🕵️♂️ Common Hacking Techniques
Hackers do not always use complicated code. Often, they trick people or secretly interfere with data 💡.
This slideshow explains three common hacking ideas you need to understand in Year 8.
🎭 Social Engineering
Social engineering is when a hacker tricks a person into giving away information.
For example they may phone the main reception of a business pretending to be from IT.
- They may use a phoney story such as they need to check password strengths.
- They may ask the receptionist to give their username and password
- If it is a busy day, the receptionist might not give this much thought
The hacker is not hacking the computer — they are hacking the person 🧠.
⚠️ Why Social Engineering Works
- People want to be helpful 🤝
- Messages can look official 🏢
- Attackers create panic or urgency ⏰
This can lead to passwords or personal details being shared 🔑.
📡 Man-in-the-Middle Attacks
A man-in-the-middle attack happens when a hacker secretly places themselves between a user and the internet.
The hacker can see or change data without the user knowing 👀.
📶 Fake Wi-Fi Hotspots - The most common MITM attack
A hacker may set up a fake Wi-Fi network in a public place like a McDonald’s 🍔.
They might use their phone 📱 and name the hotspot “McDonalds Free WiFi”.
🕵️ What Happens Next?
When someone connects, their data passes through the hacker’s device.
The hacker is now in the middle and may:
- Read messages
- Steal passwords
- See websites being visited
🌐 DNS Spoofing
DNS spoofing is when a user is secretly sent to a fake website instead of the real one 🎭.
This often happens after malware is installed on a device 🦠.
🦠 How Malware Causes DNS Spoofing
A user may click a bad link or download something unsafe ⚠️.
Malware then changes how the device finds websites, sending the user to fake versions instead.
🚨 Why DNS Spoofing Is Dangerous
The fake website may look real, but it is controlled by the hacker.
Any usernames, passwords, or bank details entered are sent straight to the attacker 🔑💳.
🛡️ Staying Safe
- 🔍 Be careful which Wi-Fi you connect to
- 📶 Avoid public Wi-Fi for logging in
- 🧠 Stop and think before clicking links
- 🔒 Check websites carefully
Most attacks succeed because people trust too quickly ⚠️.