1. Blogs and discussion sites: Hack In The Box is notoriously a crafty blog that hackers readily use as the ‘go to’ guide for electronic infiltration, supported by instructions and manuals and even a place to vent their frustrations when trying to penetrate a security challenge. It makes the number one ranking because this is where hackers are often taught how to hack and save time by mistakes posted that others have made. By their own admission, the moderators of this site stipulate that so much hacking information is readily available, it’s overwhelming. If you need to know what hackers are thinking about and discussing, this is the place to look.
2. Still popular is the ever reliable ‘security lapse’ that should never go unnoticed when hosting a website. A cardinal sin in moderating websites involves overlooking the importance of firewall protection and/or even basic router security. Considering the scores of network devices involved in the proper maintenance of a website, it is easy to see how a preventative traffic directing devices (i.e. router) can be accidentally overlooked and therefore easily hacked.
3. With all of the clever and downright surreptitious software available for breaking in to a website, a very popular and reliable method of “hacking” becomes a matter of the user knowing little bits of data about you. For example, one’s birthday is a very popular and prolific use of password protection. Driver’s license numbers, Social Security numbers, nicknames, and even mother’s maiden names are exceedingly popular. If your identity is stolen, you may be in grave danger.
4. As you are aware, the Internet is not a luxury any longer. It is deeply ingrained in almost each and every persons life. Pay attention to the social label given to a ‘hacker.’ This is worn as a badge of honor – not unlike a hero. A hacker is not perceived as any kind of delinquent or criminal. We often hear of misguided kids embracing a life of crime and their life story is wicked as it is tragic. A hacker is anything but tragic, as they are revered with instant ‘cool’ status amongst their peers and even sought out by others due to their creativity and intelligence. Stay hyper alert to sites like EvilZone, as it boats a membership of nearly 10,000 hackers with nearly a million messages in its supporting database.
5. Finally and certainly not to be ignored is the password use and reuse. This is commonly the first angle any hacker will try before moving on to code breaking. If I know that you often use your birth-date in the lexicon of your password matrix, I will try a myriad of variations of that date with both letters and numbers.
If you are currently operating a website of any kind, your number one task is excessive due diligence. For your own safety and security, never underestimate the desire of a hacker. Never ponder issues such as ‘why would anyone want to hack my site? I do nothing but help people.’ The aforementioned thinking is a fatal recipe to website survival. Simply accept the fact that the world is made of folks that are not very nice. This proactive posture, and the five tips above, are keys to your survival.
About The Author
Miles Walker blogs about car insurance quotes over at CarInsuranceComparison.Org. He recently looked at Massachusetts car insurance.