Hacking: The Basics

An intrusion can be defined as an attempt to break into or misuse a computer system. The word misuse is broad, and can reflect meaning to something as severe as stealing confidential data to something as minor such as misusing your email system for spam. Today, both the Internet and corporate intranets are simply crawling with people from all walks of life that are continuously trying to test the security of various systems and networks. Some of these people are seeking some sort of intellectual high, while others are fueled by more treacherous motives such as revenge or stealing for profit. In any event, no intrusion is innocent and no intrusion is benign. There is no silver bullet available out there that will totally secure our networks and systems. The only thing that we can do as IT professionals is make sure all of the doors are locked, the alarm is turned on, and educate ourselves on what to look for. The primary focus of this practical paper is to educate the less security conscious IT professionals and end-users on exactly who is out there and what they are doing to get in. By attempting to establish this baseline of security knowledge we essentially extend the arm of IT security to include the very users who today present the greatest danger: the uneducated user.