This is how hackers attack

It is a big thing for a hacking attempt to appear on the media. Media commonly draws a colorful picture of the attack and describe the hacker as a computer genius who possess extraordinary capabilities. However the exaggeration of the media rarely reflects the truth.

With the help of some basic tools and logical approach, hackers turn web servers into game zones that are yet to be discovered. There is a high chance that the hackers use their findings towards their popularity, monetary gain or simply to harm a website.So as website administrators how can you save your work from security vulnerabilities? In order to achieve the best protection lies on understanding the hackers approach. In other words you need to learn the attack in order to defend your work.

If a hacker thinks that your website is worth attacking, at first he would try to create a chart for his target. This chart would be like a map of the web site describing which blocks the site is comprised of and the relationships of the blocks.Unfortunately even the way the website works can give an idea to the hacker to gather information. For example, if the site has a member access area the hackers would know that there is a database which includes user names and passwords. And this would be a block for the website.

When it comes to online store, there exists many lines of codes to satisfy special needs.In these codes hackers look for vulnerabilities that can be used for their purposes. Besides hackers also check advertisement providers, external feeds and DNS registries of the domain name. DNS registries might be a door to all internet sites with their basic names but DNS servers are also knowledge databases open to public.

Windows and Linux includes tools for DNS inquiries, but they are complicated command line tools. But hackers can use many websites such as “Kloth.net” for their inquiries. Sites like this make it easier for hackers, as they can use the website just like they use google. As the results come through you can see the ip addresses related to the website. If you do a domain search with “www” you can access server information. Using this way you can also inquire about smtp and pop servers. Another important step for inquiries is to use a port scanner like Nmap. This way you can discover the services running on the server.

Using Nmap, hackers can send packets to possibly open ports and study the returned values. This way besides the services active on the server, information on the operating system running on the server can be achieved. This way hackers can shape their attacks according to the knowledge returned from their inquiry.

After hackers have gathered enough information they move onto web applications running on the website. A golden rule of the computer world is that no application is without flaw. Programmers that have not been on the field for long make the same assumptions and similar mistakes.First step is to know how the web site works. As hackers visit the page they gather information on page names, their content, and which pages require membership. This way they gather important information on the structure of the website. The structure gives the hacker information about the abilities of the programmer. Certain structures are used to create a web site, this way hackers can use the known vulnerabilities of the program and attack the website.

Next week I will explain further on how information can be leaked from web applications and how hackers start the attack.

To be continued…

Mysql.com hacked

Mysql.com has been hacked and is in fact infecting millions of computers as we speak. “The mysql.com website is injected with a script that generates an iFrame that redirects visitors to where a BlackHole exploit pack is hosted”. This virus infects the users browsing platform and upon successful exploitation installs a piece of malware into the visitors machine without their knowledge. Experts are still trying to figure out how to solve the problem but are struggling with only 9 percent of the AV solutions used by VirusTotal block it. Experts believe that the site has been compromised via Java Script malware that “infects a website through a compromised desktop(with virus), where it steals any stored passwords from the ftp client and uses that to attack the site.” Researchers add that they have seen an increase in the activity of selling root passwords to some of mysql.coms servers for $3,000 a piece. With all of this said we can see that there is a huge underground market for hackers. This leads me to believe that hacking in general for the bad side would perhaps make hacking very profitable and worth the risk especially if hackers are in countries with minimal hacking laws. Not to mention that all of these computers infected can act as zombies for attackers and possibly DDOS a system if programmed to.

Spam and Phishing Attacks

Everyone agrees that spam can be annoying. But with proper email spam filters, it’s pretty harmless, right? Wrong. Spam is increasingly harmful. Spam disrupts business, taking resources away from productive activities. Spam also leads to phishing attacks, where unsuspecting individuals are tricked into divulging sensitive or personal information. Spammers then use the information to steal identities and cause financial losses. And as anti-spam software becomes more efficient, spammers simply change their techniques to avoid blocks, continuing their unlawful activities.

Spyware is the third major emerging cyber-security threat, disrupting the availability and confidentiality of businesses and federal government information systems Hackers can remotely install spyware on thousands of personal computers simultaneously, using them to capture sensitive data or slow down entire systems.

Other emerging cyber-security threats include the blending of spam, phishing and spyware into new tools that are more difficult to detect and prevent, as well as new methods of using technology to unleash worms, viruses and malware that interrupt business and threaten privacy and sensitive data.

Pastebin – A source for leaked information in the world

Hackers have used the website, Pastebin, to post information about the JP Morgan Chase CEO, James Dimons. The hackers, “CabinCr3w” were able to post information about James Dimon’s addresses, family, business connection, political contributions and legal information.

These hackers have also been responsible for posting the personal information of Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein and of Anthony Bologna, the New York Police Deputy Inspector Anthony Bologna.

This is a concern to all Americans because this information was posted to the whole world, and with this information it is unknown what someone could do with this information, and what they may be capable of doing because of someone that may have a problem with that individual would do.

There have already been numerous protests already where the demonstrators are protesting a US financial system that they claim favors the wealthy at the expense of everyone else. These protests which began about two weeks ago, and have already attracted thousands of participants and garnered the support of Noam Chomsky, and students and organized labor groups.

The major concern is that hackers are now using public websites to be able to get mass amounts of information to hundreds of thousands of people at one time, being about to get many people to believe the ideas and theories of an individual or group which can allow, a group or individual to manipulate people into do things that they would not otherwise think or do. These websites should be a concern to all people and should be monitored for information that would harm or have a major impact on an individual.