Nowadays, hacking of user computers is becoming more and more widespread. Hackers are trying to gain access to other people's devices for various purposes - from banal spam sending from your email address to using personal information for personal gain, and your task is to protect your PC in every way. Let's figure out how to protect your computer from hackers.

How do hackers penetrate?

First, you need to understand how hackers can penetrate your device and by what means they gain access to your files and information located directly on your hard drive. Only then will it be possible to protect the device.

In most cases, the role of a hacker is played by a specific program that gets onto your PC in one of the possible ways. Simply put, malicious software is most often referred to as viruses. You can protect your computer from unauthorized access and penetration into your personal space using an antivirus program. In this case, the system will warn you that you are trying to download malicious or suspicious software. All programs can be divided into several types according to the level of harm:

What to do if your computer is hacked?

First of all, copy all important information to a third-party drive that does not belong to this PC. If you couldn’t protect it on one device, then it will be safe on an external drive. However, before this you need to check the files with an antivirus for possible infections. If hackers didn’t get to the files, then feel free to copy them to a flash drive or external hard drive, and delete them from your PC.

After this, you need to scan the system for viruses and suspicious software. After scanning, disconnect the system from the Internet and reboot. If the antivirus does not sound the alarm when checking again, it means that the danger has passed. For greater reliability, use only licensed anti-virus programs and update databases promptly. This will help reliably protect your system. Now you know how to protect your PC.

Disabling remote access to the computer

Today, shows about hackers, like Mr. Robot, are breaking all records in popularity, and hacker jargon has ceased, in its own right, to be jargon as such. We all know how frequent user data leaks are and how much trouble a talented student with a computer and Internet access can do. Jeep car systems are hacked right on the road, the work of an international corporation can be paralyzed within ten minutes, and hacking a corporate Facebook account, for example, Crayola, is such a trifle that it’s ridiculous to even say.

So why do users still use the same password for email, social networks and access to online banking? Why do most companies' corporate security policies force employees to change their password every few months, even though most of the time the change is just a different number at the end of the same password? And more importantly, is there anything we can do to protect against hacker attacks while still onshore?

Here is a list of some of the most common hacker attacks and how to avoid them:

1. Remote attack or exploit

The main goals of remote attacks are to capture data, infect networks with virus software, or simply cause significant damage to the network and individual computers. Depending on the techniques used, several types of remote attacks can be distinguished: DNS cache corruption, TCP desynchronization, DoS attack, ICMP attack and port scanning.

Fighting methods: Due to the variety of means of remote attacks, there are a great many ways to protect against them. The trouble is that, given the scope of technical means, a sufficiently large group of hackers will always be able to find a hole in your system, the necessary “master key” and, most likely, sooner or later hack your network. Perhaps the only thing that can really help here is a team of security experts who will protect access to your data and network in real time.

1. Client side attack

This type of attack is based on interaction with a user of the network or computer that the attackers want to hack. Hackers try to trick the user into entering their details on a fake (phishing) site. All available methods are used: malicious links, documents, applications, etc. Even an experienced user cannot always distinguish a phishing site from the original one - the copies are quite plausible, and given the rhythm of our lives, it is very difficult to notice a minor typo in the site address.

Fighting methods: Web proxies and firewalls are practically useless if your employees regularly check corporate email using public access points, such as Starbucks. All you can hope for is the vigilance and common sense of your colleagues. Try to teach them the basics of Internet security, but remember that people will remain people and for the most part will continue to ignore antivirus notifications. Today, hackers are very patient and are ready to wait for months until the user, through his actions, gives them access. Therefore, all employees must be aware of this danger and understand the responsibility they take on. Corporate computers should be used only for business purposes, and the amount of software on them should be kept to a minimum (and, of course, only authorized programs should be used). Reducing possible points of attack (through browsers, email clients, applications, media players, etc.) is an excellent method for preventing a hacker attack.

1. Brute force method

This method is used by hackers when none of their attempts to gain access to your network using standard methods have been successful. In fact, the essence of the method is to use all known penetration methods at once, in the hope that one of them or a successful combination of methods will allow you to crack your security system. Moreover, a complete search of field values ​​(for example, addresses, passwords) is often used until the correct option is selected. This type of attack most often causes a lot of damage to your network and equipment, but it can be easily tracked by large amounts of unknown data that appear on the network, seemingly out of nowhere.

Fighting methods: Given that this type of attack is easy to detect, it is important to do so before any data falls into the hands of hackers. To protect against online brute-force attacks, the following methods are often used: a limited number of password entry attempts, a delay between entry attempts, special questions for password recovery, the use of CAPTCHA or SMS verification, account blocking after several unsuccessful login attempts, etc. Try also prohibit the use of too simple passwords and variations of already used passwords.

