What Is Hacking? Definition, Types, and Prevention

Hacking is the practice of gaining unauthorized access to a computer or network. Hackers online exploit the vulnerabilities to gain access to your system and steal sensitive information, primarily for monetary gain.

While the definition of hacking is confined to data theft, various types of hacking exist. To make it simpler to understand, we’ll walk you through what is hacking, the types of it, examples paired with recent cases, and steps to prevent computer hacking online.

Note: Weak passwords are the most common cause of hacking. FastestPass helps generate, manage, analyze, and store your account passwords. Or, you can use the free FastestPass password generator to create new, strong passwords for your accounts to avoid becoming the next victim of hacking.

What Is the Definition of Hacking?

Hacking is the act of exploiting vulnerabilities in a computer or network to gain unauthorized access, alter data, or steal it. While hacking often hints at malicious activities, there are two types of hacking:

1. Ethical hacking
2. Unethical hacking

Ethical hacking is done for security testing and improvement. Or, for other legal purposes. At the same time, unethical hacking refers to spreading malware, data theft, or damage. There are various other types of hacking, which we’ll cover in the following sections.

How Do Hackers Hack Your Device?

Hackers access your device using different methods that aid technical exploits and social manipulation. Phishing is among the most common methods of hacking a device, where hackers send deceptive messages or emails pretending to be legitimate sources.

However, there are various other common methods of hacking a device, such as software vulnerability exploitation and other methods where hackers leverage unpatched flaws in the operating system or apps to install malicious code. In addition to that, Man-in-the-Middle attacks, social engineering, and various other methods are used by hackers to compromise your device. To explain that further, here are brief descriptions of methods of hacking:

1. Social Engineering

Hackers manipulate people into revealing their sensitive information or performing an action that compromises their security. Social engineering attacks include phishing, pretexting, and baiting.

2. Malware Attacks

Malware might come from the unverified files you download online. For example, fake game installers are a common method of unintended malware installation on your device via Trojans. Other types of malware attacks include spyware, rootkits, and ransomware.

3. Network Hacking

This method is often through WiFi network interception. For example, connecting to public wifi is often unadvised because you might become a victim of network hacking, and fake public hotspots are among the most common methods.

Moreover, hackers leverage packet sniffing to capture unencrypted data, such as login credentials, over networks. Other than that, hackers spoof the DNS and redirect you to malicious sites by tampering with the DNS records.

4. Password Attacks

If you’re still relying on your birthday to protect your accounts, you’re vulnerable to password attacks. For example, hackers can leverage brute force attacks to auto-guess passwords in seconds. And if you’re using a common password, then the black hats can access your accounts.

Additionally, dictionary attacks and credential stuffing are common methods of hacking where hackers use common and leaked passwords to access your account. This is why we recommend using strong passwords to protect your account. Or, use the FastestPass password generator to create new, strong passwords within seconds to protect your accounts.

5. System Exploits

If you’re using a weakened operating system or software, hackers might use that to their advantage. Similar to previous methods, there are various methods of system exploits as well. For example, Zero-Day exploits, Privilege escalation, and backdoors are the most common types of system exploits. The best way to avoid this method of hacking is to disable unnecessary services and patch systems, i.e., update the app or operating system software when available.

6. Web Application Exploits

If a website has flaws, that’s a benefit for hackers. The black hats target these flaws via different methods to steal your sensitive information stored on them. For example, using SQL injections (SQLi), hackers inject malicious code to dump databases, i.e., steal your user logins.

Moreover, via Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), the black hats inject scripts into webpages to hijack sessions or use Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) to force users to perform unintended actions, such as money transfers.

7. Physical Hacking

Using public charging ports is among the most common ways of how physical hacking works. For example, leaving a malware-infected USB in public spaces, spying on passwords that another person types via shoulder surfing, and tampering with firmware for persistent access are the most common ways of physical hacking.

While the methods mentioned above are the most common ways devices are hacked, there are now various advanced hacking techniques. For example, AI-powered attacks, supply chain attacks, and IoT hacking are prevalent ways of hacking a device.

Is Hacking a Crime?

