Hackers don’t bash your computer with a jackhammer; no, they do something far worse: leak sensitive information, destroy your business, and sell your data. Hacker jargon is an impressive weapon in hackers’ arsenal. Hackers use hacker jargon to communicate. Cybersecurity specialists use it, too. Here is a fun fact: The movie “WarCrime” exposed the “hacker” stereotype into public view; a reputed paper says so.
Now, hackers lurk in every social medium. Both celebrities and your Facebook friends get hacked. So it’s difficult to tell who hackers target and when. Though, celebrities and big agencies used to suffer the most. Now, the tables have turned. So hacking demands seriousness.
So have hackers given up on large-scale hacking? In fact, no. But hackers don’t just eye colossal sums of money or data anymore. Instead, your average hacker now enjoys casual hacking mischief, for even kids are hacking nowadays. Thus, the internet’s become a dangerous place.
Above all, this means you need to beware. For this, you must know hacker jargon. Now, they use this slang to identify their strategies. So by knowing these, you can learn about cybersecurity. In sum, master these hacker terms to dance toe-to-toe with cybercriminals, and secure yourself from modern crime.
Why Hacking Is A Global Threat:
Digital infrastructure gives in to well-executed technical attacks. So cybersecurity specialists are very in-demand. The CEO of a company hardly notices the infrastructure but must pay for any loss. Hackers target that very infrastructure in a company, damaging and corrupting from the inside out. They steal data and sell it. Hackers also reveal confidential company figures and records. For example, a massive 2018 data breach by nine Iranians leaked scientific research from 300+ U.S. universities.
Hacking also threatens individuals. We all know hackers to expose celebrities’ compromising pictures. They spread rumors and spur on the controversy. Imagine if someone leaked your private messages and showed them to family, friends, and workmates.
Why Is Hacking On The Rise?
Cybercrime is ever on the rise. Hacking is a big contributor. Unbelievably, thousands of malicious attacks happen every day; hundreds every minute. The incentives and motives are simple: easy means and direct benefits.
Easy smartphone access enables remote hacking. One can easily use a smartphone for criminality and dispose of it.
Besides, the vast array of free tech tutorials spreads the hacker mentality. For example, one can learn Python within a few months for free now (even from Harvard!). The trendy tech-savvy attitude may mask simple programs enabling hacking.
You can learn ethical hacking plenty easily. These skills are enough for hacking.
Unsuspecting people are easy pickings for an evil intellectual, anyway. Now, many internet users are naïve. Hackers can track them using negligible effort, or force them, to give up personal information. Finally, IoT (Internet of Things) provides a scope to affect real-world behavior without physical constraints.
Why Beware of Hackers?
Frankly, the sheer scale of the problem demands a prompt response.
Above all, mass awareness creates immunity (through practices). Unfortunately, laypeople rarely understand the “hacking concept”. Especially, older people suffer from a phobia of technology. Mitigating this fear is important for widespread cybersecurity. To conclude, hacking is rising primarily for a lack of awareness.
Thus, for some, the internet is a minefield; and for others, a paradise. Cybersecurity education promises hope for all internet users. By learning hacker jargon, you can ensure your and others’ safety.
Hacker Jargon You Need to Know:
11. Malware (the basics): Malware is the most common security threat. In fact, “malware” is a multipurpose term for software that steals, vandalizes, or compromises data. So it has many divisions: For example, a virus is a “.exe” file that spreads through downloads, file-sharing or emails, and activates by opening. Again, a Trojan is a malware in disguise; when you click it, attackers might access your system. “Worms” replicate without interaction. And ransomware and spyware are self-explanatory: They hold your PC hostage and spy on you.
10. Active and passive attacks: An attack is an attempt to extract information, gain unauthorized access, or compromise integrity. An active attack seeks to alter a system or its data. Contrarily, a passive attack only listens in and uses the data.
9. Clickjacking: There’s quite the probability you’ve experienced clickjacking. Clickjacking is disguising links to malicious websites as helpful or working links. Many fishy download sites feature clickjacking attempts.
8. Botnet: Robots do anything we tell them to. In ICT, a bot is hacker jargon for a computer gripped by malware. Thus, the hacker—called “bot-master”—controls many bots. A group of bots comprises a botnet.
7. DDoS: Denial of Service (DoS) is an attack wherein the attacker “capsizes” a website. As a result, the targeted website’s users can’t use resources they’re entitled to. The website overloads because of requests in excess. A DDoS is a particular instance of this where a “zombie network” sends a multitude of requests. The hacker coordinates the attack by coordinating the botnet. “DDoS” stands for Distributed Denial of Service.
6. Data breach: A data breach discloses sensitive information to an outside party. So the 2018 universities hack was a data breach.
5. Exploit: An exploit is an opportunity to bypass the security of a network or information system by violating security policy. So, an exploit (noun) is an entryway into the computer.
4. Insider and outsider threat: A person or group of people in an organization who pose a security threat by violating security policy is an insider threat. Similarly, we call such an external potential risk an outsider threat.
3. Macro virus: A macro virus is an upgraded version of what’s already disastrous. It clings to documents. Then, it uses the document’s software to do its bidding.
2. Phishing and spoofing: These are two similar strategies. Phishing implies posing as an acquaintance to extract sensitive information. For example, that fake email you receive every week. Phishing is a digital social engineering. Spoofing is faking one’s digital address to access unauthorized resources. Do you notice the lack of “the human touch” is spoofing?
1. Spyware: Spyware deserves its section. Any software installed covertly in a system is spyware. As you might imagine, the hacker then can start a data transmission from the owner’s hard drive.
I sourced these definitions from various sources, primarily NICCS. This hacker jargon will help you a lot. Knowing this hacker jargon, you’ll never go back to square one. You will always have words to branch off of.
How To Secure Your Network:
- Identify the problem:
First, know what’s threatening your system. For, specific problems require exact solutions. For example, an antivirus defends against a virus, but not a DDoS attack; but a DDoS response plan might help against a DDoS attack.
You should also adopt general best practices, such as a firewall.
- Seek solutions:
You can find results for yourself and buy useful software. Otherwise, you can hire a professional. A cybersecurity expert won’t be cheap, though.
- Change security protocol accordingly:
You might need to change your safety measures. Quick adaptation saves the fittest in the cyberworld.
Whether you’re running a PC or an extensive network at work, you need to advance with caution. In every step, you’ll encounter intelligent people with evil intentions. To maximize your defenses, you’ll require a good understanding of hacker jargon. If you know the methods hackers use to carry out attacks, you can assure yourself and others. Hacking is on the rise. It’s time we became more sincere in fighting for the common good, for cybersecurity.
