Mostly for the money. While some hackers do it for fame, because they're disgruntled ex-employees or because they view hacking as sport, the majority of cyber criminals do it for the money. Verizon's 2022 Data Breach Investigations Report found that 86% of the data breaches they analysed were financially motivated.
Stolen personal information is fuel for identity theft
Many online services require users to fill in personal details such as full name, home address and credit card number. Criminals steal this data from online accounts to commit identity theft, such as using the victim's credit card or taking loans in their name.
The biggest motivation is often financial gain. Hackers can make money by stealing your passwords, accessing your bank or credit card details, holding your information to ransom, or selling your data to other hackers or on the dark web.
Someone who shows “shortsightedness, negligence, physical versus verbal behavior and an inability to delay gratification” are at higher risk for hacks like “Trojans” — where hackers disguise malware as legitimate sofware — viruses and malware, the researchers said.
Some common reasons for hacking include basic bragging rights, curiosity, revenge, boredom, challenge, theft for financial gain, sabotage, vandalism, corporate espionage, blackmail, and extortion. Hackers are known to regularly cite these reasons to explain their behavior.
One of history's most recent and biggest hacks is the LinkedIn API breach of 2021. Personal records of over 700 million users – 92% of the user base – were scraped from the platform and put up for sale in a hacker forum. Why did this happen?
Only 5% of cybercriminals are apprehended for their crimes which demonstrates just how challenging it is for law enforcement agencies to arrest and prosecute these offenders.
Approximately 111.7 million Americans are hacked each year.
Records indicate that as many as one in three Americans have their data breached every year, totally roughly 111.7 million individuals.
With definitions out of the way, you can be sure of the kinds of hackers we're talking about. Indeed, China is home to the world's highest number of hackers per capita.
The goal might be financial gain, disrupting a competitor or enemy, or theft of valuable data or intellectual property. Their clients might be nation-states, companies interested in corporate espionage, or other criminal groups looking to resell what the hackers steal.
This law makes it a federal crime to gain unauthorized access to “protected” computers (otherwise known as “hacking”) with the intent to defraud or do damage. It also makes it illegal even to conspire or attempt to commit hacking, even if you didn't follow through with it or were not successful.
Cybercriminals rarely choose their victims at random. The first stage of the cyber kill chain is reconnaissance, where an attacker narrows down a list of targets based on organization profile, security posture, and vulnerable individuals.
According to a new survey, twenty-somethings are actually the worst at keeping their personal data and passwords safe.
According to the latest Annual Cyber Threat Report 2021-2022, the Australian Cyber Security Centre recorded a staggering 76,000 cybercrime reports, representing a 13% increase from the previous financial year.
Can a hacker access my computer camera, microphone, and screen? Yes. Cybercriminals use malware like spyware to remotely access and control your camera, microphone, and screen. In fact, malicious actors often use camera and microphone recordings to blackmail people.
If convicted of a felony offense, you are facing up to ten years in a federal prison, and a fine up to $10,000. There are some enhancements that will increase the penalties, such as hacking a computer with specific intent to commit another offense, like identity theft.
Hackers love nothing more than finding vulnerabilities in your system. These weak spots can be exploited to gain access to sensitive data or wreak havoc on your network.
Can hackers watch through your camera? If a hacker installs spyware on your phone then there is a good chance they will be able to access your camera and turn it on/off as they please. They may also be able to access any photos or videos you have previously taken.
You get signed out of your online accounts (social media, email, online banking, etc.), or you try to log in and discover your passwords don't work anymore. You receive emails or text messages about login attempts, password resets, or two-factor authentication (2FA) codes that you didn't request.
Hackers are always eager to infect your device with malware and trojans. By installing keyloggers on your phone, a cybercriminal can monitor your activity and secretly view your login data for websites and apps.
Hackers learn to hack by getting an education in cybersecurity, obtaining certifications, and getting jobs that require hacking capabilities. Here is more information on how hackers learn to hack: Get an education in cybersecurity. There are many different paths to starting a career in hacking and cybersecurity.