Hacking refers to activities that seek to compromise digital devices, such as computers, smartphones, tablets, and even entire networks. Hackers are motivated by personal gain, to make a statement, or just because they can. Cybersecurity Basics. For Home View all Malwarebytes products.
Keep your personal data safe from hackers. Download Malwarebytes Premium free for 14 days. But this is a narrow view that doesn't begin to encompass the wide range of reasons why someone turns to hacking. To learn about the various motivations different types of hackers might have, read Under the hoodie: why money, power, and ego drive hackers to cybercrime. Also, check out our Malwarebytes Labs' podcast episode, interviewing hacker Sick Codes:.
Hacking is typically technical in nature like creating malvertising that deposits malware in a drive-by attack requiring no user interaction. But hackers can also use psychology to trick the user into clicking on a malicious attachment or providing personal data. 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. Avoid visiting unsafe websites, and never download unverified attachments or click on links in unfamiliar emails.
You can also use Malwarebytes Browser Guard for safer browsing. All the above is basic hygiene, and always a good idea. But the bad guys are forever looking for a new way into your system. If a hacker discovers one of your passwords that you use for multiple services, they have apps that can breach your other accounts.
So make your passwords long and complicated, avoid using the same one for different accounts, and instead use a password manager. Because the value of even a single hacked email account can rain disaster down on you. While most associate hacking with Windows computers, the Android operating system also offers an inviting target for hackers. A bit of history: Early hackers who obsessively explored low-tech methods for getting around the secure telecommunication networks and expensive long-distance calls of their era were originally called phreaks—a combination of the words phone and freaks.
They were a defined subculture in the s, and their activity was called phreaking. Nowadays, phreakers have evolved out of the analog technology era and become hackers in the digital world of more than two billion mobile devices. Mobile phone hackers use a variety of methods to access an individual's mobile phone and intercept voicemails, phone calls, text messages, and even the phone's microphone and camera, all without that user's permission or even knowledge.
Compared to iPhones, Android phones are much more fractured, whose open-source nature and inconsistencies in standards in terms of software development put the Androids at a greater risk of data corruption and data theft.
And any number of bad things result from Android hacking. Cybercriminals could view your stored data on the phone, including identity and financial information. Likewise, hackers can track your location, force your phone to text premium websites, or even spread their hack with an embedded malicious link to others among your contacts, who will click on it because it appears to come from you. Of course, legitimate law enforcement might hack phones with a warrant to store copies of texts and emails, transcribe private conversations, or follow the suspect's movements.
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