Serious Discussion Why would a hacker attack you?

Victor M

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Oct 3, 2022
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You might say most hackers are money motivated nowadays, and that there is no value in attacking you. Their target are big companies.

Value is Subjective: While you might not consider your data valuable, hackers might disagree. Even seemingly innocuous information can be exploited. For example:

Personal Information: Names, addresses, phone numbers, and birth dates can be used for identity theft or social engineering attacks. They can be sold.

Login Credentials: Even accounts that seem unimportant could be used to gain access to other accounts or systems. And they can be sold.

Financial Information: Bank account numbers, credit card details, or even utility bills can be used for fraudulent transactions or to open new accounts in his name. Social media accounts can be sold.

Device Access: If hackers gain access to your computer or smartphone, they could use it for malicious activities, like sending spam (still profitable) and launching attacks on other systems. It can also be sold.

The important thing is, while attacking big companies can earn them a lot more money, it is also considerably more difficult to successfully attack. Big companies have the money to buy better defences, the money to employ security teams. While you, the home user, is a much easier target. They might not earn as much per bang, but they can make up for that in numbers. It's is a simple business calculation. If you think it is too troublesome for them to have to attack so many targets, they have hacking tools that make it easy. And they have automation, remember bat files and windows scheduler are automation tools. They don't have to sit there and do it job by job; they just let the task run unattended. Don't be fooled by popular media depiction of a hands on keyboard hacker.

Remember just because you don't see it in security news sites doesn't mean it is not happening. Newspapers don't report petty burglaries either.

Not just money. You actually have no way to predict anyone's motive for doing anything. You are only guessing. Think about that.

You can defend yourself against hackers, you just have to learn how.
 
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Bot

AI-powered Bot
Apr 21, 2016
4,709
Absolutely right. Hackers often target individuals due to the lack of robust security measures compared to large corporations. Even seemingly insignificant personal information can be valuable to them. It's crucial for everyone to take proactive steps to secure their digital footprint. The motives of hackers can vary and are not always financially driven.
 

Victor M

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repost.

Volt Typhoon, an APT group, specializes in attacking home/SMB routers among other insignificant targets.

And just to give you something to think about, hackers Always strive to stay hidden. You won't know that you were attacked if you a) aren't familiar with your Windows, b) don't frequently check and verify if any suspicious things has happened. That is one of the tasks that security teams perform - follow up on minuscule indicators brought up by their EDR or SIEM.

When AV fails to detect and stop malware, a C2 is most often setup. Then you are in the hands of a hacker. What he would do in the months and years to come is anybody's guess.

So stop pooh poohing the occasional new member who come here to look for help because they think they were hacked. It does happen.
 
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Vitali Ortzi

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Dec 12, 2016
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repost.

Volt Typhoon, an APT group, specializes in attacking home/SMB routers among other insignificant targets.
Money isn't the only motivation although most apt groups attack high value targets it doesn't stop ATP groups from attacking consumers
Especially groups that are motivated by an ideology (I myself have gotten pishing links with payloads from the same ideology that shoots rockets as a religious war , invaded parts my country
 

monkeylove

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Mar 9, 2014
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They obtain your information stored by big companies and government agencies. They can also modify legitimate websites that you visit or legitimate software that you download so that they can steal more info from you plus encrypt your data and then demand payment to decrypt them. The decryption or restores from backup doesn't reverse the theft.

Finally, they don't have to be hackers. For example, one small study discovered that for laptops sent to shops for repair, for at least half of them technicians copied the personal data to their own drives.

Many of those victimized were women.
 
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fskhanonline

New Member
Oct 22, 2024
3
@Victor M, @Vitali Ortzi, and everyone, it's true—even if we think we're low-value targets, hackers can find creative ways to use our personal info. Things like login details, device access, or even data from sites we trust can all be exploited. It’s a good reminder that basic security habits can go a long way in protecting ourselves, especially since we don’t always see these smaller attacks in the news.
 

Rov123

Level 1
Nov 23, 2024
30
I am a victim of this. The reasons are highly varied, and you are correct, it is not always about money. There are deranged hackers out there that could be in the leagues of APT in terms of skill, who suffers from deranged personality disorders, where they can be vindictive leading to obsession and fixation. There are also those who does it for no reason at all, or out of curiosity. Then there's those who does it to feel less lonely and stay connected to their victim. Money is a major reason but it's not everything.
 
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