Hacking Techniques

Leroy N. Papke

Copyright 2005
All rights reserved

Table of Contents
Abstract ............................................................................................................................... 3
Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 4
Techniques .......................................................................................................................... 6
Defenses .............................................................................................................................. 7
Hardware ......................................................................................................................... 7
Software .......................................................................................................................... 9
Costs to businesses and consumers ................................................................................... 10
Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 11
References ......................................................................................................................... 13

Abstract
This paper examines the more popular techniques employed by hackers to gain
unauthorized access to computers and networks around the world. Types of defenses
against these attacks are also discussed, as well as the economic impact on business and
consumers. Hacking is a growing problem that must be dealt with at all levels of
computer usage; it has advanced to the level where no computer is safe, even ones that
are not connected to a network of any kind. These can still be infected by means of
software, and so all machines must be inspected on a regular basis. At the end of this
paper, conclusions are drawn for the most logical manner in which to proceed and the
overall costs involved.

Introduction
Hacking techniques are as varied as the hackers that create them. Every person
that decides to become a hacker builds on the results of the hackers that came before, and
adding their own style of hacking to the mix, create new techniques for the hacking
community along with new problems for network administrators.
This paper will describe some of the more popular hacking techniques that are
available, and then examine them in greater detail, showing why they are a problem and
what some of the solutions to stopping them are. At the end, there will be
recommendations for possible ways to stop future attacks, as well as a conclusion over
the material that has been discussed.
A complete section on why a person decides to become a hacker is beyond the
scope of this paper; however the reasons why people become hackers are numerous.
Some of them do it for fun, others for profit, and some just to see if they can do it. One
aspect that is still being wrestled with is that of how much punishment does a hacker
deserve if they are caught and convicted? Do the old styles of let the punishment fit the
crime apply?
If a hacker causes millions of dollars worth of damage to a system, or
compromises hundreds of thousands of consumers personal data files, what should be
done? Would a prison term of hundreds of years be appropriate? Or should we say one
year in jail for every file that is involved? In some cases, that would mean a sentence of
say 200,000 years, which of course is unrealistic.
The answers to these questions are still not found, and so society needs to decide
what will be done with hackers who are caught. As in other crimes, just because it is

illegal does not mean that someone will not do it. As one can see, this area is complicated
and so a complete discussion must be made at another time.
The more popular hacking techniques to hack into a network include port
scanning, in which a hacker pings an ip address to see if there is a live system residing
there. If there is a response, then they can continue with other methods to hack into the
computer. Alternatively, by using a text file or some other means, large amounts of ip
addresses can be used to ping many systems a day.
This allows the hacker to scan thousands of ports a day, and so it more desirable
than one at a time. Another popular method is that of reverse engineering, in which an
attempt is made to take compiled code and return it to the un-compiled state so that the
hacker can manipulate it.
Some other methods belong to a group known as wet-ware, and this differs in
that the programming is that of the brain, rather than software. One part of this is social
engineering, where the hacker subverts trust relationships or relies on predictable
behavior; another is bribery, such as giving a night guard some money so that the hacker
can gain entrance to an office that has something of value in it. Impersonation is part of
wet-ware, it seems that it is surprisingly easy to call someone and get a password by
stating the hacker is from the company IT department.
There is also shoulder surfing, standing behind someone while they type at the
keyboard and memorizing the keystrokes, and a rather messy one is what is known as
dumpster diving, since many companies carelessly toss valuable information in the
trash every night without shredding it. And, of course if all else fails there is the art of

deception, outright bald faced lying to someone to gain access to the network. The next
section will go into greater detail on hacking techniques

