COMPUTER HACKERS | FREE NOTES ON CYBER-CRIME 2024
Computer threats are made by people and not by computers. Computer predators are always on the lookout to find victims for their own gain.
If such a predator has access to your PC and has access to the internet, the security issues in this situation can pose a greater threat.
Computer hackers are computer users who weeks into computer systems without authorization with the intention to steal, change or destroy the information. Most of the time this is done by installing malware without the consent of the PC owners.
HOW DO HACKERS FIND THEIR VICTIMS?
Anyone who has a computer system that has access to the internet is vulnerable to these threats which are posed by computer hackers and online predators.
These hackers or predators find the victims by using phishing scams, instant messages, and spam mails through bogus websites through which dangerous malware is delivered to the computers and disrupt computers.
Furthermore, if your computer is not protected by any firewall, hackers can try to accept your computer and private information directly. Can be done by monitoring the conversations or perusing the back-end of your personal website.
People are usually lured to provide personal and financial information by using bogus identities.
Same as in the natural world, there are good guys and bad guys in the virtual one. The bad guys for a variety of reasons use their computers to gain unauthorized access to the other’s network with the intention to create trouble. These people who try to gain unauthorized access are called hackers. These hackers do the following activities on a routine basis:
- Stealing secrets
- Stealing passwords
- Stealing credit card information
- Create so much traffic on a website that it leads to shutting it down
Hackers work 24 by 7 and try to steal information for personal gains. When a website or a company is hacked, what can be understood is that these hackers are no heroes.
But for some reason, there are some people who think that hacking and hackers are cool and they should be admired for the spirit of Mischief and sneaking into another’s systems.
This is agreed by the people who spend tons of money on building the business, government networks, or someone who was the victim of cybercrime. There is nothing playful about cybercrime or hacking.
TYPES OF HACKERS
Hackers can be categorized into three types:
- Young kids
- Recreational hackers
- Professionals
Young kids: There are some adolescents who like to have fun on the internet and are also known as script kiddies. They just like to mess with websites and networks for the fun of it.
Recreational hackers: Some computer Savvy users feel like they have a valid reason to intrude on other networks. It could be a grudge against a certain website or the company that they dislike that much that they like to cause them to harm or disrupt their websites.
Professionals: When an expert in the computer gets a taste and likes the flavor of it, then they continue to use their skills to break into another’s account with the purpose to Steal. This might also include taking down big networks for just fun. These people basically steal passwords and get into the system.
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Some of the terms which are used in relation with hackers are defined below:
- Back door: It is referred to as a secret pathway through which a hacker gains entry to the system.
- Buffer overflow: An attack where malicious commands are delivered to a system by over-running an application on the buffer.
- Email worm: An email message which looks normal but has a virus-laden script or a mini-program is sent to the victim.
- Denial of service attack: It is an attack where the victim’s system is flooded with false traffic to prevent it from handling the normal traffic.
- Rootkit: It is a tool that is used by an intruder to get control of the system.
- Session hijacking: When any hacker gets successful to insert malicious Tata packets over the internet connection into actual data transmission it is known as session hijacking.
- Trojan horse: A program that seems to be helpful but is actually a disguised attack on the user’s computer.
- Root access: The complete control over the system also the highest level of access is known as root access.
HOW HACKERS AFFECT YOU/YOUR SYSTEMS
Here are some of the things added hackers can do to you or your system:
If malware has been installed in your system by a hacker, then if your system is connected to the internet, your computer system can quietly transmit your personal and financial information to the hacker without your knowledge or consent.
Or a computer predator any private information that you have unknowingly revealed. In any of the cases, the hacker or predator can do the following:
- Hijack your username and password
- Steal your funds and open a bank account in your name.
- Ruin your credit
- Request PINs
- Can make purchases
- Can add themselves as an authorized user in your accounts
- Get cash advances on your name
- Sell your information to other parties for illegal purposes
Predators who stalk people online are a greater threat because they can physically hurt the people they are stalking. So, extreme questions should be observed when you agree to meet online friends in person.
This is all about hacking and one should be aware of how hacking can destroy mental peace as well as can also lead to Physical threats so as to avoid any possible outcomes.