The world is transitioning into a hub of technology-based gadgets such as smart devices and smart gadgets where they can be hacked using some present algorithms, patterns, tricks, tactics, and techniques by a professionally working black hat hacker, compromising all your digital assets in such a way that you can retrieve them.  Nowadays, organizations hailing from any particular niche can be prey to such incidents related to cyberattacks.  Hence, we are just required to develop more professional individuals knowing all the system hacking techniques.

In order to do so, they need to learn how to hack systems through fully verified system hacking techniques. Furthermore, in this segment, we are going to elaborate on the ethical hacking tutorial in a pretty decent manner so that anyone can understand the varied system hacking techniques and learn how to hack systems.  Moreover, we will also describe the ways by which a potential security analyst secures the system before and after being hacked.

Here, you will be exposed to the prime disparity between ethical hacking and penetration testing, what are the various phases of hacking, what is footprinting and scanning, network scanning, gaining access, maintaining access, and covering tracks.

What is System Hacking?

The term “System Hacking” can be defined as the stealing or compromisation of sensitive information or digital assets by a malicious threat actor for one’s own benefit by misusing that particular piece of information through illegal selling or utilizing oneself.  It is done so by tracking down the vulnerabilities in an IT infrastructure and exploiting them with the correct strategy by gaining unauthorized access.

Hacking Linux Operating System

Linux is one of the most secure operating systems in the world based on Unix OS developed by Linux Torvalds.  However, it is duly formed over the measure of open-source software development and distribution.

In addition, Hackers utilize distinguished tactics to compromise Linux OSs as it is very much tough to hack Linux OS in comparison to other operating systems in the world:

• Compromising Linux OS utilizing the SHADOW file.
• Another approach employed is overlooking the user password option in Linux.
• The additional strategy contains noticing the bug in Linux distribution and taking benefit of the same.

Hacking Mac OS

For full-time practicing black hat hackers, it is like a walk on the cake to hack a Mac OS just like any other operating system.  In addition, some more measures that a professional hacker can take adapt to compromise the Mac OS are as follows:

• A dedicated Python coding command to evade anti-virus.
• A single Ruby command to surpass anti-virus is also sufficient.
• Moreover, a Tclsh command to bypass the antivirus.
• Employing restoration mode to remove and brute-force the hash.
• Usage of single-user mode to configure a backdoor.
• Link to backdoors from any particular place.

Hacking Android Phone

Learning to Hack an Android phone, or you can simply say that Android system hacking is also a very famous exploitation method nowadays among ethical hacking learners, and they dedicatedly want to know the prime procedure to know how to hack the system of an Android phone.

Moreover, Android system hacking is accomplished in a pretty decent manner by employing the below-mentioned measures:

• Installing malware or a Trojan in the target’s Android device and controlling it remotely through your master device.
• Assembling a shell terminal with proper admin access in the target’s phone.
• Employing Spynote could also do a pretty decent favor for a hacking professional as one of the prominent methods of accomplishing android hacking.
• METASPLOIT and MSFVENOM
• Employing Android Debug Bridge (ADB) methodology.
• Using varied sorts of Spy apps.
• Stagefright exploits.
• Keyloggers: Kikde iOWL and Shadow: Kids keylogger.

Hacking Windows

There are many possible ways by which a potential malicious threat actor can hack into a Windows-based system just to gain unauthorized access to the concerned system.  Moreover, from a bunch of potential techniques, hackers usually prefer the method of Social Engineering to gain the sensitive information of Windows OS.  Certainly, when a hacker is able to crack down the access to Windows computers, the same would go and change the respective password of the systems so that the owner could not take back the access from him.

In the whole process, mostly the real owner of the computer does not even aware of the manipulation with the computer access.

Ethical Hacking vs Penetration Testing

Most users get both technologies as the same they think that doing penetration testing is the actual meaning of ethical hacking.  Here, we are going to elaborate on the basic difference between Ethical Hacking vs Penetration Testing in the following table:

Ethical Hacking	Penetration Testing
Ethical Hacking is basically the guideline of hacking the system in an official methodology to track down any potential form of vulnerabilities present in the system.	It can be expressed as the authorized set of methods to track down security vulnerabilities, drawbacks, and risks.
It is employed to determine the loopholes and secures the actual hacking and the compromisation of the digital assets of an organization on a real-time basis.	This process is very useful as it is being functioned to enhance corporate defense systems.

Phases of System Hacking

When it comes to the knowledge of the Phases of System Hacking:  There are around 5 particular phases in penetration testing which include the following:

• Reconnaissance: hugely employed to collect data.
• Scanning: Utilized to collect additional intelligence on the information.
• Gaining access: Bears command of one or more network devices to obtain datasets.
• Maintaining access: Takes some additional datasets from the aimed ecosystem.
• Covering tracks: Clear footprints of the attack detection.

Moreover, we can sincerely understand that there are numerous concepts of hacking, like the phase of penetration testing, footprinting, scanning, enumeration, system hacking, sniffing traffic, and so on.

Footprinting

Reconnaissance which is also referred to as Footprinting, is highly utilized for collecting all the potential datasets about the target system that could be both active as well as passive.  Moreover, the gathered data is employed to trespass into the particular target system and determine the attack types on the system strictly based on security.

In addition, an abundance of info like domain name, IP address, email id, namespace, geolocation, history, etc., of the website can be encountered in this particular way.

Footprint and Scanning Tools

Several tools are used to gather information, such as –

• Search engines: Yahoo, Bing, DuckDuckGo, Google, Mozilla Firefox, and other search distinguished info-searching sites to extract any relevant data.
• Traceroute: It is dedicatedly utilized to track down a way between the user and the target system on the networks.
• Crawling: Browse the internet to extract data.
• Nslookup: Querying DNS server to obtain some info
• Whois: It is a dedicated lookup of the website to get sensitive details such as email, registration, etc.
• The Harvester: Utilized to register email and subdomains.
• Netcraft: A pretty genuine tool to collect datasets about web servers on both the server and client sides.

