Please do not click that link! This is the most common method employed by hackers. You receive an email from a friendly website when you wake up one morning. You are informed that there is a problem with your payments or that your password must be renewed. The site is always where you shop, so you have no hesitations. Your fate is now in the hands of others the moment you click on that link. Your credit card passwords, security questions and answers, and beach selfies have been directly transferred to them. This is known as phishing. Before digging deeper into this topic, look at history's most extensive online hack.
The year is 2013. The Russian Federal Security Service hired two hackers, Latvian Alexey Belan and Canadian Karim Baratov. Their mission was to seize the information of several high-profile individuals. These included several Russian journalists, a Russian cybersecurity firm, some Russian officials, and the CTO of a French company. Two hackers sent Yahoo employees phishing emails to gain access to their information. Now, they had to wait for an employee to click on the link in the shipped email. Just one employee doing this was enough to enter the system, and it was expected. Someone clicked the link, and they were inside, and history's most significant data theft had begun.
Three years later, Yahoo announced that 3 billion accounts had been compromised, costing the company approximately $120 million. What was the information they stole? Names, phone numbers, security questions, answers, password recovery emails, and a cryptographic value unique to each account were copied.
What happened to them?
Alexey Belan was sentenced to five years and fined $2.25 million. Belan, on the other hand, was never apprehended and remained on the FBI's most wanted list.
The phrase "black hat" hackers refers to individuals who gain malicious system access. Unauthorized access and information theft are examples of bad intentions. These cybercriminals steal data by breaking into systems to make money or conduct espionage. This group, also known as Cracker, disregards ethical values and engages in behaviors such as humiliating organizations or breaching confidentiality.
Yes, they are incredibly talented. But can we, vulnerable to these computer geniuses, do nothing to protect our privacy? Let's see what we can do to limit the harm.
The methods
As technology develops, hackers' methods also improve. Let's start with the ones Black Hats use to steal your data.
1. We discussed phishing earlier. This is the most commonly used method by hackers. Every day, we receive dozens of phishing emails. Fortunately, these emails, which appear from large corporations, can be filtered by email programs. Do not click on every link, assuming you have received an email from Amazon or Google.
2. Bait and Switch Attack. Some people may buy paid advertisements on websites to redirect them to malicious websites, also called marketing hacking. While you believe you are clicking on a legitimate ad, you may be clicking on a 'bad' link that can be used to download malware, crash your browser, or compromise your systems.
3. Key Logger. Every key you press on your keyboard is recorded when this software is installed on your computer. First and foremost, your username, password, personal information, and accounts are at risk of being compromised using this method.
We've listed the three most common methods used by black hats. Let's see what we can do to hide as much as possible from these skilled criminals.
1. Change your passwords regularly.
2. Avoid clicking on everything. Make sure to double-check the sender's email address. If you come across an email like this, please report it immediately. dresnamusgfv6ywu789yaj@edihgyrnmaccpt.com
3. Report and block options are available in each mail program. For spam or suspicious emails, use these features.
4. Confirm that the emails are from companies you know. With some digging, you can learn what kinds of emails these companies send and which email addresses they use.
5. Do not use public wifi to access your personal and financial information.
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