Unethical hacking is a crime since it aims to alter or extort data without authorization. For example, a hacker breaks into a bank’s database to steal credit card numbers or infects devices with ransomware to demand payment–that’s a crime. Hacking is punishable in most countries. Here are the laws against it:

• Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) in the U.S.
• General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe.
• Cybercrime Prevention Laws in most countries.

To understand what makes hacking a crime, here are the factors that contribute to it:

• Lack of authorization: No permission from the system owner makes hacking a crime.
• Harm caused: Data theft, financial loss, and privacy violations.
• Intent: Hacking for profit, sabotage, and espionage.

What Are the Types of Hacking?

There are various types of hacking, with ethical and unethical hacking being the most common ones. Along with that, there are a few other types that aid hackers in gaining unauthorized access to your devices. Here’s a brief description of the types of hacking:

1. White Hat/Ethical Hacking

Cybersecurity professionals and penetration testers leverage ethical hacking for authorized security testing and other legal uses. For example, a company might hire an ethical hacker to find vulnerabilities in its network.

2. Black Hat

This is the unethical type of hacking where hackers illegally access devices or networks to steal data, often for monetary purposes. Cybercriminals leverage different methods of black hat hacking. For example, man-in-the-middle attack, phishing, and installing ransomware in devices are the most common methods of black-hat hacking.

3. Grey Hat Hacking

This is a semi-ethical type of hacking that refers to unauthorized but non-malicious probing. Independent security researchers are the primary actors rather than cybercriminals. For example, cybersecurity experts hack a website without authorization to expose flaws and then notify the owners.

4. Hacktivism

This is an ideological type of hacking for political or social causes. Anonymous groups are the primary actors of hacktivism, and the primary targets are government websites. For example, defacing government websites to protest policies.

How Do Hackers Get Into Passwords?

A weak password is a gateway to a hacking attempt. For example, if you’re using a common password, such as 12345678, your account can easily get hacked because it’s easy to hack. Moreover, various tools can guess commonly used passwords in seconds. We recommend using the free FastestPass password generator to get strong passwords.

While weak passwords make hacking easier, there are numerous ways hackers get passwords, and here’s a list of the most common ones:

1. Brute Force and Dictionary Attacks

This is a classic trial-and-error method of getting passwords. Hackers use software to try a list of passwords until they find the correct one. Both brute force attacks and dictionary attacks can easily guess weak passwords and access accounts.

2. Phishing and Social Engineering

Phishing is when hackers create fake websites or send fraudulent emails that look legitimate, but that’s just a disguise. Users are manipulated into entering the login credentials on the fake page, which the hacker then captures.

Social engineering is also similar to phishing, but hackers manipulate you into revealing confidential information. It can be anything that’s too good to be true, something urgent, or perhaps a text from someone you know.

3. Credential Stuffing and Password Spraying

Reusing passwords might do more harm than good. Via credential stuffing, hackers take a list of usernames and passwords from a recent data breach on one website and try them on other popular services to see if there’s a match.

Moreover, instead of trying many passwords, hackers use a few common passwords and try them on a list of usernames.

4. Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) Attacks

MITM attacks occur when hackers intercept communication between you and a website. For example, when you browse the web without a VPN, your browsing information can be intercepted, especially when you’re using public wifi or a hotspot.

5. Malware and Keyloggers

Installing malicious software can lead to password leaks, resulting in data theft. Following that, keyloggers record every keystroke you make when installed on the device. Meaning, all your passwords, credit card numbers, and other sensitive information are leaked. Additionally, malware can be of different forms, with spyware being the most common type. It can steal stored information and transmit it back to the hacker.

6. Data Breaches

Data breaches are mostly common for larger companies and databases. When a company’s database is breached, hackers steal millions of user credentials. This is one of the primary reasons why it’s important to use strong passwords or use a password manager to manage passwords to avoid breaches.

What Are the Effects of Hacking?

Hacking refers to data theft, which can be financial or any other sensitive information. To dive into the further details, here are the common effects of hacking:

1. Financial Losses

Stolen credit card details, drained bank accounts, and fraud transactions are an effect of hacking. If it’s a business, expect revenue loss from downtime, ransom payments, and regulatory fines.

2. Operational Damage

DDoS attacks can lead to websites shutting down. For example, attacks on power grids, hospitals, and others can lead to serious operational damage.

