What are IP Addresses

An IP address (Internet Protocol address) is a unique address that certain electronic devices currently use in order to identify and communicate with each other on a computer network utilizing the Internet Protocol standard (IP)—in simpler terms, a computer address. Any participating network device—including routers, switches, computers, infrastructure servers (e.g., NTP, DNS, DHCP, SNMP, etc.), printers, Internet fax machines, and some telephones—can have its own address that is unique within the scope of the specific network. Some IP addresses are intended to be unique within the scope of the global Internet, while others need to be unique only within the scope of an enterprise.
The IP address acts as a locator for one IP device to find another and interact with it. It is not intended, however, to act as an identifier that always uniquely identifies a particular device. In current practice, an IP address is less likely to be an identifier, due to technologies such as Dynamic assignment and Network address translation.

What is Hacking?

I get a lot of emails about hacking. It’s hard for me to answer each and every question which is asked more frequently. So here I have compiled some of the Most Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Hacking. Hope it helps. Don’t forget to pass your comments.

• What is Hacking?

• Who is a Hacker?

• Who is a Cracker?

• Who is a Script Kiddy?

• What skills do I need to become a Hacker?

• What is the best way to learn Hacking?

• How do I secure my computer from being Hacked?

What is Hacking?

Computer hacking is the practice of modifying computer hardware and software to accomplish a goal outside of the creator’s original purpose. Hacking is the art of exploiting the flaws/loopholes in a software/module. Since the word “hack” has long been used to describe someone who is incompetent at his/her profession, some hackers claim this term is offensive and fails to give appropriate recognition to their skills.

Who is a Hacker?

A Hacker or White Hat Hacker, also known as Ethical Hacker, is a Computer Security expert, who specialise in penetration testing, and other testing methodologies, to ensure that a company’s information systems are secure. Such people are employed by companies where these professionals are sometimes called Sneaker.

Who is a Cracker?

Black Hat Hackers, who may also be known as Crackers, are Hackers, who specialise in unauthorized penetration of information systems. They may use computers to attack systems for profit, for fun, or for political motivations, as part of a social cause. Such penetration often involves modification and/or destruction of data, and is done without authorization. They also may distribute computer viruses, Internet Worms, and deliver spam through the use of bot nets.

Who is a Script Kiddy?

A script kiddy is a wannabe cracker. These individuals lack knowledge of how a computer really works but they use well-known easy-to-find techniques and programs or scripts to break into a computer to steal porn, music files, SPAM, etc.

What skills do I need to become a Hacker?

There is no magic to Hacking, but like anything else that is worthwhile it takes dedication, a willingness to learn. It is most important to have a good knowledge of topics such as Operating system and it’s working, Computer networks, Computer security and of course Programming. It’s not possible to become a hacker overnight. It’s the skill developed over a long time.

What is the best way to learn Hacking?

The best way to learn Hacking is to start learning about the basics of hacking right from now. There are many books about Hacking that are available today. But before you start learning about the details you must have a basic skills of Programming and knowledge of Computer network security. Internet is the best source to learn about hacking.

How do I secure my computer from being Hacked?

Having a basic knowledge of computer security and related topics such as Virus, Trojans, spyware, phishing etc. is more than enough to secure your computer. Install a good antivirus and a firewall.

What is Phishing?

Phishing is an attempt to criminally and fraudulently acquire sensitive information, such as usernames, passwords and credit card details, by appearing as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. eBay, PayPal and other online banks are common targets. Phishing is typically carried out by email or instant messaging and often directs users to enter details at a website, although phone contact has also been used. Phishing is an example of social engineering techniques used to fool users. Attempts to deal with the growing number of reported phishing incidents include legislation, user training, public awareness, and technical measures.

Recent phishing attempts have targeted the customers of banks and online payment services. Social networking sites such as Orkut are also a target of phishing.

Spoofed/Fraudulent e-mails are the most widely used tools to carry out the phishing attack. In most cases we get a fake e-mail that appears to have come from a Trusted Website . Here the hacker may request us to verify username & password by replaying to a given email address.

TECHNIQUES BEHIND PHISHING ATTACK

1.Link Manipulation

Most methods of phishing use some form of technical deception designed to make a link in an email appear to belong to some trusted organization or spoofed organization. Misspelled URLs or the use of subdomains are common tricks used by phishers, such as this example URL

www.micosoft.com

www.mircosoft.com

www.verify-microsoft.com

instead of http://www.microsoft.com/

2.Filter Evasion

Phishers have used images instead of text to make it harder for anti-phishing filters to detect text commonly used in phishing emails. This is the reason Gmail or Yahoo will disable the images by default for incoming mails.

How does a phishing attack/scam look like?

As scam artists become more sophisticated, so do their phishing e-mail messages and pop-up windows. They often include official-looking logos from real organizations and other identifying information taken directly from legitimate Web sites. Here is an example of how the phishing scam email looks like

Example of a phishing e-mail message, including a deceptive URL address linking to a scam Web site.

To make these phishing e-mail messages look even more legitimate, the scam artists may place a link in them that appears to go to the legitimate Web site (1), but it actually takes you to a phishing site (2) or possibly a pop-up window that looks exactly like the official site.

These copycat sites are also called “spoofed” Web sites. Once you’re at one of these spoofed sites, you may send personal information to the hackers.

How to identify a fraudulent e-mail?

Here are a few phrases to look for if you think an e-mail message is a phishing scam.

“Verify your account.”

Legitimate sites will never ask you to send passwords, login names, Social Security numbers, or any other personal information through e-mail.

“If you don’t respond within 48 hours, your account will be closed.”

These messages convey a sense of urgency so that you’ll respond immediately without thinking.

“Dear Valued Customer.”

Phishing e-mail messages are usually sent out in bulk and often do not contain your first or last name.

“Click the link below to gain access to your account.”

HTML-formatted messages can contain links or forms that you can fill out just as you’d fill out a form on a Web site. The links that you are urged to click may contain all or part of a real company’s name and are usually “masked,” meaning that the link you see does not take you to that address but somewhere different, usually a scam Web site.

Notice in the following example that resting the mouse pointer on the link reveals the real Web address, as shown in the box with the yellow background. The string of cryptic numbers looks nothing like the company’s Web address, which is a suspicious sign.

So the Bottom line to defend from phishing attack is

1.Never assume that an email is valid based on the sender’s email address.

2.A trusted bank/organization such as paypal will never ask you for your full name and password in a PayPal email.

3.An email from trusted organization will never contain attachments or software.

4.Clicking on a link in an email is the most insecure way to get to your account.