Scanning tools such as –

• Nmap: A wide variety of scanning tools are especially utilized for scanning purposes and for searching free ports of the target.
• Nessus: This scanning tool is employed for finding quick vulnerabilities and loopholes in the ports.
• Nexpose: Its work is just similar to Nessus.

Penetration Testing/ Exploitation tools such as –

• MEDUSA: This particular tool is used to acquire authentication services in the target machine.
• Hydra: This tool is genuinely used to break authentication systems.
• Metasploit: This tool is generally utilized to exploit the system.

Get yourself nicely certified in Ethical Hacking Training and Certification course duly approved by the Government of India by Craw Security!

• Network scanning

The genuine step of Network Scanning is the second stage of information collection, where a malicious actor attempts to do in-depth research into a system to look for some credible form of datasets.  Moreover, ethical hackers attempt to secure an organization’s attacks by utilizing this network scanning efficiently.  In addition, the particular tools and techniques employed for scanning are as follows:

• Crafted packets
• TCP flags
• UDP scans
• Ping sweeps

The hackers try to track down a live system utilizing a protocol, blueprint the same network, and execute vulnerability scans to search for weaknesses in the system.  Moreover, there are 3 types of scanning present as the following:

• Port scanning
• Network scanning
• Vulnerability scanning

Gaining Access

It is the step where a security analyst tries to intervene in a system and gain access to its digital assets, such as:

• Password cracking
• Password attacks

 

• Maintaining Access

In this step, you just need to maintain your access to the compromised system to which you have successfully gained access.  Now, to remain undetected in the network, you just require to safeguard your presence in it.  Additionally, you need to install some hidden infrastructure to keep working through the backdoor open and to do that so, you need Trojan horses, covert channels, rootkits, etc.

• Covering Tracks

Now, you just need to cover all the traces of the attack you made, such as log files, and intrusion detection system alarms are eliminated to hide the tracks.  In addition, if you remove all the files and folders produced, alter logs and registry once the malicious threat actors depart the compromised system.  Moreover, one may also use reverse Http shells and ICMP tunnels just in order to cover tracks and traces of attacks performed.

Protecting your system from Hacking

Some varied methodologies that can be employed to tackle malicious actors are described below:

• OS Updates

One should continuously update your operating system as the latest updates always carry patches of current vulnerabilities.

• Security Programs

One should always download and install the latest security programs, including antivirus and anti-malware software, that genuinely help in enhancing the security level of your system.

• DBan

This is very important software that one can employ to vanish all of one’s personal traces, files, folders, etc. on the HD if one is planning to resell your system.

• Smart Emailing

One should play smart while opening suspicious links of doubtful emails.  Adapting quick searches on the subject lines or the recipient assists in tacking with phishing practices.

• Off-cloud

Maintaining crucial or sensitive pieces of information in the cloud shortens the risk of securing them from illegitimate hacking exercises.

• Online Security tools

You may also employ some sort of Online Security Tools to protect your computer systems from the ill intentions of malicious threat actors.

• Network strengthening

Adapting the practice of strong encrypted passwords and VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) broadens the security from black hat hackers breaking into your system’s security.

• Internet Security Suite

One can adapt the practice of a complete internet security suite for one’s enterprises or individual systems is one of the most reliable solutions to avert cyber-attacks.

• Training

We highly recommend you train you and your employees to thoroughly inspect the links and email addresses before clicking on them on the suspicious emails they get on their official email addresses.  One should train their employees about the potential measures by which a malicious threat actor reaches to them for obtaining some crucial form of data related to their organization.

• Endpoint Protection

It is one of the most crucial steps that a security analyst should take to secure their internet-based devices and smart equipment to run without any data loss and theft.  Moreover, there are certain networks that are remotely linked to devices such as Laptops, computers, and mobile devices, making them an easy target for security threats and data breaches.  One needs to ensure that proper endpoint protection is enabled on such paths that can be compromised easily.

• Firewall

Embracing the practice of utilizing a firewall that has been a proven asset to defy major cyberattacks in numerous organizations hailing from in niches of every major and minor scale, size, and number of employees.

Frequently Asked Questions

About System Hacking Techniques

1: How do hackers hack systems?

By employing the following-mentioned techniques, hackers can hack systems:

• Reconnaissance
• Scanning
• Gaining access
• Maintaining access
• Covering tracks

2: Can you hack into systems?

Yes, anyone can hack into systems by learning efficient training in the Ethical Hacking Course under the guidance of a superb training instructor having years of technical experience just like Craw Cyber Security Institution in Delhi at Saket and Laxmi Nagar branches.

3: What are the system hacking steps?

Some of the professional system hacking steps are described as follows:

• Reconnaissance
• Scanning
• Gaining access
• Maintaining access
• Covering tracks

4: What are the 3 types of hacking?

The prominent 3 types of hacking categories are as follows:

• Black Hat Hacking
• White Hat Hacking
• Grey Hat Hacking

5: How Do Hackers Get Into Computer Systems?

By employing some dedicated steps, they learn during a specialized Ethical Hacking Training and Certification Course under the guidance of a knowledgeable training instructor imparting quality education to learn how to hack the system.

Conclusion

To wrap up, we would like to tell some of the prominent steps that one should employ to understand system hacking protocols so precisely.  One may also learn how to hack systems by employing the aforesaid techniques under the guidance of a genuine training instructor in a fully verified and accredited cyber security institute, just like Craw Cyber Security Institution in the NCT of Delhi at Saket and Laxmi Nagar branches.