The Stages of How Hackers Attack Our Systems

Dear readers, hello :)

In this article, I will try to give you information under the title “The Stages of How Hackers Attack Our Systems?” I hope it turns out to be a useful article for all of us. I should mention at the outset that I can’t claim to be an expert on this subject, but I’m trying to share the topics I have sufficient knowledge of with you. Happy reading in advance. ;)

Perhaps most of us still don’t know exactly how hackers manage to take over our systems. Some of us may not even realize whether our computer is under someone else’s control. But after reading this article, I think you’ll have the knowledge to answer some of the questions on your mind.

Hackers follow these 5 steps to take over a target system:

1. Reconnaissance
2. Scanning
3. Gaining Access
4. Maintaining Access
5. Clearing Tracks

Now let’s examine these steps in detail.

1. Reconnaissance

In this step, attackers determine the target system they will attack and start gathering information about it. Right after that, the target’s domain name is examined, a whois query is performed, and so on. Details such as hosts with accessible operating system information and open ports are also obtained. In short, we’re determining whether anyone is home and whether there are any open doors, much like scoping out a house before breaking in. For this reason, this stage does not by itself pose any attack or danger.

2. Scanning

Based on the information gathered in the first step, the attacker tries to obtain more useful information. Using this information, they scan the target network and effectively carry out a pre-attack. The real goal is to find a vulnerability in the system. With even a single flaw found as a result of the network scan, the hacker is ready to move on to the attack stage.

3. Gaining Access

This is one of the most important stages. The actual attack happens here. The hacker writes or uses an exploit suited to the vulnerability they found and breaches the system. This can take the form of deception or theft, whether or not you’re connected to the internet. After this stage, the amount of damage done to the system depends on the attacker’s skill and knowledge.

4. Maintaining Access

The attacker has now breached our system and can cause whatever damage they want. Depending on whether the hacker’s intentions are good or bad, they try to reconfigure the system. To be able to get back into the system whenever they want, they install malware on it. In general, this malware can take the form of a rootkit or a trojan horse. You can find more information on my article about malware here.

5. Clearing Tracks

In the final stage, hackers need to erase their tracks on the system they’ve used. This is because if they’re exposed by another person or organization, they can face very serious legal consequences. Or they may want to prevent another attacker from exploiting the same flaw. For this reason, they carry out the work needed to cover their tracks on the system and achieve their goals.

As long as hackers erase their tracks on a system, they can benefit from that system for many years to come. To be able to do all this, they really need a high level of imagination and problem-solving ability.