Hacking involves illegal use of computer technology to gain entry to files, systems or networks without authorisation. Hackers may be motivated by criminal financial gain, protest or information gathering (spying).

Staying current with software updates is key to protecting yourself against cyberattacks, including many malware-based ones. By staying informed and staying secure on devices is also key!

Password Cracker Software

Password cracking software allows hackers to retrieve password hashes stored in encrypted form in databases, then use various tools to convert this hash back to its plaintext form.

A brute force attack systematically tests every possible combination of letters, numbers and special characters until a password has been cracked. Other techniques used by password crackers may include dictionary attacks, word list substitution and pattern checking. As many people append numbers or common names to their passwords – which can easily be picked out by crackers – it is wise for users to refrain from reusing passwords across websites and apps.

Other methods of hacking include memory-scraping malware – used by Lapsus$ ransomware attacks recently – and phishing, where attackers use fake login links to capture credentials of unsuspecting users. Whether or not such methods constitute illegal acts depends on their intent: generally speaking, hacking should only be undertaken for legitimate reasons, not with an intent of selling or otherwise misusing this data for identity theft or fraud purposes.

Spyware

Government spying may dominate headlines these days, but there’s another form of malware – spyware – that quietly infiltrates computers and mobile devices to steal personal data without raising its profile. Spyware infiltrates systems by recording activities like your web browsing data or passwords for websites you visit; or by recording keystrokes for passwords used during login attempts which can result in compromised bank accounts or identity theft.

Spyware is designed to remain unobtrusive and operate silently; however, there are ways you can detect its presence on your system. One telltale sign might be slow performance or frequent software crashes; another might be your home page has changed, or strange toolbars appear.

If you suspect spyware on your phone, try scanning with an anti-malware application or performing a factory reset to restore all the settings and remove any potentially infected apps which might have triggered hacking attempts.

Firewall

Firewalls are essential components of computer network security. Unfortunately, hackers have developed various techniques for bypassing firewalls to gain entry to systems or networks through malware infection or social engineering techniques; hackers also often take advantage of software vulnerabilities like weak passwords or unprotected remote access points to gain entry.

For instance, when visiting a web application that does not require authentication and employs cross-site scripting (XSS), an attacker could send requests to your router/firewall that force it to connect to specific ports on your machine even though they should not have been forwarded by it (a process known as “NAT traversal”).

Firewalls can also be breached through visiting websites that force visitors to establish direct client-to-client connections over standard relay chat ports, giving hackers an opening for listening or gathering personal data from conversations taking place behind them.

Personal Information

Hacking has long been thought of as a dark art practiced by an unknown programmer working alone in secret to produce malicious programs designed to gain information for themselves and gain. But hacking is now a multibillion-dollar industry with highly sophisticated attack methods.

Black hat hackers use exploited vulnerabilities in computer systems and software for financial gain or as part of corporate or nation-state spying campaigns, exploiting those flaws to gain entry to your data, passwords, critical network functions or cause serious harm to networks and users alike. They could gain access to all your passwords or gain entry via network vulnerabilities into critical network functions that control accessing these systems causing potentially irreparable harm.

Non-sensitive personal information (PII) that is publicly available – for instance email addresses and phone numbers listed online directories or maiden names listed in public records – can be misused for identity theft by criminals attempting to gain entry to your bank app via your phone number spoofing, or trick your friends into clicking malware links. This information could potentially allow criminals to breach security measures and gain entry to bank accounts by falsifying verification codes, or lure friends into clicking malware links that lead them back onto the network.

Hackers also exploit devices connected to the Internet such as televisions and home security cameras in order to gain information from them. Spyware used by these hackers collects this data and transmits it back via the device’s internet connection back to them.