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Right now, millions of hackers, spammers and scammers
are hard at work. They're after your Social Security number, bank
account information and social media accounts. With any of these, they
can steal your money or trick your friends into giving up theirs.
The scary part is that anyone can be a hacker. For as little as $3,000,
you can buy a complete and fully operational exploit kit. This kit does
most of the illegal work for you automatically. You get to sit back and
rake in the cash, until you get caught.
Between semi-amateurs with automated systems and serious hackers who are
masters of technology and trickery, how can you possibly hope to stay
safe?
The best way is to know how hackers do what they do. Once you know that,
you can counter their malicious acts. Here are five popular hacker
strategies.
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1. Phishing scams
Lucky you! A Nigerian prince has selected you to help smuggle millions
out of his country. For a little bit of effort — a few simple wire
transfers — you'll get a substantial cut. What could be easier?
I bet you're asking yourself, "Who would fall for that?" Well, tens of
thousands of people do every year. That's why Nigerian scams, known as
419 scams, are still very popular.
Other versions might say you won a contest or have a job offer. Maybe
someone wants to meet you, or you can make money for shipping some
goods.
The catch is that you have to send in personal or banking information,
or pay a fee. Of course, your information and money is going straight to
hackers.
Use common sense before reacting to any e-mail. Scams rely on making you
act quickly. If you think about things long enough, you can usually see
through them. Just remember the old saying, "If it looks too good to be
true … " |
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2. Trojan horse
Many hackers want to slip a virus on your computer. Once installed, a
virus can record everything you type and send it back to the hacker. It
can send out spam e-mail or attack other computers.
To do this, the hackers disguise the virus as something harmless. This
is called a Trojan horse, or just Trojan.
One of the most popular ways to deliver a Trojan is a variation of the
phishing e-mail scams.
For example, the e-mail might say it's from a shipping service, bank or
other reputable company. There's been a problem with a transaction! To
learn more, you have to open an e-mail attachment.
The attachment might look like a normal file, but it really contains a
Trojan. Clicking on the file installs it before you can do anything.
Similar scams appear on Facebook and Twitter. You think you're going to
watch a funny video your friend posted. Instead, a popup tells you to
update your video player. The "update" file it provides is really a
Trojan.
The key to defeat this tactic, as with phishing e-mails, is common
sense. However, up-to-date security software is essential as well. It
should detect and stop most Trojans before they can install. |
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3. Drive-by downloads
Security software is good, but it isn't always enough. Programs on your
computer might have weaknesses that hackers can use to bypass security
software.
To take advantage of these weaknesses, hackers set up websites embedded
with viruses. You might get there by clicking a malicious link in a
phishing e-mail or on social media. You can even find these sites in a
search for popular programs or topics.
It isn't just malicious sites, though. Hackers can sneak malicious code
on to legitimate websites. The code scans your computers for security
holes. If it finds one, a virus can download and install without you
doing anything.
To stay safe, you have to keep your programs up-to-date. Every month,
Microsoft releases updates for Windows and Internet Explorer. These
updates close critical security holes that hackers exploit.
Other critical programs to patch are Adobe's Flash and Reader, and
Oracle's Java. Using old versions of these programs is like sending
hackers an engraved invitation.
You should also be using the latest version of your programs. Anyone
using Internet Explorer 6, 7 or 8 needs to update or switch browsers
immediately. |
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4. Bypassing passwords
In Hollywood movies, hackers are masters of guessing account passwords.
In the real world, however, very few hackers bother.
Instead, they go around passwords. They might get your password from a
data breach at a company or website you use.
It's important that you use a different password for every account. That
way, if a hacker discovers one, they can't get in to every account.
Perhaps the hacker slipped a virus on to your system. It records your
passwords and sends them to the hacker; no guessing needed.
As I mentioned above, you can stop viruses with up-to-date security
software and programs.
A hacker might tackle your account's security question. Most security
questions can be answered with information people post publicly.
You should change how you answer security questions. Give a random
answer that has nothing to do with the question. That way, no one can
guess it. |
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5. Using open Wi-Fi
I'm sure you have a Wi-Fi network at home. Is it encrypted? If you don't
know the answer, then it's probably, "no."
That means hackers, and neighbors, can connect to your network from
outside. They can see and record everything you do. They can surf to bad
websites and download illegal files on your connection. You might be
getting a visit from the police.
You need to take a few minutes and secure your network. Trust me; it's
worth it. The instructions will be in your Wi-Fi router's manual.
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