.jpg "a hacker covered his face with a white mask black t-shirt and a blue zip jacket")
What do you imagine when you think of hackers? Chances are, you picture someone just like me—a middle-aged white male, glasses on and short hair slicked back.
And that makes sense: studies have shown that the majority of hackers are male, and many have geek traits such as having poor social skills and an obsession with certain subjects or games.
But do you know how these so-called hackers hide their identity online?
Why does it matter who the hacker is?
Hackers are not always seen as the good guys. In fact, they are often seen as the bad guys who create havoc on the internet and make things difficult for everyone else.
This is why it's important to understand how they protect themselves and what methods they use in order to prevent getting caught.
It's also important because there are many people out there who want to be a hacker, but don't know where to start.
Hiding Online
Hackers use a number of tactics to hide their identity and avoid detection, but some are more effective than others. We'll explore some methods hackers can use to cover their tracks.
While not foolproof, these methods can buy hackers time while they work out the next step in their attack.
However, once detected, it becomes increasingly difficult for them to stay anonymous as law enforcement agencies begin tracking them down.
Cybercriminals may be able to avoid being tracked down by using new IP addresses or connecting through an anonymizing network such as Tor or I2P.
These networks create a random path through numerous other computers before transmitting data back to its original destination.
Hiding Behind Networks, Bridges, and Proxies
Most hackers work in teams and rely on each other to complete their objectives.
There are many ways that a hacker can communicate with one another without revealing their identity. The most common form is through the use of a proxy server.
A proxy server is an online service that enables users to surf the internet anonymously, and often times they are used as a type of firewall, protecting the user's original IP address.
Another way for hackers to hide their identity is by using bridging.
This typically involves routing traffic from one network or system to another through an intermediate device which masks the original IP address.
Hiding Behind Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)
Hackers who do a lot of illegal activities use VPNs to hide their identity.
A VPN is a private network that can create a secure tunnel over the internet so that information cannot be seen by outsiders.
When someone connects to the internet through a VPN, it masks their IP address and web traffic.
This makes it difficult for law enforcement and other authorities to find out who is doing what online.
Masking IP Addresses to HIDE your Identity
Often, hackers use a technique called masking to make it harder for law enforcement officials to track them down.
Masking involves using many different IP addresses which are hard to trace back to the hacker's original location.
They do this by changing their IP address on a regular basis, often by logging into public WiFi networks and using the free internet connection.
Some hackers will also use hacked routers in order to change their IP address automatically at set intervals, making it even more difficult for authorities to track them down.
Conclusion
In order to protect your online privacy and stay secure, you have to know how hackers operate.
This will help you understand the different tactics they use and what steps you can take to protect yourself.
## One way hackers are able to get personal information is by exploiting security flaws in software like Adobe Flash Player, Microsoft Office, Oracle Database Server and Apple Quicktime Player.
These flaws give them access to private data that can be used for various purposes such as identity theft or financial fraud.
## Another way hackers are able to compromise your computer is through a phishing scam that tricks unsuspecting users into providing their passwords and other sensitive information.