An Introduction To Hacking and How To Prevent It

What Is Hacking?

In computer terms, hacking refers to any attempt made to change the behavior of a network and connected systems. It’s the art of manipulating things to make them into something different. I use the term ‘art’ because it is a highly complex thing, and not everyone can do it. Hacking requires a high level of skill, and can be useful at times. I’ll speak more about useful hacking later on in this piece.

Typically, hacking involves malicious programs and software. Someone will hack into your network, and plant a virus there. This can be incredibly problematic, and cause problems for all the devices connected to the network.

But, this isn’t the only way hackers operate. These days, they use various methods to hack into all sorts of things. Some hackers will hack into your network and gain sensitive information such as important passwords. They could then use these passwords to access your social media accounts or emails. This is a serious problem for businesses, as a hacker can destroy their online presence in seconds. In the past, they’ve even hacked into news networks and posted false stories on websites. They operate in different ways, but all are dangerous.

So, you have to know the best ways to deal with hacking, and prevent it from occurring.

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Find A Security Service

One of the easiest ways to prevent hacking is to shift the problem onto the experts. It’s not difficult to find an IT security service that will help you out. They’re professional and know all the tips and tricks to stop hackers getting into your network. They’ll have specialist software and hardware that will make your network impenetrable. As part of their service, they often employ friendly hackers to hack into your network. The aim is to find the weak points, and then strengthen them. This is an example of how hacking can be used for good!

This option is great for businesses that are in serious need of help. A security service will be there for you at all times, protecting your network. If any problems occur, they’ll be on-hand to sort them out in no time at all. It’s probably not the best option for individuals that want to protect their home network. Hiring a security service would be a little bit over the top. Especially as it’s rare that a hacker will hack the network of an individual. Businesses are the most at risk, so, they need all the protection they can get.

Log Out Of Your Accounts

For individuals, there are plenty of simple tips that help prevent hacking. The first of which couldn’t be easier to follow. All you have to do is log out of all your accounts. No doubt you’ll have plenty of accounts open when you’re using your computer. When you do this, you leave yourself at risk of being hacked. An open account is far easier to hack than one that’s closed and needs a password to access it.

Naturally, many of us forget to logout of everything when we finish using our PC. So, we leave everything open, which is not very safe. All it takes is a few moments after every session to ensure you’ve logged out of everything. It’s especially important for things like your internet banking account. Don’t leave this open, especially if you’re in public.

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Avoid Public/Open Wifi Networks

Usually, free Wifi is an amazing thing. We’ve all been in a situation where we see a public network is available, and jump for joy. However, joining these networks is an excellent way to increase the risk of getting hacked. The main reason for this is simple; they aren’t secured. When a Wifi network isn’t secured, it has no protection at all. This means anyone can join it, and a hacker can easily get into the network and mess with your stuff. If you’re going to do important work or access some accounts, don’t do it on a public network.

Similarly, you have to ensure your home network is fully secured too. Some people decide to make their network open, as they can’t be bothered remembering the network key. It seems incredibly silly, but it’s the truth. You have friends come over and can’t be bothered telling them the password every time so just make the connection open. Again, this will just make your network the least secure thing around. Please ensure your connection is secured, and password protected. It's so simple, and it makes it that little bit harder for a hacker to gain access and wreak havoc.

Take Greater Care With Passwords

If a hacker knows a password, then life is so much easier for them. The obvious advice is to ensure your passwords are good and hard to guess. The trouble is, this isn’t good enough to keep yourself as secure as possible. Some people have one password that they use for everything. As an individual, you might be able to get away with this. But, there’s no way a business can get away with it. Businesses and their employees must have various passwords for various accounts. Make them hard to guess and include numbers, letters, and special characters. Also, It’s recommended that you change your passwords from time to time. Updating them just makes it harder for a hacker to guess them and gain access.

Another thing you should do is stop saving your passwords. All web browsers have a feature that allows you to save your passwords. It’s seen as a genius way to improve browsing convenience. Never again will you forget a password, as it’s saved for you! However, it makes you so much easier to hack. All a hacker needs to do is gain access to your network and web browser. Then, they find the ‘saved passwords’ section and have a list of all your passwords in one place. Take greater care with your passwords, and you’ll be harder to hack.

It’s not too difficult for a business and individual to prevent hacking. The main thing to consider is that you have to take greater care whenever you’re online.

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