1. Social engineering

This type of attack involves psychological manipulation. If successful, the user voluntarily transfers confidential information to the hacker: phone numbers, addresses, passwords, credit card numbers, etc. Sometimes this is the simplest and most effective method of gaining access to a well-protected network (this is how Edward Snowden gained access to the US NSA network).

Fighting methods: We are all human and, if you do not recognize the hacker’s intentions in time, sooner or later he will get the necessary information from you. All that can be advised is to try not to share confidential information, no matter what. Yes, it sounds simple enough, but every day many people around the world send money and passwords to the first people they meet on the Internet who introduce themselves as their classmates. Tell your employees about this danger.

1. "Man in the Middle"

This type of attack is essentially the interception and spoofing of messages between two users. The attack uses unprotected data transfer protocols and in almost 100% of cases, users have no idea that their messages are being intercepted, and hackers control the entire communication process.

Fighting methods: here you should pay attention to the settings of the router and server, use strong encryption and secure data transfer protocols, install browser plugins that automatically encrypt outgoing information and, of course, avoid access via public Wi-Fi.

Hackers are getting smarter every day. Attacks have evolved from short and aggressive attacks to methodical, well-planned, long-running operations involving several (if not all) hacking methods.

Traditional security methods (antivirus, firewalls, VPNs, password managers, traffic monitoring, Internet gateways, work in a dedicated perimeter, etc.) serve primarily to track the first steps of hackers in your network. By the time you discover that someone has broken in, the attackers may already have all the data they need. Unfortunately, hackers understand all possible types of protection as well as (and often better than) security specialists, so all modern penetration methods are designed by default to bypass the protection of corporate systems.

However, common sense still plays a big role. If an employee uses all possible security methods, and then gives an interview to a federal television channel in front of a board with access passwords, what is the point of all these expensive IT security programs? Do your best to protect your systems from a technical standpoint, but don't forget to regularly train your employees. And don't forget about yourself - staying up to date with the latest hacker know-how and thinking like a hacker (knowing what they need and how they can get it) is also very helpful.

In past years, it was enough to protect your computer from viruses and that’s it. This was enough for safety. Now it is simply necessary to protect your computer not only from viruses, but also from Trojan horses and Internet worms. If you do not do this, then once on your computer, this infection will help hackers gain access to your accounts on various services and, most importantly, to your money.

The goal of hackers is your money in electronic accounts and cards. As soon as they have the opportunity to use your funds, they will certainly do so, and you will be left with empty accounts. Therefore, every computer must be protected from possible threats from hackers. How to do it? Read about this in the article “Protection from Hackers in 12 Steps,” which will answer the above question.

1). Antivirus

Having an antivirus program is the main method of protecting yourself from hackers and hacking programs. You should only use licensed antivirus programs, preferably from well-known brands. There are not so many of them in Russia. Among them are the most famous paid ones: “Kaspersky Anti-Virus”, “Dr. Web”, “Panda Antivirus”, “Eset NOD 32””; free: "Avast!" "Microsoft Security Essentials" and others.

When choosing an antivirus, you need to be careful, since recently malware has begun to appear in large numbers, masquerading as free antiviruses, so if you want to use free antiviruses, then you need to download them only from well-known and official sites. For example, Avast! is a free antivirus from Google, and Microsoft Security Essentials is from Microsoft. Naturally, they need to be downloaded from the Google and Microsoft websites.
2). Firewall

Using a firewall (from the English fire wall), you can protect your computer from hacker attacks, as well as prevent confidential data from being sent to a hacker. It is possible to block a hacker's network using a firewall. A firewall will be most useful if used in conjunction with an antivirus.

3). Separate mail

If you are forced to register on sites of dubious nature, it will be safer if you create a separate e-mail account for this purpose. This will save you from headaches, since if you use your main mailbox, it will certainly start receiving spam (unwanted letters).

4). Logins

To register for different services, use different logins. This will significantly reduce the chance of hackers hacking your account.

5). Passwords

Just like logins, you need to use different passwords. It is advisable to make them as complex as possible; for this you can use uppercase and uppercase letters, numbers and symbols. To generate passwords, you can use specialized programs, and some of them will also help you remember them and automatically insert them into forms on websites. The AiRoboform program corresponds to these properties.

If you somehow received a link to a file or the file itself from an unknown or unfamiliar person, then you should not open it right away. This is the most common way to infect a computer. In some cases, even if you simply go to a site containing malicious code, you can download a virus, Trojan or worm; ordinary representatives are small in size and downloading such a file will not take much time and will go unnoticed by you.

Never send SMS messages to unknown numbers. This could result in a significant deduction from your phone bill.

9). Credit card

It is advisable not to leave your credit card information, its number or other payment information anywhere. If you intend to use credit card payments in online stores, then you should get yourself a separate electronic card for online payments. Some reputed banks provide this service.

