Hacking knowledgetree

By: Leah Zitter Contributor. Dictionary Dictionary Term of the Day. Decentralized Finance. Techopedia Terms. Connect with us. Sign up. Term of the Day. 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:. As an example, see: Emotet. Systems advertised for sale on the forum range from Windows XP through to Windows The storeowners even offer tips for how those using the illicit logins can remain undetected. Broadly speaking, you can say that hackers attempt to break into computers and networks for any of four reasons.

There's even another category of cybercriminals: the hacker who is politically or socially motivated for some cause. For notable hacktivist groups, along with some of their more famous undertakings, see Anonymous , WikiLeaks , and LulzSec. There's also another way we parse hackers. Remember the classic old Western movies? Today's cybersecurity frontier retains that Wild West vibe, with white hat and black hat hackers , and even a third in-between category. 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.

If your computer, tablet, or phone is at the bull's-eye of the hacker's target, then surround it with concentric rings of precautions. First and foremost, download a reliable anti-malware product or app for the phone , which can both detect and neutralize malware and block connections to malicious phishing websites.

Of course, whether you're on Windows, Android, a Mac, an iPhone, or in a business network, we recommend the layered protection of Malwarebytes for Windows , Malwarebytes for Mac , Malwarebytes for Android , Malwarebytes for Chromebook , Malwarebytes for iOS , and Malwarebytes business products. Second, only download phone apps from the legitimate marketplaces that police themselves for malware-carrying apps, such as Google Play and Amazon Appstore.

Note that Apple policy restricts iPhone users to download only from the App Store. Even so, every time you download an app, check the ratings and reviews first. If it has a low rating and a low number of downloads, it is best to avoid that app. Know that no bank or online payment system will ever ask you for your login credentials, social security number, or credit card numbers by means of email.

Whether you're on your phone or a computer, make sure your operating system remains updated. And update your other resident software as well. Easy Normal Medium Hard Expert. Writing code in comment? Please use ide. Load Comments. What's New. Most popular in GBlog. More related articles in GBlog. Recommended Articles. Article Contributed By :. Easy Normal Medium Hard Expert.

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