Ethical Hacker Beginnings
Are you tired of your computer running slow? Do you think that you have the right to privacy? Have you lost valuable data? Are you a hacker target? Ethical hacking is about securing your own network by learning how hackers think.
Hackers Target Beginners
Like any common criminal, hackers like to go after those that are most vulnerable. That is, those that can’t fight back, those that won’t notice an intrusion, and those that feel falsely secure. Hacking and cybercrime is dramatically rising. It is very likely that any internet user will eventually be a victim. That’s why it is paramount to know how to defend yourself with knowledge.
Don’t Hack Other People : It’s a Serious Crime
Try and hack your own system to look for flaws in the security. If you wish to hack a friend, get permission first. The penalties for hacking are severe. You could get 10 years or more in prison. The unfortunate part is that the truly skilled hackers rarely get caught and newbies often do.
Think Like a Hacker
It’s hard to defend against someone you don’t understand. The best way to defend against hackers is to understand hacker methodology and tools. You can also take ethical hacker classes to learn in detail.
Hacker Methodology
Hackers constantly scan IP addresses looking for networks with security holes or for programs they know how to exploit. They hacker places a great importance on monitoring IP addresses and finding out everything about who you are and what you do. They will monitor all your computer activity from your IP address.
They will get system information and then run exploit holes. For example, Internet Explorer has always had security holes. Hackers will find out what version of Internet Explorer that you are running and simply install some code into the browser to track your keystrokes (i.e. keystroke logger) or hijack all your internet searches.
Did You Know
People can buy a program to hack your email and logins for virtually any account that you have. The good password crackers are virtually unstoppable. One of the elite password crackers costs around $4,000.00. It’s some serious hacking equipment.
Keyloggers are for sale in abundance. You can purchase one for less than $100.00. At Keylogger dot com you can order a custom solution that is guaranteed not to be tracked by any person or program. It’s a guarantee. There are many places that sell keyloggers and more than half are being used for some sort of illegal practices.
This tells you that virtually anyone can hack your email and put a keylogger on your computer. Do they want your data? Maybe not, but if they ever did it’s a snap to get it.
False Security : A Huge Problem for Hacking Beginners
Many people think that their computer is secure. It’s almost always not even close to being true. The latest antivirus security suite is simply a joke to a real hacker. It can be penetrated with little effort. On top of that comes the firewall. This is another easy thing to overcome. If someone wants your data, it is very difficult for you to stop them. You can’t simply install some cheap programs that cost less than $100.00 and expect security. It takes much more than that. Almost all home computers are infected with something, but few know about it. Most people think they are secure and living in a dream world. Cybercrime is for real. Criminals are making billions by compromising your data. Don’t let them. Play some real defense.
What to Do
Don’t ever be found is the best strategy. Once someone finds you it is hard to get rid of them. Make sure that nobody can ever find out about your computer. How do you do that? You need to hide your IP address with a passion.
To hide the IP address, don’t ever search the internet unless it is through a proxy server. Make sure the proxy server is masking your IP address. Your firewall (try Sonicwall) should use NAT (network address translation) and change your IP address randomly before it ever hits the proxy server. Another way to hide the IP is to use Ironkey. It is a usb device that allows the internet to be browsed in secure sessions (https).
Email Security
The fortune 500 use the RSA tokens. It is a convenient method of encryption and decryption. The token changes numbers constantly and that makes it virtually impossible for hackers to get your login and password.
If you call RSA, they will tell you the whole setup is thousands of dollars and that won’t work for most of us. Fortunately, Paypal, Ebay, E-trade, and others now offer secure email with free RSA tokens. It is a good idea to get one of these email accounts because it is so easy for someone to use a password cracker on you.
Training Programs
Various institutions offer ethical hacker classes. They usually cost a few thousand dollars for a week of instruction or less. There are also black hat conferences in Las Vegas and other parts of the world. The point being that there is training for hacking just like anything else. It appears that hacker training is more expensive than other types of training.
I think the high cost of the training is justified because it is so difficult to find a good hacker to do the training. For one thing, people that can penetrate virtually any corporate computer security system are valuable. Many of the best people don’t want to be known for what they do and still others are in jail. You could hire a straight white hat guy with some knowledge and no experience. It wouldn’t really be the same instruction now would it.
Computer Security
Even though we talk about hacking a lot, the real point of this website is to enable users to secure their own computer. We have offered many resources and tips to get you started in the right direction. The bottom line is that you will need to do a lot of research, on your own, unless you have a lot of money.
The internet is a very risky place. Make sure that you have a firewall, security suite, and a proxy server. Any type of great security will need to be custom configured and programmed by a professional. If you still need more security, consider techniques like Kiosk computers that load the OS into ram or using ghosting techniques to restore the computer to a previous state. Consider the tradeoff of the pain of security with how valuable your data is. Most of all, keep in mind that lots of people make it their serious business to keep track of your every move. Someone is always watching your traffic. With that said, we wish you good luck in securing your computer environment.
|
