Why Do Hackers Hack Websites and How Can I Help Stop Them?
Hacking is unquestionably a 21st century growth industry. You can't surf the web without seeing an article about an airline being grounded, widespread disruption in dozens of countries at once, or computers being held for ransom with ransomware. Motives for hacking range from stealing money, accessing data, causing disruption or embarrassment, or just having fun.
This situation might sound hopeless, but there are brave people out there, just like you, who are fighting against these cyber criminals. Here’s some more information on how hackers function and how you can help stop them through cybersecurity practices.
Common hacking techniques
Some of the most common hacking techniques include phishing, spear-phishing, and watering hole attacks. Most of us have experienced attempted phishing attacks. This is where an individual or group tries to extract sensitive information like passwords, credit card or bank details by posing as a bank or other trustworthy entity. Closely related to this is spear-phishing. The difference is that phishing is directed at all customers of a bank, while spear-phishers are just targeting one customer.
Watering hole attacks are different in both intent and approach. The target is a group such as an industry, an organization or even a country or region. The attacker ascertains what websites the group frequents, and then infects the sites with malware. Eventually, one or more members of the target group becomes infected. These are just three examples of the hundreds of hacking techniques.
Here are some major hacking groups throughout the world whose digital skills have earned them quite a lot of notoriety.
Lizard Squad
Lizard Squad is an example of a group of hackers who practice their evil arts for the sheer 'fun' of it. They are known for what are called Distributed Denial of Service Attacks on Xbox and PlayStation networks around Christmas time, purely for the sake of pranking children. DDOS attacks are orchestrated by flooding the bandwidths of the targeted system.
Anonymous
Paradoxically, Anonymous Hackers is one of the more famous hacking groups in the United States. Basically 'harmless' liberal hactivists, the group draws its anonymity from the fact that there is no single individual at the helm of the group. They are a major presence on the internet, due in part to their being extremely decentralized, making them hard for law enforcement agencies to pin down.
Dragonfly
Operating out of Eastern Europe and Russia, Dragonfly is designated as an Advanced Persistent Threat. Its choice of targets in Europe and the United States, such as control systems in the energy industry, electricity grids, and other systems, suggests that Dragonfly is state-sponsored. They have established capability for injecting Trojans into industrial control systems. Like most APTs, their most common techniques are watering hole attacks, phishing, and spear-phishing.
Shadow Brokers
The Shadow Brokers stole a massive amount of confidential data from the National Security Agency in 2013 and have been steadily pouring these secrets onto the internet ever since. As well as embarrassing a major government agency, the Shadow Brokers revealed sophisticated information-gathering software to the world at large.
You can Help Halt Hackers in their Tracks
You, yes you, could society's best defense against malicious hackers. Some industries grow in parallel with one another. As the art of hacking has grown into a multinational industry, so is the art and science of cybersecurity. Computer geeks are now some of the coolest people on the planet, with jobs for them opening up all over the world.
One of the most high-profile employers of Information Security Analysts is the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Working for the FBI, you would be at the forefront of investigating cyber crimes. One of the bureau's top priorities is to investigate botnets, DDOS attacks, data theft, website hacks, and other intrusions.
Cyber agents are not just the support staff in windowless rooms full of screens and pinging black boxes. In the world of counterterrorism and counterintelligence investigations, they are often the lead agents on the case.
In today's climate, everybody needs white hat hackers and cybersecurity specialists. Any organization with a computer system that is connected to the outside world has to hire information security analysts. You could find yourself working for a bank, a multinational corporation, or a government agency such as the FBI.
Becoming an Information Security Analyst
All the good roles in this sector require at least a bachelor's degree in cybersecurity or cyber and network security. In this environment, you would learn how to:
- Formulate basic information policies and procedures
- Monitor and defend computer networks
- Safeguard data and manage personnel
- Perform penetration testing and vulnerability analysis
Do you want to be on the front lines of cyber defense? If you want to earn a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer and Information Science with a Major in Cyber and Network Security - Cybersecurity Track, consider ECPI University for the education that you’ll need to make a difference. For more information, connect with a friendly admissions advisor today.
It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!
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