The question “how to hack a computer” is probably the one that is most frequently asked by many Internet users and hacking enthusiasts. So, in order to address some of the common questions and doubts on the subject, I have decided to write down this article. If you are looking for information on possible ways to hack a computer, this post can surely help you out. The cyber-defense community has another advantage: While attackers typically work alone or in small groups and in secret, ethical hackers work together across the world. Dec 18, 2017  Hackers use various tools, such as backdoors, trojans, IRC clients, spyware, rogue antivirus programs, malware, infected downloads, or hijacked pages, to take over computers and wreak havoc. So, the sad truth is, Internet-surfing is all about navigating dangerous waters. Chances are your PC has fallen victim to a hack. Outbound Spam.

Not a day goes by that we don’t hear about cybersecurity threats – be it data breaches, phishing scams, ransomware, and viruses – but what about protection against someone remotely accessing your webcam?

After all, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and former FBI Director James Comey both put tape over their computer’s camera when not in use, so perhaps you should, too.

You don’t need to be a powerful person in the public eye to be concerned. In January, the U.S. government charged an Ohio man for 13 years of cyber theft , alleging he used malware to steal personal data from thousands of people, plus take over cameras and microphones that allowed him to 'to surreptitiously record images and audio.'

If you’re not sure what to do, the following are a few precautions you can take to minimize the odds of this happening.

Unplug or cover up

If you’re using an external webcam – that is, one that plugs into your computer’s USB port – only connect it when you need it. Yes, it can be a pain to remember to plug it in whenever you want to Skype or FaceTime with someone, but at least you’ll know 100% noone is spying if there’s no camera connected.

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Some external cameras have a small cover you can close over the webcam lens, so be sure you take advantage of this when you’re not using it. If your webcam doesn’t have this, you can point it to the ceiling until you need it (but that doesn’t mute the microphone) or place a small piece of electrical tape on the front of the webcam. But don’t place it directly over the lens or else it could leave a sticky residue. You can also buy little stickers or covers to place over your laptop’s lens.

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Use anti-malware software, good passwords

If your laptop or desktop has a built-in webcam, be sure to have good computer security software installed (which you should have anyway, of course). A strong security suite includes antivirus, anti-spyware, a firewall, and other tools to keep the bad guys from getting in. It’s critical to keep the security software up to date.

Many webcam hackers use Trojan horse malware to secretly install and run remote desktop software without your knowledge. You may think you’re downloading one thing, when in fact it’s carrying a hidden payload. Don’t click on attachments or any suspicious links in an email, text, or social media message.

Some web browsers also notify you if your webcam is being activated and you may be prompted to agree.

Be sure your wireless network has strong security settings and a good password – not the default one that came with the router — to prevent outsiders from accessing your Wi-Fi network without your consent. Resist using free, unsecured public Wi-Fi hotspots in cafés, hotels, and airports.

Another tip is to go to the webcam’s settings/options and enable some kind of notification when it’s being used, such as a small light that turns on near the webcam or a sound alert – if it doesn’t do it already. Most will have a small light illuminate when activated.

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Repair? Beware!

If you need to have your computer repaired, take it to a trustworthy source and then ensure remote access programs aren’t on your laptop or desktop you didn’t install yourself. If you find something, immediately uninstall it and bring it to a trusted source.

On a related note, be cautious about where you solicit remote tech support. Don’t let a technician take control over your computer to help you, unless you fully trust the source.

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Follow Marc on Twitter: @marc_saltzman. E-mail him at www.marcsaltzman.com.

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But there is a lot of action where the electrons hit the circuits, too, plenty of times when your mind is only as good as the software it’s using to execute the ideas you have. In those moments, your ability to understand and use the tools of the trade will show whether you’re a force to be reckoned with or just another kid fiddling around with a firewall.

For professionals working in information security, many of the best tools are the same ones the hackers are using. To understand the holes in your system, you have to be able to see it in the same way that your potential adversaries can see it. And that means looking through the same analytical lenses at your networks and systems.

Those tools are also constantly evolving. Even though the names remain the same, the ways they operate often change radically as new defenses or mechanisms for attacking those defenses come into play. So staying current on the top tools in the cybersecurity industry is a never-ending challenge.

Some tools are highly specialized, or even custom-made, and you might find yourself working primarily with a single software package that is optimized for your role. But rolling your own is a laborious process and there are plenty of off-the-shelf products that can be extremely effective… if you know how to use them.

The good news is that many of the best tools are free—both as in speech and as in beer. Open source, freely-distributed security tools have always been among the most important in the industry because their collaborative development both outpaces private sector efforts and because the ability to view and understand how the code operates prevents any nefarious purposes from being baked in.

And, since most hackers are not exactly made of money, the free tools are most often what they are using, too.

Here are the top ten general tools used by cybersecurity pros, and the guys they go up against.

