As our lives become more and more networked, the number of white hat and black hat hackers continues to increase. Many of you or someone you know may have had an account hacked.
There are many ways that hackers can break into your system, and one way to keep yourself safe is to understand how hackers crack your passwords and what methods and software they typically use.
By understanding how hackers gain access to target accounts, you’ll be able to better understand why you might have been hacked and how to improve your security.
How do hackers get your password?
There are some common techniques that hackers use to crack your password.
One of these is a phishing page, where the hacker sends a Gmail or Facebook login page that looks exactly like the real Facebook or Gmail login page.
Most of the time, they use social engineering techniques and send a message saying
"This person has posted inappropriate photos of you on Facebook, click here to view your photos." Clicking the link takes you to a login page where you enter your password, which the hacker then gains access to.
In most cases, the victims don't even realize their passwords have been lost.
Hackers steal accounts and passwords for a variety of reasons. Some just want to show off their skills, while others do it to make money.
Many of them will use your email account to send spam links to your contact list, or your Facebook account to send spam app links.
The main problem comes when hackers get hold of your private and sensitive data. As I mentioned above, there are many other methods hackers use to crack passwords or email access.
1. Keylogger
This is one of the basic tools used to obtain passwords. Keyloggers reside in the system memory and run every time you boot up. These keyloggers record all your keystrokes.
After creating the log, send it to the hacker. The most famous one is Ardamax Keylogger. It can be customized not to show up in "Processes" (Windows Task Manager).
I recommend that you start using an online virtual keyboard when entering passwords to sensitive sites like bank accounts, emails, and Paypal accounts. You can also start using a password manager like Dashlane , which will automatically fill in login data so there won’t be any keylogging.
2. Mouse virus
RAT stands for Remote Administration Tool . Using RAT, hackers can connect to your PC without your knowledge. The hacker can see your screen and can also see the websites you browse. It also has a built-in keylogger feature.
A hacker can copy files from your hard drive to his or her computer—all without your knowledge.
Poison Ivy is a typical example of a RAT that can be customized to connect to your PC through a specific port number specified when the RAT was created.
3. Trojan Horse
These are the most common types of malware. Trojans are mainly spread through pirated websites .
All keygens and patches, even the original trials, are infected with Trojans when you download them from warez sites.
This means that you will get the software for free, but your computer will be infected with a Trojan horse.
When you run the patch/key generator, you get the desired output, but in the background, your system is infected with a trojan.
Turkojan is a well-known Trojan horse. A Trojan horse is more advanced than a keylogger or RAT. It provides more features so that hackers can have better access to your PC.
Nowadays, Android phones are most vulnerable to Trojans (also known as backdoors). Hackers will trick you into installing an apk file, which will then install the backdoor apk.
This is why you should never install .apk files from untrusted sources . We will discuss further in a future article how to protect yourself.
There are many other methods that hackers use, for example, if you are connected to the Internet on a LAN using the same router, a hacker can use any packet sniffer and a basic decoder to read all sensitive data transmitted from your computer. Cain and Abel is one such sniffer, but there are many more.
This is one of the reasons why I always encourage browsing as safely as possible. Most websites, like Facebook, offer the option to log in using https, which encrypts your data. In this case, even if a hacker captures your data using a sniffer, it won’t be easy to crack your password.
Brute force is another common method, but with advances in technology, most email and web login forms have features that can handle this type of attack.
How to protect yourself from hackers:
- Install a good, licensed antivirus software. I recommend Kaspersky. It is the best antivirus software out there.
- Keep Windows Firewall turned on at all times.
- Encrypt your data.
- Start using Dashlane or any other password manager.
- Activate 2FA for all services you use.
- If you're as paranoid as I am, start using hardware-based security like a Yubikey.
- Never trust pirated websites. There are lots of malware out there.
- Never automatically play USB drives. Malware can be automatically installed on your computer.
- Do not run attachments in email messages unless you are sure of the source.
- If you want to run .exe files safely, run them in a sandbox. To do this, you can use the free application Sandboxie.
- If you feel you are infected, format your PC/phone immediately. No antivirus software can remove Trojans from your PC. It is very difficult to remove Trojans from an infected PC.
- Conduct security audits quarterly or semi-annually, depending on your needs.
Well, to be safe, you must take precautions and make sure to enable all the security features provided by the web application you are using. I hope this article helped you understand how hackers attack so that you can take all the precautions to keep your passwords safe.
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