ways hackers breach security

The security of your data is of paramount importance, especially as banking and

purchasing is often done online and sensitive information is held on every laptop and

PC. Hackers have a few ways of getting access to your data but there are things you

can do to avoid this.they do it & what can you do to protect yourself?

1 Brute force. This is where the hacker will use a program to constantly try different

passwords until it hits the right one. This can take years but is a real risk.

To avoid this, set up a limited amount of password attempts, usually 3, so that

hackers are unable to constantly try different combinations.

2 Sniffing. A piece of equipment is physically attached to the machine that allows the

recording of password information. The hacker would have to go onsite to do this

or have access to the site in some way.

The solution is to address the physical security of the machines. Who has access to

your PC’s? Monitor this carefully and always make sure your server is in a secure,

locked room with a limited number of keys.

3 Wireless networks. Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) can be broken in 15 seconds by

skilled hackers. It is not a strong form of security.

Simply don’t use wireless technology. Cabled networks are actually faster and a

lot more secure. The same goes for Internet access.

4 Disgruntled employees or ex‐employees. Anyone who has once had access to a

network will be aware of passwords and a lot of companies are guilty of not cleaning

up their act of directories list and user accounts on the network when someone

leaves the organization.

It’s good housekeeping to supervise the individuals exit from the building and keep

a close eye on equipment access during a notice period. Once they’ve left, make

sure they are removed from the system and change all passwords.

5 Stealing passwords. It may seem obvious but in today’s world we all have many

passwords to remember and a lot of people simply write them on post it’s, in a diary

or keep them in a desk draw. Anyone can easily steal this information from your

desk.

Don’t record passwords unless they are in a safe place or behind a locked door at

all times.

6 Trojan horses. This is where the hacker will send through something by email that

appears to be useful, the User will install it and behind the scenes a virus will be

unpacked without the User realising anything is wrong. This can then send out

keystroke information back to the hacker giving all details on passwords and access

codes to sensitive information.

Adequate virus security will protect against this along with high quality firewall

equipment. Make all staff aware of high risk sites such as social networking or

music download sites where this is most prolific.

7 Exploiting vendor defaults. When equipment is purchased, the vendor will have

installed default passwords – the most common one being the word “password”.

Some users don’t change these.

Always change the password on all new equipment before you start to use it.

8 Man in the middle. An attacker is able to fool a user to establish a communication

link, particularly through instant messaging software such as MSN or Skype.

Be very cautious before opening any messages from anyone that you don’t know,

or adding him or her to your address book.

9 Researching. The hacker will do their research and may even ring up pretending to

be your IT support company once they’ve found out who supports you.

Always use a good quality IT support company and ensure whoever contacts you is

who they say they are. They should identify themselves. If in doubt, hang up and

call them back to make sure.

10 Honey traps. Using a seemingly harmless individual approaching the User, sensitive

information can be accessed as simply as using a USB key to get information from

the PC’s or laptops.

Never let anyone have access to your machine, even if they seem totally harmless.

Better Support Advice...

Good security can be achieved with regular housekeeping, heightened awareness and a

good quality firewall. A managed IT service from Better Support will ensure that your

data is always protected in the best way possible.

For further information or advice on security, please contact Better Support on 0800 8620296