Hacking – some of the ways in which email accounts can be hacked!!!
Given the multiple ways in which an email account can be hacked, it is possible for almost anyone to gain access to someone else's ID.But this would require a fair amount of technical expertise, knowledge of passwords, and perhaps even access to the target's computer. Once an account is hacked, it becomes easy to manipulate the contents of the compromized account.
That said, any hack attack can only be proved after solid forensic evidence is obtained from the computers involved and the email service provider. Even this is fraught with challenges. It is usually possible to track a hacker's IP address, but it is also possible for the hacker to hide his tracks behind multiple dummy IPs; tracking these back to their sources can be time-consuming.
Following are some of the ways in which email accounts can be hacked.
Social engineering:
It is the simplest hack. The hacker gains the confidence of the victim and tricks them into divulging sensitive and confidential information about themselves and their families over an extended period of time. The hacker then breaks into the email account by using the information at his disposal and combining it with informed guesswork. Social engineering usually works because most people keep predictable passwords that revolve around birthdates, names of family members, favourite actors, musicians, and the like. In short, social engineering can be described as a sophisticated confidence trick.
Phishing:
It is a type of social engineering where a hacking attempt is made with a fake email that's designed to look legitimate in order to convince the target to click a link. Such an email could take the form of an official message from the service provider asking the user to authenticate her email ID and password. Once the link is clicked, the target is led to an authentic looking, but fake website, which prompts her to enter personal information like username, password and secret answers.
Keylogging:
Practitioners can take the form of a hardware device or covert software installed on the target's PC. Keyloggers capture whatever is typed on the computer and send the information to the hacker's machine secretly . Keylogging software can only be installed if the target is tricked into running the application, or if the hacker has physical access to the target's computer. It may escape detection by anti-virus software.
Brute force:
Specialized tools are used to automatically log into an online account with multiple permutations and combinations of passwords. This can be time consuming. Such attacks are rendered useless at times because mail servers temporarily stop a user from logging in after a set number of failed attempts.
Ease of hacking:
It is not easy to hack an email account. Service providers ensure that the connection to your mailbox and subsequent communications are over a secure link (SSL).This is denoted by `https' in the web address, where `s' stands for secure. A user will also receive email alerts when systems detect suspicious activity. For instance, if somebody logs in from a different location or machine, the user will be notified immediately.
