What is hacking?
Hacking refers to activities that seek to compromise digital
devices, such as computers, smartphones, tablets, and even entire networks. And
while hacking might not always be for malicious purposes, nowadays most
references to hacking, and hackers, characterize it/them as unlawful activity
by cybercriminals—motivated by financial gain, protest, information gathering
(spying), and even just for the “fun” of the challenge.
Many think that “hacker” refers to some self-taught whiz kid
or rogue programmer skilled at modifying computer hardware or software so it
can be used in ways outside the original developers' intent. But this is a
narrow view that doesn't begin to encompass the wide range of reasons why
someone turns to hacking. (For an in-depth look at hackers, read “Under the
hoodie: why money, power, and ego drive hackers to cybercrime” by Wendy
Zamora.)
Hacking is typically technical in nature (like creating
malvertising that deposits malware in a drive-by attack requiring no user
interaction). But hackers can also use psychology to trick the user into
clicking on a malicious attachment or providing personal data. These tactics
are referred to as “social engineering.”
“Hacking has evolved from teenage mischief into a
billion-dollar growth business.”
In fact, it's accurate to characterize hacking as an
over-arching umbrella term for activity behind most if not all of the malware
and malicious cyberattacks on the computing public, businesses, and
governments. Besides social engineering and malvertising, common hacking
techniques include:
Botnets
Browser hijacks
Denial of service
(DDoS) attacks
Ransomware
Rootkits
Trojans
Viruses
Worms
As such, hacking has evolved from teenage mischief into a
billion-dollar growth business, whose adherents have established a criminal
infrastructure that develops and sells turnkey hacking tools to would-be crooks
with less sophisticated technical skills (known as “script kiddies”). As an
example, see: Emotet.
In another example, Windows users are reportedly the target
of a wide-spread cybercriminal effort offering remote access to IT systems for
just N4000 via a dark web hacking
store—potentially enabling attackers to steal information, disrupt systems,
deploy ransom ware, and more. Systems advertised for sale on the forum range
from Windows XP through to Windows 10. The storeowners even offer tips for how
those using the illicit logins can remain undetected.
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History of hacking/hackers
In its current usage, the term dates back to the 1970s. In
1980, an article in Psychology Today used the term “hacker” in its title: “The
Hacker Papers,” which discussed the addictive nature of computer use.
Types of
hacking/hackers
Broadly speaking, you can say that hackers attempt to break
into computers and networks for any of four reasons.
There's criminal financial gain, meaning the theft of credit
card numbers or defrauding banking systems.
Next, gaining street cred and burnishing one's reputation
within hacker subculture motivates some hackers as they leave their mark on
websites they vandalize as proof that they pulled off the hack.
Then there's corporate espionage, when one company's hackers
seek to steal information on a competitor's products and services to gain a
marketplace advantage.
Finally, entire nations engage in state-sponsored hacking to
steal business and/or national intelligence, to destabilize their adversaries'
infrastructure, or even to sow discord and confusion in the target country.
There's even another category of cybercriminals: the hacker
who is politically or socially motivated for some cause. Such hacker-activists,
or “hacktivists,” strive to focus public attention on an issue by garnering
unflattering attention on the target—usually by making sensitive information
public. For
“Today's cybersecurity frontier retains that Wild West vibe,
with white hat and black hat hackers.”
If a hacker is a person with deep understanding of computer
systems and software, and who uses that knowledge to somehow subvert that
technology, then a black hat hacker does so for stealing something valuable or
other malicious reasons. So it's reasonable to assign any of those four
motivations (theft, reputation, corporate espionage, and nation-state hacking)
to the black hats.
White hat hackers, on the other hand, strive to improve the
security of an organization's security systems by finding vulnerable flaws so
that they can prevent identity theft or other cybercrimes before the black hats
notice. Corporations even employ their own white hat hackers as part of their
support staff, as a recent article from the New York Times online edition
highlights. Or businesses can even outsource their white hat hacking to
services such as HackerOne, which tests software products for vulnerabilities
and bugs for a bounty.
Finally, there's the gray hat crowd, hackers who use their
skills to break into systems and networks without permission (just like the
black hats). But instead of wreaking criminal havoc, they might report their
discovery to the target owner and offer to repair the vulnerability for a small
fee.
Whether you're on your phone or a computer, make sure your
operating system remains updated. And update your other resident software as
well.
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