Techniques
Some of the techniques that hackers employ to gain entry to a network were stated
in the previous section, more will be listed here with greater detail. These techniques can
include physical as well as software. To start with, hackers will attempt to gain entry by
posing as a guest or with a tour group, then heading off at an opportune time to see what
areas of the building can be accessed or broken into without detection. If found, they can
simply claim that they are lost, or thought that this was an area that anyone could use.
Another method is that of social engineering, where the hacker will try to lull
the employee into a false sense of security that the person on the other end of the
telephone has a legitimate reason to ask for information such as passwords or user ids,
and so give them to the hacker. Hackers will also go through the trash of companies,
looking to find any bits and pieces of documents that will give them the information that
they need to enter the network and commit their nefarious crimes.
Programs have been developed that allow one to use a computer and by way of
brute force, attempt to crack a password on a system. This has allowed the hackers
the ability to attack more that one computer at a time, and to carry on the attacks
continuously, thus giving them more opportunity to gain entry to a computer system.
By launching large numbers of attacks against a single computer or group of
computers, hackers are able to create DOS, or denial of service attacks. This ties the

attacked computer resources up for varying amounts of time, but the end result is that the
legitimate traffic is not able to be processed, thus the attack is successful in crippling the
business for the amount of time it lasts. Hackers can also use a Trojan horse to gain entry
to a computer and then by logging the keystrokes, gain the information to allow access to
higher level security.
Another technique that has gained notice lately is that of zombie computers,
which lay dormant for a specified period of time and then awake, launching a coordinated
attack on a computer or group of computers. The problem with these types is that one
never knows when the computer will attack, or how many are infected that will comprise
the attacking force. Usually these are found in the homes of consumers, and small
businesses, who do not take the proper steps to ensure that they are not infected by the
hackers.

Defenses
Hardware
Physical defenses against the hacker include greater scrutiny of the visitors and
employees of a company, the access to sensitive areas, computers, and other network
components. Policy must be created as to what information will be given out over the
telephone, strict adherence to allowing employees to bring guests at parties and other
functions, and what will be done with the daily trash that a company generates, no matter
what the trash is.

By implementing id badges, coded to allow access only in specific areas, the

company can start to eliminate the hacker gaining entrance to certain areas easily.
Having specific policies about the telephone and the disposition of the trash will also
eliminate the ability of the hacker to have an easy access to these common means of
getting information.
Doing a more through and complete background check on current and prospective
employees and other persons who are allowed onto the company grounds for repeated or
extended periods of time will tighten security where it has been known to be very lax in
the past.
Upgrading the network hardware to routers, switches, and other components that
have the ability to provide firewalls and other security measures is also very important,
and should be high on the list of things to do. When one is able to have a hardware
firewall in place in addition to that of software firewalls, then the level of protection is
greatly increased for the network.
Routers must have all of their ports configured properly, and any ingoing and
outgoing traffic should be logged to determine if there are any attacks taking place or
improper usage of the network has happened.
Switches that have imbedded operating systems must also be checked to ensure
that all of the proper channels are configured correctly, and monitored on a constant
basis. Any computers that do not need to be connected to the Internet should be
disconnected, and any gateways should be checked for the proper configuration. Too
many times hardware is put in place with the default factory settings, which do no
provide any more protection that tissue paper does for the network.

Administrators that do not take the time to configure their networks properly
should be either reprimanded or terminated, for they do the company and the employees a
great disservice.

Software
There are many software packages that can be installed to provide protection for a
network. These range from very simple, such as what comes with the operating system,
to the complex, packages designed to protect networks such as those found in the banking
industry, or the defense of the country.
There are also many websites that offer various types of software, ranging in price
from zero to several hundred dollars, and also provide patches and updates in a regular
basis. Installing the software is only part of the solution, one must also configure it and
then maintain it with regular patches and updates, or else it will become outmoded and
thus may fail when a hacker launches some sort of new attack that the software has no
defense against.
A popular package that is offered for free is Ad-Aware, by a company called
Lavasoft. It is designed to scan the system and look for known programs that are used by
hackers, and then can remove them if desired. Microsoft is bringing out a tool that will
scan the computer for malicious code and then remove it if one wants. Most of the major
anti-virus makers, such as CA and McAfee have software that will do this, and so there
are numerous programs that one can download and install that will check the computer
and clean it if infected.

