- Oct 3, 2022
- 449
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.
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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