In a series of blogs detailing the ins and outs of hacking and malware, we look for a deeper insight than that of the glorified silver screen portrayal (Hackers; circa 1995) which we may have once lapped up. A clear understanding of the internet as a whole is dependent on this piece of the puzzle, this very large grey area, being questioned.
Learning about these aspects of the internet will help you figure out if you need your site monitored for negative SEO or malware hacking. Blue Magnet not only offers this monitoring service, but we will also help you better understand malware, what it is and what malware removal entails.
What is Hacking?
Hacking is not only the action of gaining unauthorised access into restricted areas of the internet or computer systems. It is most definitely not solely the work of the morally compromised. A better definition for hacking is; a broad term for the use of technology/objects for applications other than those for which it was originally intended.
In actual fact, hacking has greatly aided in the development of some of our most seminal advances in both engineering and programming. This methodology was used to invent programming languages, open source software, Linux and even the World Wide Web. Of course all of these particular innovations are the handy work of white hat hackers.
That said, don’t forget that there are and always will be a few sociopaths out there who are continually finding creative new ways to weasel their way into your email account, cell phone, social media accounts, the list goes on. These seemingly puerile acts are a prelude to much larger scandals, the most recent of which being the breach in the iCloud security – leaking handfuls of celebrity nudes to the public. This is where malware comes in.
What is malware?
The term malware is an abbreviation for malicious ware. It comes in many forms such as; viruses, worms and Trojan horses and they transmit what is sometimes sensitive information, such as banking account details, back to a third party.
You can’t only have your computer hacked, you can also (quite easily) have your phone and your website hacked too.
What can we learn from hacking?
Mark Zuckerberg said, ‘Hacking just means building something quickly or testing the boundaries of what can be done’. Perhaps some boundaries are in place for a reason; this tough lesson is one you often learn only after your boundaries have been broken.
Leading on from this article, in a series centred around hacking, we delve into related issues such as: What is ethical hacking and how do you to protect your website from a malware attack?
This series has been written in an effort to understand the more common methodologies behind hacking and the use of malware; and apply it to finding innovative solutions to guard your own site against it to begin with. After all, innovation is key to survival and malware need not lead to the downfall of your entire site, malware removal is possible.