10). Passwords in FTP manager

If you have your own website, then you probably use FTP managers, which help greatly simplify uploading and updating files on . It is recommended not to save passwords and logins to access your account using an FTP manager. They can be easily stolen by criminals.

eleven). Passwords in Internet browsers

Many modern Internet browsers, for example, Google Chrome or Mozilla FireFox and others, allow you to save passwords and logins for accessing various services and sites. You do this at your own peril and risk. Often, so-called holes are found in browsers that can give hackers the opportunity to gain access to all data, and saved passwords will greatly simplify the work of hackers. Therefore, similar to the previous point, do not store passwords in browsers.

12). Reliable mail services

If you are going to create mailboxes, then you need to do this with reliable mail services, such as Gmail.com, Yandex.ru, Mail.ru, Rambler.ru. These services have reliable protection against hacking and also protect against spam.

For reference, here are the most popular passwords on the Internet:

• 1234567
• 123456
• 7777777
• password
• 12345
• 1111111
• 123456789
• qwerty
• 111111

Again, according to statistics, about 10% of people use such passwords, which means, for example, out of 1000 people, you can “hack” 100 people, so to speak! Using only the most popular passwords, by the way, a special list of them has been compiled, consisting of 381 of the most popular passwords.

As a result of what has been said, you have to make a choice - either ignore this moment or take this advice into account and make it much more difficult for attackers to steal your data.

Two-factor authentication

After all, no matter what the password is, if serious attackers set a goal to take possession of it (or crack it), then sooner or later they will do it. In this case, an additional simple step has been introduced to strengthen your account or account.

This is two-factor identification - this means that in addition to the password, you also have a second opportunity to prove that you are the owner. And this opportunity is simply confirmation by mobile phone. That is, a code is sent to you, and only you can enter it to confirm your rights from your cell phone.

Very simple and convenient. This method has been used on social networks for quite a long time, probably almost everyone has come across it. Always use it where necessary and possible.

Free or public wi-fi networks

In general, free wi-fi is certainly good, but not always. Because by using such a network, you become an easy target for scammers who also use it. You should never check or enter important passwords for websites or bank accounts on free Wi-Fi networks. They may well take advantage of this.

Unsecured connection

The Internet has special protocols, or rather, it is built on them. In order to safely make purchases or transfer money online, it is advisable to use sites that have a special secure https protocol. This is very easy to do; now many sites are being asked to switch to such protocols. Some have already moved on.

You can check this like this: go to the site and in the field where its address is written, the value https with a padlock should first appear. If there are none, then there is a possibility (or rather, it is quite possible if they want) that hackers will be able to intercept your data.

Unknown attachments

This means that there is no need for hackers to steal or hack anything from you; you yourself will give them everything they need. To do this, they send potential victims letters with special files (it may look like a regular picture), by clicking on it, you launch their program, which will steal everything they need from you and forward it to them (or in some other way complete the task) scammers target).

The solution here is simple - do not open anything from strangers, even if it is an ordinary message on a social network (this is exactly how passwords to pages on VKontakte and Odnoklassniki are stolen).

Finally...

I would like to add that, despite compliance with the rules, sometimes theft or other troubles due to the fault of cyber criminals can still occur. In such a situation, the main thing is not to rush. You need to try to assess the situation and decide what to do.

It’s good, of course, when you have the opportunity to turn to knowledgeable people and ask for help, but if there is no such opportunity (although it’s hard to believe it), then under no circumstances should you follow the lead of the attackers. Try or quickly change the password and inform the appropriate services that such a problem has occurred so that they take all possible measures.

Still, no matter how cunning hackers are, it is possible and necessary to defend against them.

Below are several ways to protect yourself:

1. Don't use simple passwords

It’s elementary, but that’s where most people get caught. Under no circumstances would I want you to allow the following: “go to my email, the password there is my date of birth,” or something like that;

Free cheese only comes in a mousetrap;

• 3. Do not open or download suspicious files.
• 4. Do not give in to provocation and manipulation

Many hackers are social engineers, and getting information without software is not a problem for them;

5. Do not show off the presence of this or that information property on forums, chats and other places of communication

So to speak, do not deceive the thief;

6. Link an additional email, security question and phone number to your email/account

This will help you get your property back in the event of a break-in.

hacker hacking computer protection

Conclusion

Thus, having considered the nature of hacking, it cannot be said that hackers are ordinary crackers. Each hacker has his own goals. Here are those that can be distinguished after the above:

The world of hackers is the same community, group, field of activity in which there are experienced and beginners, masters and apprentices. And so does reputation;

2. Earnings

The most important. Once something is hacked, it can be sold. Or withdraw funds from a hacked account. Sometimes hacks are carried out at the request of competing sites. They anonymously contact the hacker in advance, make a payment, and after a while the site, for example an online store, will crash or lose its user database;

3. Kleptomania

Most hackers have the desire to penetrate somewhere, gain access, understand that he is a master of his craft, and that he can steal any information;

4. Necessity/Use

Some people are not able to purchase certain content or are physically unable to access it, which is why they hack others, but without malicious intent;