What Is a Hacker?
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A hacker is a person who breaks into a computer system. The reasons for hacking can be many: installing malware, stealing or destroying data, disrupting service, and more. Hacking can also be done for ethical reasons, such as trying to find software vulnerabilities so they can be fixed.
How does hacking work?
Hackers breach defenses to gain unauthorized access into computers, phones, tablets, IoT devices, networks, or entire computing systems. Hackers also take advantage of weaknesses in network security to gain access. The weaknesses can be technical or social in nature.
- Technical weaknesses: Hackers can exploit software vulnerabilities or weak security practices to gain unauthorized access or inject malware, for example.
- Social weaknesses: Hackers can also use social engineering to convince those with privileged access to targeted systems to click on malicious links, open infected files, or reveal personal information, thereby gaining access to otherwise hardened infrastructures.
How do I protect against hacking?
Hacking today takes on so many forms and targets so many kinds of organizations that a multilayered defense strategy is necessary for every company and government agency. This strategy must address people, processes, and technology.
- People: Make sure your employees are educated on popular hacking techniques such as phishing and ransomware, and develop policies for what they should do when confronted with these types of attacks. Make sure employees are aware of the benefits of strong passwords over more convenient, easy-to-guess ones.
- Processes: Develop policies and safeguards surrounding computing behavior--for both inside and outside the office. The policies should address which devices employees are permitted to use for accessing corporate resources, which websites they are allowed to visit, and which types of files they can download.
- Technology: Make sure your security technologies cover all potential access points into your infrastructure and are able to detect and remediate a wide range of attack types. Covered access points should include all end-user devices that are permitted to interact with your organization's systems and data.
- Ongoing vigilance: It's not a matter of if, but when a company will get breached. Make sure all your data is frequently backed up in the event of a security incident. Stay up to date on the latest attack types and the newest security technologies designed to combat them. And keep all systems patched and updated.
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