7 Myths About Hackers That May Surprise You

Have you ever watched a movie and seen a character doing something you know how to do, and thought to yourself, “Bruh, that’s totally wrong. How’s that even possible?”

That’s exactly what hackers think when they watch movies, too. For most of us, the image that comes to mind when we hear the word “hacker” is pretty stereotypical: probably a young guy wearing a hoodie and headphones, in a basement, surrounded by fancy displays full of unintelligible code that looks like it’s straight out of the 1999 movie the Matrix, with only nefarious intentions at heart. We have that image for a reason; that’s how many films have portrayed such characters.

Not all hackers have the evil motives. In fact, not all of them are even “bad guys.” Misunderstanding leads to fear, and acting out of fear is never a good thing. If you want to stay safe from cyber-related risks in the modern world, it’s important to understand the myth vs. the reality.

Myth 1: Hacking is all bad and illegal

Although hackers are more often than not criminals and thieves, that’s not necessarily the case. You’ve probably never heard of the so-called “white hat hackers” or ethical hackers. They’re absolutely legit professionals who use their skills and knowledge to fight against malevolent hackers. Their work is to find new, smart ways to bypass system security and identify weak points with the express permission of the company.

Myth 2: It’s all perpetrated by expert tech geniuses

Actually, you don’t even need to be an IT expert to become a proficient hacker. You can go from zero knowledge to a good level of skill in probably less than 6 months, and you don’t even need particularly sophisticated or advanced software to do so. You just need time and dedication, some basic computer skills and a good tutorial. There are even some good websites that can teach you the basics in no time.

Myth 3: Hackers work alone, exclusively

Although some famous hackers known to operate on their own or with a handful of accomplices, most of them are not. Instead they’re professionals hired by large criminal organizations that employ a vast array of automated processes (such as bot armies) to perform repetitive tasks on a global scale.

Some of them act according to some world-changing agenda, such as the famous hacktivist group known as Anonymous, whose alleged final goal is protecting the freedom of the internet.

Myth 4: The deep web is an illegal part of the web inhabited by hackers

The Deep web is just a part of the web that can’t be accessed by a web browser by using its default configuration. Although many hackers prefer to hide themselves in this less-visible part of the web, the dark web is not, by any means, an illegal place shrouded in darkness. Requiring special protocols to access something doesn’t make it evil or illegal.

Myth 5: Hackers only attack huge companies

When security breaches make the news, it’s usually because a major software platform or consumer service entity has been attacked. But that doesn’t mean information stored in mid-size or small companies is safe. Plenty of comparatively small businesses have been the focus of cyber attacks, with valuable information left exposed. Hackers might even use third-party credentials as a way to gain access to major partners. As a consumer, you should always assume your data is potentially at risk, no matter the size of the database.

Myth 6: Hackers can only grab data if users download a malware file

Getting victims to open an .exe, or executable, file as an email attachment is an effective way to install damaging software on a computer, but that’s not the only way hackers can compromise your information. Visiting web sites can allow them to surreptitiously share files that can divulge your secure data. It’s always best to avoid visiting web sites you’re not familiar with, especially if you’ve been prompted to open them via an email link.

Myth 7: Hacking is a job that requires lightning-fast reflexes

You’ve seen that in Hollywood movies, so it must be true! To hack a “mainframe” you must find an internet connection, start typing some random stuff super-quickly on your keyboard and done. Well in fact, these things we’re seeing in movies to make it look like there’s something exciting going on are, nothing but a movie fallacy.

The mainframe is a centralized point that organizations use for data storage and processing. In order to hack the servers which control the mainframe, a hacker would have to have a lot of internal information to bypass the security protocols. The idea of the mainframe itself is actually rather out of date, because many companies now use server farms, which are a collection of servers rather than a single machine like the mainframe.

Final Thoughts

Hollywood has taught us that hackers are fantastic and secretive creatures that possess amazing tech skills to hack into countless unrelated systems with minimum effort. However, as with many other things we’ve seen in the movies, things are rarely so simple in real life. On top of that, what we used to know about hacking only a few years ago isn’t necessarily valid today since this field is evolving at the same pace as other technology.

 

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