the threats hovering on your account as well devices. For a layman certain stuff may appear very difficult to comprehend however, the steps suggested in this article if followed religiously will secure your device immensely. We are hopeful, this article will go a long way in creating awareness about hackers and hackings, their impact, and how to counter hacking attacks.
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Nice sir ..
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