It is important that after downloading and installing the software that the
computer user also maintains regular checkups of patches and updates, else the software
will become obsolete and then it is useless in protecting the computer from the hackers
that are on the loose out there.

Costs to businesses and consumers

Due to the large numbers of DOS, viruses, worms, and unknown zombie
computers that are in the world, the exact costs of hacking to businesses and consumers is
incalculable, but the author of this paper estimates billions of dollars every year, with the
figure rising rapidly all the time.
Add to this the unseen mental and psychological costs that people endure, from
the knowledge that someone has broken into a personal computer or a company network,
rummaged around at will, then who knows if they have left or are still lurking in some
dark corner of a hard drive. It can be equated with the feeling of coming home and
finding that the house has been burgled, or the automobile has been stolen.
The reputation of the business is something that the hacker can also destroy,
because if a website is defaced or a database stolen and then opened publicly, the costs to
the business rise dramatically. Many businesses that suffer this kind of loss close their
doors, or have to reduce operations because of the lack of sales. This also has another
effect of putting many people out of work, which then continues to spiral through the
economy, causing ripples out to all sectors.

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These unseen costs are part of the victory for the hacker, because then they can
cause so much damage for such an extended period of time that even they did not
imagine when they started the attack. This is part of the reason why laws need to be
toughened when it comes to hacking, for there is much more at stake than just the
monetary losses, and these side losses should be brought to light when punishment is
considered for the hacker.
Once a business or consumer has been attacked by a hacker, they are never quite
the same again. There is a loss of trust and security that may never be regained, or only
after an expense of time and money, along with new equipment purchased and alarms
installed but this may never totally repair the damage that the hacker has caused, and
many times this is something that will not be known until years later.

Conclusion
In conclusion, hackers, like many other items, are here to stay. The ability of the
hacker to operate with almost total anonymity for an unknown period of time before
possible detection and apprehension is very large. The hacker has the luxury of being
able to use the computer to enhance his or her ability to attack millions of computers
simultaneously, and to invade many computers at once or have them act as his willing
aides.
Perhaps the motivations that the hackers have should be examined as well, to see
if there is any way that society can help to stop a hacker before they get started, or to
channel their creativity into more lawful pursuits, that might benefit business as well.

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Computer and network administrators must act to secure and protect their
equipment, in order to harden the first line of defense against the hacker, and to limit the
ability of them to infect machines. By doing this, when the number of computers that can
be infected grows smaller and smaller, it will become easier to begin detecting the
location of the hackers because the attacks will be against the small number of computers
that are vulnerable.
Thus, the war against the hackers will continue as long as there are computers and
people who wish to attack them for whatever reasons that they have, but if the rest of the
world builds their defenses properly then there will be less for the hackers to break into.
As with most anything that is there, when common sense is invoked, the
computers and the networks will be protected until the next invasion of the hackers
occurs. But this time we had better be ready because there is no excuse for not protecting
ones computer and network in this day and age.

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References

Briney, Andrew L. (2001, May). Retrieved April 17, 2005 from

http://infosecuritymag.techtarget.com/articles/may01/columns_note.shtml

Collins, John (2004). Illegal Internet. Retrieved April 17, 2005, from
http://www.akamarketing.com/illegal-internet-contents.html

Long, Johnny (2004, December 1). Google Hacking for Penetration Testers. Retrieved
April 17, 2005, from http://www.securityfocus.com/excerpts/syngress

Blackcode <http://www.blackcode.com/>
Infosyssec <http://www.infosyssec.net/infosyssec/index.html>
ISS <http://www.iss.net/>
Phrack <http://www.phrack.org/>
Securemac <http://www.securemac.com/>
Windowsecurity <http://www.windowsecurity.com/>

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