HACKING : WHAT IS HACKING ? HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ?

                             Is Hacking a CYBERCRIME?

                                        The purpose of hackers

According to a study of the CSI (Computer Security Institute),more than 40 % of enterprises worldwide have confirmed an attempt of intrusion in their system in 2000.Hacked servers,stolen bank cards details,hijacked websites,these are just few among multiple crimes on the internet.The main purpose of hackers however remains a mystery to the great majority of people.What is their target and how do they operate?What do they want when intruding into a computer system?How to protect yourselffrom their attacks?

With the rising number of definitions given to the different kinds of hacks proceeded,we have crackers,script-kiddies etc… all deriving from the same calling: Hacker.So who really is a hacker?

A quick research from Wikipedia gives us a clear understanding of what a hacker is : “someone who accesses a computer system by circumventing its security system”.But hackers themselves define themselves as “the passionnated of networks”,those who seek to understand how computer systems function by testing the abilities of computer tools as well as their own knowledge.Most of the hackers say they infiltrate computer systems just by passion for computer science and not for the purpose of destroying or stealing data.Thus,they want to distinguish themselves from crackers or script-kiddies (novice hackers that only use ready-to-use softwares to perfom malicious actions) who only think of destroying or stealing personal information for a financial gain.For the experts of “the underground world”,a real hacker is the one who infiltrates a server for he will discover security tweaks and alert the officials of the danger.

                       Hackers don’t all have the same motivations

Among hackers are those who claim they attack computer systems just for fun,or to meet the challenges of computer mysteries.Some others only want to be famous,recognized as “tough guys” or win a job.As an example,a Canadian radio station had hired a hacker as their IT security expert because he had discovered tweaks in their system that only he could solve.

Unlike what is generally believed,hackers who attack servers for the purpose of gaining some money or to access financial data are not numerous because that type of hacking requires very high level skills and competences in computer systems. Yet, the "underground world" is full of script kiddies who do not have specialized skills but simply use trojan horses downloaded from the Net.For hackers,script kiddies are responsible for more than 90% of malicious attacks.

                        Caution:Script kiddies are very dangerous

Even if script kiddies are novices and are not skilled enough,they mostly are reckless in passwords’ theft and the destruction of their victims’ files,just for fun.The worst case is when they corrupt they victims’ PCs,remotely turning them to a botnet.A botnet,according to the definition by Wikipedia,is “a collection of interconnected computers whose security defenses have been breached and control ceded to a malicious party. Each such compromised device, known as a bot, is created when a computer is penetrated by software from a malware distribution; otherwise known as malicious software. The controller of a botnet is able to direct the activities of these compromised computers through communication channels formed by standards-based network protocols such as IRC(Internet Relay Chat) and HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) “.That,in no way,is the interest of hackers who only seek to understand the complex networks architectures of enterprises.I bet you now understand how dangerous script kiddies can be!

                      The tools and methods used by HACKERS

Novices use specialized softwares to scan the web,looking for vulnerable systems to exploit.As for hackers,they begin their job by first investigating on their target: the IP address,the installed softwares,they OS (Operating System) used etc.This information can sometimes be easily found on the Net for example through online forums where many enterprises or business webmasters do not hesitate to leave comments where they detail the characteristics of their system,seeking solutions to problems related to it.Once the information gathered,the hacker can use many techniques such as the intrusion through open TCP/IP ports,the exploitation of the installed softwares’ security leaks,the IP spoofing (the spoofing of the victim’s address) or the buffer overflow (the blocking of the computer by relentlessly sending repetitive data).

In any ways,no matter the “good”purposes of hackers,it is still very important to protect yourself.Confidence does not exclude mistrust,at least in this case;and prevention is always better than cure,I shall say!

                       How toprotect yourself against hackers ?

Nowadays,we can find many security tools on the market – like personal firewalls or antiviruses softwwares -  for individuals and  SMEs.Yet still,these tools are not enough to ensure a solid protection.Most of  hackers  manage to breach network security defenses due to the lack of of updates of the security softwares.It is also important that one never leaves any information related to his system on the web.If you do not wish to attrack hackers worldwide,it’s even more crucial not to download softwares from non official websites because they can contain malwares like Trojan horses.

In this online security talk,bloggypedia has covered  the question of Hacking,from the definition of hackers through their motivations and purposes to how to deal with it.