3. National Security Threats

Hackers can hack military systems and other state-level infrastructure. For instance, hacked voting systems and disinformation are common examples of hacking effects on national security.

4. Data Breaches

This is among the most common side effects of hacking. Data breaches can affect customer databases, sensitive information, and other.

5. Social Impact

Hacking can lead to significant psychological and social impacts. Victims of cyberstalking or other hacking might lose their trust in banking or other digital systems.

Common Examples of Hacking

Statista’s Market Insights projects that the global financial impact of cybercrime will climb sharply over the next four years, i.e., it is expected to increase from $9.22 trillion in 2024 to $13.82 trillion by 2028. Various hacking examples advocate for this boost in the global financial impact. Here are the 5 recent examples of hacking, along with the type of hacking:

1. 23andMe in 2023 (Phishing Attack)

Phishing attacks manipulate users into revealing their passwords or other sensitive information. The 23andMe attack in 2023 led to a theft of 6.9 million users’ genetic data through credential stuffing and reusing leaked passwords. Later, all stolen data was sold on dark web forums.

2. Google, AWS, Cloudflare 2023 DDoS Attack

In 2023, Cloudflare, Google, and AWS were targeted by record-breaking Rapid Reset DDoS attacks. It led to vulnerability exploitation in the HTTP/2 protocol for generating a high volume of requests. With hundreds of millions of requests per second, it was recorded to be the largest ever DDoS attack at the time.

3. MGM Resorts in 2023 (Ransomware Attack)

MGM Resorts faced a major cyberattack by Scattered Spider and ALPHV groups, which disrupted the resort’s operations for a week. The attack used social engineering to breach IT systems, leading to over a $100 million loss.

4. MoveIT Transfer in 2023 (Supply Chain Attack)

MoveIT Transfer is a recent hacking example of a supply chain attack where a Russian-linked CLOP group exploited a zero-day flaw in the file-transfer tool. It resulted in 2,500+ organization document leaks, including Shell, the U.S. government agencies, and various others.

5. Telly Smart TV Hacking in 2024 (IoT Device Hacking)

IoT device hacking can lead to serious risks, since these are daily-use gadgets in homes and other places. For example, Telly Smart TV in 2024 found out that over 500,000 were secretly recording screens and audio due to flawed firmware.

How to Prevent Hacking?

You can prevent hacking by taking the essential steps, such as using strong passwords, installing the latest software updates, and others. Here’s a list of hacking mitigation steps:

1. Use Strong Passwords

Using unique and strong passwords is crucial. The easier the password, the easier it is to crack it and access your account. Various tools help generate a list of commonly used passwords to access accounts. And if you’re still depending on a basic password, then your account might be on the brink of being hacked.

We recommend using the FastestPass online password generator for free password generation within seconds. Simply copy-paste the password it generates or refresh the request until you get the desired response. For advanced, overall password management, the FastestPass password management subscription is the way to go.

2. Update the Device and Apps

Developers release software updates to patch previous vulnerabilities. Check for available software updates through the device settings. Meanwhile, check for application updates via the Play/App Store. Updating the device and apps ensures that you leverage the critical security patches.

3. Back Up Your Data

Regularly backing up your data helps with the recovery process in case there’s a hacking attempt. For example, you might upload everything to the Drive or the Cloud to ensure that your data is never unrecoverable.

4. Verify the Source Before You Click

The internet is flooded with offers that are probably too good to be true. For example, if there’s a message impersonating someone, or an offer that features an exciting deal. If it asks for a quick action, it might just be a scam.

5. Avoid the Public WiFi

Even if you do use the public WiFi, use a VPN, like FastestVPN, to anonymously browse the web. Connecting to a VPN encrypts your traffic and reroutes it through an encrypted tunnel, ensuring that your data never leaks out.

FAQs – What is Hacking

Final Note

While hacking refers to data theft through networks or online systems, there are 2 distinct types of it: ethical and unethical hacking. The latter is punishable by law, leading to hefty fines or direct imprisonment.

To avoid becoming a victim or data theft, we recommend always using strong passwords to mitigate the threat. For example, FastestPass online password generator ensures offering strong passwords that stand against threats. Or, you can use FastestPass to generate, analyse and manage all your passwords with one affordable subscription.

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