{"id":63008,"date":"2019-09-10T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-09-10T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/foxtail\/2019\/09\/10\/how-hackers-work\/"},"modified":"2021-02-09T05:51:13","modified_gmt":"2021-02-09T05:51:13","slug":"how-hackers-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/en\/uncategorized\/how-hackers-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Understand how hackers work"},"content":{"rendered":"

Forget about those hackers in movies<\/a> trying to crack the code on someone\u2019s computer to get their top secret files. The hackers responsible for data breaches usually start by targeting companies, rather than specific individuals. They want to get data from as many people as possible so they can use, resell or leverage it to make money.<\/p>\n

It’s not personal, at first<\/h2>\n

Hackers don\u2019t really care whose personal information and credentials they can get, as long as they can get a lot of it. That\u2019s why cyber criminals often target massive companies with millions of users. These hackers look for a security weakness \u2014 the digital equivalent of leaving a door unlocked or window open. They only need to find one door or window to get inside. Then they steal or copy as much personal information as possible.<\/p>\n

Once they get your data, cyber criminals can start their real work. We don\u2019t always know what they intend to do with the data, but usually they will try to find a way to profit from it. The effects on you might not be immediate, but they can be very serious.<\/p>\n

All types of data can be valuable<\/h2>\n

Some data \u2014 like banking information, bank card numbers, government-issued ID numbers and PIN numbers \u2014 is valuable because it can be used to steal the victim\u2019s identity or withdraw money. Other data, like email addresses and passwords are valuable because hackers can try them on other accounts. All sorts of data can be valuable in some way because it can be sold on the dark web for a profit or kept for some future use.<\/p>\n

What makes a password easy to guess<\/h2>\n

If hackers can get a list of email addresses from a data breach, they already have a good start. All they have to do is pick their website of choice and try these emails with the most popular passwords. Chances are, they\u2019ll be able to get into quite a few accounts. So don\u2019t use any of the 100 Worst Passwords of 2018.<\/a><\/p>\n