The most obvious common 'personality' characteristics of hackers are high intelligence, consuming curiosity, and facility with intellectual abstractions. Also, most hackers are 'neophiles', stimulated by and appreciative of novelty (especially intellectual novelty).
The Personality Traits of Hackers
The Dark Triad – a set of three personality traits- #narcissism, #Machiavellianism, and #psychopathy – is often associated with hackers. These traits can drive their desire for power, control, and a sense of superiority, motivating them to exploit others online (Fox & Rooney, 2015).
That means hackers get information about their target and use the data to deceive the victim. The goal of such attacks is usually financially motivated. Specifically – to steal valuable information or gain immediate financial benefit.
An ethical hacker, also known as a 'white hat hacker', is employed to legally break into computers and networks to test an organization's overall security. Ethical hackers possess all the skills of a cyber criminal but use their knowledge to improve organizations rather than exploit and damage them.
Hackers are often driven by a desire to prove their own abilities and to test the limits of systems and networks. Hackers constantly ask themselves: "how can I break this?", "how can I exploit this?", "how can I bend this to my will and cause maximum damage?" Cybersecurity teams, on the flip side, are focused on ...
Searching for a target organization
An attacker might choose their target list through readily available data online, such as employee count, industry, or existing vendor relationships, then narrow their search down further from there.
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.
Think: Name, birthday, SSN, phone number. If it can identify, locate, or contact you, it's PII. Odds are, this is what hackers are looking for. As stolen information goes, PII is fairly malleable to a cybercriminal's whims.
Hackers often go after financial institutions because of the opportunity to gain access to personal financial information. Additionally, they may try to gain access to accounts such as credit cards or investment portfolios. Common attacks in this industry include ransomware, server outages and data breaches.
But computer hacking is any unauthorized breach of a computer system, and the majority of computer system hacks target individuals and private devices used in the home.
Hackers fall into three general categories: black hat hackers, white hat hackers, and gray hat hackers. Although hackers are often associated with exploiting vulnerabilities to gain unauthorized access to computers, systems, or networks, not all hacking is malicious or illegal.
We talked about mental health issues that hackers experience. Burnout, anxiety, and depression were among those that are most prevalent.
Hackers are known for their ability to find alternative ways to achieve their goals, bypassing bottlenecks and hurdles. This mindset encourages managers to think outside the box, seeking innovative solutions that deliver good-enough outcomes and enable quick wins.
You'll need dedication because becoming a competent hacker doesn't happen quickly. Like any job, you need to start small, grow and set personal goals. You need to have at least average intelligence. You do not have to have a genius-level IQ or be a MENSA member.
New to the arsenal of identity thieves is wireless hacking. Hackers will connect to public WIFI networks or unsecured home networks looking for personal information. Savvy hackers may even install key logging software that can track websites that you visit and passwords that you enter.
Accessing your bank accounts, retirement accounts and other financial accounts. Filing fraudulent tax returns to get an income tax refund in your name. Using your health insurance to access medical care. Changing your billing address so you don't notice the fraud until it's too late.
Most hackers are on the lookout for one thing: money. They may not be hunting for it directly, but that is typically the end goal of most hackers, except state-sponsored hackers that are after secret information. Bearing in mind this goal, hackers will target someone they think or know has money.
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.
Following an attack, many will turn to hacker's forums to brag about their exploits and this often provides police with the vital clues they need to start identifying the person responsible. Honeypots have also proved an effective way to lure cybercriminals in and find out more about how they operate and who they are.