Introduction

Hello dear Blurters, it's Ronin, the lost samurai In search of wealth. I always thought about writing an article like this but never did I have the chance, without taking much of your time, let's get to it.

Have you ever thought of your passwords to be unprotected or unsafe even if it has complex combination of numbers, symbols and alphabet? Have your password ever been stolen by a hacker? Have you notice suspicious activities in your account? I know your curious but so am I, I'll be giving you the methods hackers use to get into your various online accounts and possible solutions to avoid them. The first way hacker gets into your account is by a process called:

1. Phishing

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This is the most commonly known method hackers use to steal people's password. Phishing is the act of disguising malicious content as a legit and trustworthy platform to steal users information. Hackers use this method to trick users into downloading an attachment or clicking an embedded link. When that user click such link, instead of redirecting him/her to the respectful website, a malicious file is been downloaded onto the user device. Then what happens next is that the malware may encrypts some files and prevent the user from accessing his stored information or It stays hidden and acts as a backdoor to steal the users information e.g password.

2.Brute Force Attack

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This requires different methods of hacking that involves guessing passwords in order to gain access into an account or system. An example of this technique is when a hacker is guessing a person’s password based on applicable clues, even so, they can be more complicated than that. Credential recycling, for example, depends on the fact that a lot of people reuse their passwords, some of which must have been exposed by precedent data breaches.
Reverse brute force attacks occurs when hackers are complying some of the most commonly used passwords and attempting to guess it with associated usernames. Most brute force attacks uses an automated processing, which allows it to gather vast quantities of passwords into a system.

3. Spidering

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This is a process whereby hackers gets a user's credentials based on his/her activities. This techniques is quite similar to phishing attacks but It requires a lot of work and effort on the part of the hacker. A hacker might decide to use this method depending on the target for example, if the target is a large business cooperation, The hacker may attempt to source sensitive documentation such as a handbook in order to get an idea of the type of platforms and security the cooperation uses. It’s most often that the cooperation will use passwords that relate to their business activity, because it makes it easier for employees to remember. When the hacker a hold of this type of information then he can create a list of possible word combinations, which can be used to support a brute force attack.

4.Social Engineering

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This type of hacking involves the hacker tricking the users into believing the hacker is a legitimate staff/agent. This technique is very common to hackers, they call their target and acts as customer care or technical support, asking for information like account management pin or network access passwords in order to provide assistance. This could also be effective if done in person, wearing a fake uniform with fake credentials, however, that’s less common these days.
These days, social engineering can be very frightfully convincing, like the case when a CEO of a UK based energy cooperation lost £250,000 to hackers after his was tricked with an AI tool that faked his assistants voice.

5.Dictionary Attack

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This is a more complex version of the Brute Force Attack. It uses an automated process of compling a list of generally-used passwords and phrases into a system until a match is found. Most dictionaries are made up of credentials gotten from precedent hacks, however, it will also hold the most common passwords and keyword combinations.
This method takes advantage of the fact that many people uses memorable phrases as passwords, which are usually whole words stuck together. This is mainly the reason why systems will make use of multiple character and symbols when creating a password.

6.Rainbow Table Attack

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When a password is being stored on a system, it’s usually encrypted using a ‘hash’, or cryptographic alias, that makes it insuperable to determine the original password without the corresponding hash.
Hackers can bypass this by maintaining and storing directories of account passwords and their corresponding hashes, mostly built from precedent hacks, limiting the time it takes to gain access into a system (used in brute force attacks).

Possible Solutions To Avoid Being Hacked By The Above Methods

In order to be safe from these tricky method, I'll advise you to follow these precautions:

• Install an Anti-Phishing Tool
An Anti-Phishing Tool is one that run quick checks on website that your visiting and warns you of any malicious links In that website. If you manage to stumble across a malicious link, the tool will alert you about it. By doing this your adding a layer of security against phishing sites and the best part is most of the tools are free to install.

• Use Firewalls
A firewalls act as shield between you, your computer and outside hackers. There are two different kinds you should use: A network firewall and a desktop firewall. The first is a type software, and the second is a type of hardware. When used simultaneously, they extremely reduce the possibility of phishers and hackers infiltrating your computer and your network.

• Don't click links that promise some sort of rewards.
Most phishing links are those that offer you a reward or you play a game and get a free iphone or such, it's a lie, don't click those type of links especially when your in a rush.

• Verify the site's security
To know if the site your visiting is a verified and secured one, make sure the site's URL Starts with (https) and also there should be a closed lock icon by the side of URL bar. Also never download files from suspicious emails or website.

• Check your online accounts
If you check your accounts or make use of notifications regularly, you'll be instantly aware if any unauthorized access is being made to your account. Also you should check your statements regularly.

• Use an Antivirus Software
Use of antivirus can keep your password from being leaked,Just be to on the safe side, keep your software up to date because scams are also being made up all the time.

• Never Give Out Sensitive Information
You should never share any personal or financially sensitive information to the Internet.

Applying all these can make your account more secure and safe from any phishing scams or other methods.

Conclusion

I have enjoyed writing this post but sadly all good things must come to an end. There are so many other methods hackers cab steal your passwords and these ones I just listed are the known methods out there, basically everyday new and more tricky methods are being invented by cyber attackers but I'm sure that we'll also have a defensive plan against them. Thanks for reading...