1 – Metasploit Framework

The tool that turned hacking into a commodity when it was released in 2003, the Metasploit Framework made cracking known vulnerabilities as easy as point and click. Although sold as (and used by white hats) as a penetration testing tool, Metasploit’s free version is still where most neophyte hackers cut their teeth. With downloadable modules allowing any combination of exploit and executable payload, all freely available, hackers have instant access to any system showing one of nearly 2000 cataloged vulnerabilities. Sophisticated anti-forensic and stealth tools make the package complete.

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2 – Nmap

Nmap, or Network Mapper, is 20 years old, but remains one of the most flexible, powerful, and useful tools in the network security analysts toolkit. Nmap can bounce TCP and UDP packets around your network like a pinball wizard, identifying hosts, scanning for open ports, and slicing open misconfigured firewalls to show you what devices are open for business on your network… whether you put them there or someone else did. Nmap has been around so long that it has collected a constellation of helper tools such as the Zenmap GUI, Ncat debugging tool, and Nping packet generator.

3 – OpenSSH

OpenSSH is a suite of low-level tools that rights many of the wrongs built into the original network-level utilities in most Internet operating systems. Created as an integral part of the bulletproof OpenBSD UNIX implementation, OpenSSH was useful enough and solid enough that it was quickly adopted by other UNIX forks and made available as portable packages for other operating systems. The encryption and tunneling capabilities of the OpenSSH utilities are taken for granted by most users, but security professionals need to know how to build secure systems on top of reliable OpenSSH tools.

4 – Wireshark

Wireshark is the de facto standard in network protocol analysis tools. It allows deep inspection and analysis of packets from hundreds of different protocols, from the ubiquitous TCP to the exotic CSLIP. With built-in decryption support for many encrypted protocols and powerful filtering and display capabilities, Wireshark can help you dive deep in current activity on your network and expose nefariously crafted attacks in real time.

5 – Nessus

Nessus is the world’s most popular vulnerability scanner, a battle-scarred champion that has held that throne for decades even as new challengers have crowded the arena in recent years. Automated compliance scans can handle everything from password auditing to patch-level compliance across your network, with reports that immediately draw attention to open vulnerabilities. Nessus can integrate with Nmap to take advantage of advanced port-scanning capabilities and with other management tools to form an integral part of your network security system.

6 – Aircrack-ng

Aircrack is your go-to tool for wifi hacking—still one of the most vulnerable aspects of most commercial networks. Weak wireless encryption protocols are easily shattered by Aircrack’s WEP and WPA attacks. Sophisticated deauthentication and fake access point attacks allow you to probe your security aggressively. Packet sniffing capabilities allow you to simply snoop and keep an eye on traffic even without making overt attacks. No wireless network security staff should be without a copy of Aircrack-ng.

7 – Snort

Snort provides network intrusion detection that performs real-time traffic analysis and packet logging on your network. Using rulesets that are updated daily, Snort matches patterns against known attack signatures and alerts you to potential assaults. The system can be configured to trigger even on less openly nefarious activity, such as Nmap stealth port scans or operating system fingerprinting attempts.

8 – John the Ripper

John the Ripper is a fast password cracker with a lot of features that make it a breeze for slashing through your password files. It auto detects hash types to take the guesswork out of the attack and supports several popular encryption formats including DES, MD5, and Blowfish. It hits Unix, Kerberos, and Windows LanManager passwords equally hard using either dictionary or brute force attacks. If you haven’t checked your password hashes against John yet, you can be sure that some hacker out there will do it for you soon.

9 – Google

If this one seems a little trite to you, think again. Sure, Google is everybody’s go-to when it’s time to research a virus or turn up that RFP you’re looking for. Your job would be a nightmare without it. But Google is also sitting on top of one of the biggest near-real-time vulnerability databases of all time, including potential holes in your servers. Google-hacking uses search tools to explore the Google index for misconfigured Web services or illicit documents that have leaked outside your firewall. Configure your search string properly, and you have instant access to lists of open web shares at your IP address, misconfigured password pages, exposed internal file shares you never dreamed were unprotected. Sure, you have all the same information internally—but when you look at it through Google, you’re seeing it through the eyes of your adversary. You might be surprised what it shows.

10 – L0phtCrack

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Something you’ll notice in the technology business is that eventually everything old becomes new again. Timesharing minicomputers are reincarnated as client-server architecture, non-relational databases are reborn as NoSQL, and the venerable L0phtCrack, one of the first effective password crackers, is reincarnated in modern form. Originally emerging from the fabled L0pht Heavy Industries hacking collective in the 1990s, the tool was abandoned after a series of mergers left it in Symantec’s hands. But in 2009, original authors and legends of cybersecurity Mudge, Weld Pond, and DilDog re-acquired the IP and revamped the old girl. With multi-core and multi-GPU support, 64-bit architecture, and advanced rainbow table precomputed hash capabilities, L0phtCrack can once again take on jobs John the Ripper can’t hack.