From the Guardian UK:
Modern computer hacking relies on the same basic technology that millions of people use every day - the internet. Thanks to the huge numbers of computers that are online, hackers are able to use a series of simple steps to sneak access to secret information.
The starting point is to find out which computers it is possible to attack. Every machine connected to the net has a unique address to which the hacker can send messages. Depending on the response they get, criminals are able to identify computers that may be more susceptible to hacking.
Usually they simply conduct a wide sweep of addresses in order to find a likely looking machine to focus their efforts on.
Once a target has been picked out, the hackers will then start the process of breaking in. Sometimes this will involve a “brute force attack” - using a code-breaking program to try to crack the machine’s passwords. In other cases, the hacker will use an existing flaw in the computer’s software to trick their way inside the computer system.
For the full article read on.
