Term Origins:
The term "hacker" first came to use as early as the mid-1950s in connection to electronic hobbyists who would hijack phone lines. The first recorded use of it being associated with computer programmers was in 1963 in a student article at MIT.
How Hackers Hack
Hackers can scan machines using programs and find vulnerable ones. After finding vulnerable machines, they can use other programs to identify the operating systems, and then use this information to decide which method of hacking would be best to use.
There are many types of hacking, including:
- Denial-of-Service attacks (DoS), where the Web server gets flooded with so many requests that it stops working
- Online Espionage, where the hacker can access information for months on end without being caught, using things like Trojan Horses
There are many types of hacking, including:
- Denial-of-Service attacks (DoS), where the Web server gets flooded with so many requests that it stops working
- Online Espionage, where the hacker can access information for months on end without being caught, using things like Trojan Horses
Cyber-terrorism
Cyber-terrorism is the act of sabotaging a government or corporation by means of the interbet. This can be done through the spread of viruses, or through the hacking.
Governments also hack into other government's computers in the same way, although this is usually used more to gain information, and they try to leave without a trace. Again, governments can also use viruses to achieve the same goals.
Governments also hack into other government's computers in the same way, although this is usually used more to gain information, and they try to leave without a trace. Again, governments can also use viruses to achieve the same goals.
Recent Examples of Hacking
Throughout the history of the internet, there have been many examples of hacking. The incidents listed below have happened fairly recently and have affected many people.
2007- TJ Maxx hacked, putting millions of debit and credit users at risk
2009- GhostNet was found by the University of Toronto to have hacked thousand of users, the largest example of hacking to date
2009- Operation Aurora began in mid- 2009 and continued on through December, attacking Google, Yahoo, and Symantec among many others
2013- The New York Times along with other news agencies such as the Wall Street Journal claimed to have been hacked by the Chinese after their report on one of their leaders.
2007- TJ Maxx hacked, putting millions of debit and credit users at risk
2009- GhostNet was found by the University of Toronto to have hacked thousand of users, the largest example of hacking to date
2009- Operation Aurora began in mid- 2009 and continued on through December, attacking Google, Yahoo, and Symantec among many others
2013- The New York Times along with other news agencies such as the Wall Street Journal claimed to have been hacked by the Chinese after their report on one of their leaders.
Prevention
There's no real way to fully prevent being hacked, but people can do things such as installing a firewall, which is either a software or hardware that blocks network traffic coming in and out of the system, trying to keep track of the vulnerabilities in your system that hackers use to gain access, and tightening the security of your systems by configuring the necessary software needed for protection and uninstalling those that aren't used.