By Windows Talk
What You Don’t Know About Computer Hacking
I think we all know that real computer hacking doesn’t happen the way you see it in movies and television, but what really does happen when a hacker tries to take over a computer?
Most Computer Hacking Has A Profit Motive
Hackers on television often have some noble motive—or they’re certifiably crazy. But in reality, most serious hackers are just trying to make a buck.
Most hackers come from semi-impoverished nations. They’re rich enough to afford old computers and basic Internet access, but they’re not located in rich nations so they can’t get a high-paying job as programmers or system administrators, so they resort to hacking.
Hacking doesn’t pay well (usually). Most hackers make money by breaking into computers and then using them to run a scam or send spam email—but most people know better than to buy from a scam site, and even when they do buy from a scam site, credit card companies and banks deny the hackers money, so hackers only make money from 1 person in 100,000.
Computer Hacking Rarely Target PCs Directly
If you’re famous, there’s probably a computer hacker trying to break into your computer right now. But if you’re just a regular person, hackers won’t usually dedicate the time to try to break into your computer directly.
Instead, hackers write viruses to break into thousands or millions of computers at the same time. Then they use these computers as robots (“bots”) to power their scams. They don’t care about you personally, but they also don’t care how much damage they do to you through their computer hacking.
Shared with permission from Windows Talk.
