How does email get hacked?
Have you ever wondered how cybercriminals hack email accounts? For IT experts, at one point they may be forced to hack into their accounts for the sake of overseeing the bad actors activities. There are several techniques through which one can exploit to gain access to an email account through a password or other backdoors. With the rate of technological advancements, new technologies such as deep machine learning and strong artificial intelligence have led to more sophisticated ways of hacking emails. No email is immune to hacking, and therefore it’s significant for every company to enlighten their workforce on common techniques through which they can be breached and the possible preventive measures. In this article, I’ll walk you through some of the three main techniques that are mostly exploited by hackers hack your email. And of course, I will not leave you unprotected or defenceless. By the end of this article, you will be well-informed of the hackers’ techniques and as well as different tools and mechanisms you can use to prevent infiltrations to your account.
- Keylogging
Keylogging is one of the simplest ways for any beginner who wants to learn how to hack email passwords or accounts. It involves monitoring a user’s activity and recording every keystroke that is typed in by a user on a computer keyboard. In most cases, this is achieved with the help of a spying tool known as Keylogger. There are no special skills required to install a software or program on a computer or network infrastructure. Keyloggers operate in stealth mode, hence difficult to detect and can stay in the system for long periods without being identified by a user or security personnel in-charge. These spying programs can also be installed remotely, and therefore an attacker does not have to access a target’s computer physically.
Keylogging is arguably the most straightforward breaching technique used by hackers to steal sensitive information from targets. Apart from hacking emails, keylogging can also be elemental in spying on your targets phone calls, messages and other valuable credentials.
Methods Used by Hackers to Send Keyloggers to Computers
- Fake Software
In the recent past, hackers have developed the tendency of embedding keyloggers and other backdoors in software. At face value, it may seem like a legit mobile application, a PDF file or a flash player update. When installing the software, the embedded Keylogger also installs as part of the application. Since the emergence of Corona outbreak, hackers have infiltrated more than 10 million emails. They embed keyloggers and local access Trojans in software that claim to track Covid spread. That’s how hackers to trick users into downloading malicious software.
- Phishing Emails
Phishing emails are fake emails sent to target’s computers to lure into a malicious course of action. The mail contains corrupted files with malware that promptly installs in the background when downloaded by a user. This is the primary method used by hackers to spread Trojans and Malware. Hackers also target work-from-home employees with phishing emails in an attempt to hack a corporates network. Most phishing emails prompt you to act immediately, a tactic you can use to identify such types of emails.
- System Vulnerabilities
Hackers also use vulnerabilities and loopholes within a computer system or network infrastructure to inject a keylogger. Vulnerabilities in most cases are due to running of outdated software, add-ons or plug-ins. Black hats identify vulnerabilities in web browsers and computers.
- Phishing URLs
Phishing URLs can be found at the bottom of an article, an app description or behind a fake software. These are phishing links that re-direct users to illicit websites such as pornographic websites, websites that ask for donations or malware-infected websites. The malicious websites then install a keylogger to your system without the user’s knowledge.
- Malicious Ads
Hackers also use malicious ads to send Keylogger to computers. Malicious ads can also be found on legitimate websites used by advertisers to bid for space. In some cases, the ads install a keylogger when you click on them while others install the same when you close them out. That’s how hackers send keyloggers to your phone and computers easily.
Generally, keylogging is also referred to as Social Engineering. And after learning about how hackers can use this technique to hack your email account, it gives you a better understanding of how you can prevent keylogger infection.
- Avoid opening emails from unknown or malicious sources.
- Download and install applications and extensions from trusted publishers.
- Be cautious with the adds as you click on
- Always scan the URL before clicking to verify whether it’s safe or not.
- Install software updates regularly.
All in all, it’s your responsibility as a user to develop a good browsing habit. However, there are also user-friendly tools that you can use to help avoid victim to a keylogger attack.
Tools To Prevent a Keylogger Attack
- Patch management
Patch managements automatically looks for software updates online for your computer. Vulnerabilities are one of the major gateways through which keyloggers are introduced into a system. A patch management tool, therefore, ensures that you have the latest updates with all security fixes for your operating system at any given time.
- URL Scanner
URL Scanner employs AI to deep scan websites to countercheck whether it’s safe or malicious. All you have to do is to highlight, copy and paste the link in the provided space. It’s one of the most reliable ways to avoid being re-directed to malware-infected websites. Some free URL scanners online include VirusTotal and Comodo Website.
- Key Encryption Software
Encryption software can be used as an extra protection technique by concealing the characters you type on the keyboard. The encryption software works by encrypting the keys with random numbers as they navigate through the operating system. The disoriented characters make it difficult for keyloggers to capture the exact keys. You can start with a trusted online encryption key.
- Anti-Malware Software
This type of software protects you from a variety of malware. Anti-malware software scans through various files you download to prevent infiltrations by malware. This is one of the key software that can protect you against malware attacks. With the rapid technological advancements, you should always go for the latest and the most advanced anti-malware software because sophisticated malware can get past the traditional anti-malware software.
- Phishing
Compare to Keylogging technique, this is a more complicated method of hacking emails. Phishing emails involve the use of spoofed webpages that are designed to be identical to those of legitimate websites. When executing this malicious social engineering activity, hackers create typically fake login pages that resemble Yahoo, Gmail or other services providers. If you key in your credentials on the fake login pages, black hats monitor your activity and steal all the credentials.
Phishers are smart enough and will, in most cases, send you an exact email like that which could have been sent by Gmail or Yahoo. These emails contain links asking you to update your email account information or change the password. In some cases, an online persona of someone you know at a close level to hoodwink you into providing your email login credentials. To successfully execute a phishing attack, one needs to have a piece of considerable hacking knowledge with prior experience in scripting languages such as CSS and JSP/PHP.
Phishing is considered a criminal offence in most jurisdictions. Enabling a 2-factor authentication for your email is not sufficient protection against phishing attacks. One needs to be very vigilant before giving out their email credentials despite how convincing the situation might seem to be. Always double-check the web address from where the email is originating from before dishing out your details. If you have never requested for password change, then ignore any message prompting you to change, update or confirm your security details. These are scammers waiting to exploit you.
Warning signs for phishing attacks
- Email from Unfamiliar Sender
Before opening that message you just received, there are several details you can check to verify whether you are a target for a phishing attack or the email is legitimate. First, scrutinize the sender’s details. It might be from a source you have never interacted with before and if so, then check on the various online platforms to check its legitimacy.
- If the sender’s email seems off
For instance, you may receive an email from joseph.goats@logo.cn, which resembles that of Joseph Goast who works at Logo Inc. yes, Joseph might be a real person and work for the logo as stated, but his account of details may have been manipulated by a hacker who aims at getting your credentials to hack your email account. The company name could be misspelt, or the email could have a wrong ending such as logo.cn as opposed to logo.com.
Other signs to look out for may include;
- The style of opening statements, if it seems oddly generic, then you need to take caution against clicking any link or downloading an attachment as they may be corrupted.
- Password Guessing and Resetting
Email accounts can also be hacked through password guessing, a social engineering technique exploited by a majority of hackers. Password guessing technique best work with those whom you know or those whom you are close with. In this type of attack, an attacker aims at manipulating the target in an attempt to figure out their personal information.
Password guessing and resetting require a witty person with impeccable thinking power, an individual who can read a victims mind on all occasions. For the attack to be successful, an attacker needs to know the target considerably well, and that calls for an A-class social skill. Black hats that often use this technique tend to be colleagues, friends or even close family members. Such persons have in-depth knowledge about you, be it hobbies, lifestyle, habits and even personal information such as birthdates that you are possibly to use as your password. Therefore, it’s easier for such persons to figure out your email password. Also, they can easily answer security questions while resetting your email’s password.
- Not logging out of the account.
Always ensure to log out of your email after using a public device or PC. It’s advisable to develop a tendency and a habit of logging out every time you sign in using a shared device or public computers, otherwise, avoid signing in into your accounts using public PCs altogether. Avoid using gadgets at internet cafes and libraries to access personal account or corporate websites as it’s not easy to identify whether they are infected with keylogging spyware or malware.
- Using easy passwords
Do not use the same password across multiple platforms. If you have been doing so, then it’s time to change and get unique login credentials for every website or service that you need. A good thump rule: make the password not less than 16 characters and at least one should be a number or a unique digit. For the sake of future use, you can base them on a complex sentence with the first letter of each word serving as a character in the credentials. Hackers find it easy to hack email accounts with weak passwords through trial and error techniques. There are also several tools available, which use artificial intelligence and machine learning to monitor your activities and match your web activity. From such data, black hats can analyze and predict what you are likely to use a password, so up your game.
- Using an insecure Wi-Fi network to access your email account
Hackers easily bypass unsecured Wi-Fi network infrastructure and eavesdrop or intercept the connection to get the password and other valuable information. To avoid such incidents, you should only connect your devices to reputable networks that are password protected and can be trusted. You can use VPN services such as HMA! or AVG Secure VPN to secure and encrypt your connection.
- Spammers harvested your email.
Your email can get harvested by scammers if you list it publicly online in places such as blogs, online forums, online ads and so on. For the sake of your security, just don’t list your email address in such platforms. Avoid such acts like the plague!
There you have it, the seven common ways in which your email can be hacked. So be woke!. Follow the above-stated advice, and it will take you a long way in preventing an email hack from befalling you.