What is Cracking? Introducing the Differences, Methods, and Countermeasures Against Hacking

Cracking is a type of cybercrime that emerged with the development of the information society. In recent years, there have been many cases where small and medium-sized enterprises have become targets of attacks, spreading to large companies and escalating the damage. In order to protect the safety of business partners and consumers, as well as to prevent the loss of corporate credibility, it is necessary to correctly understand the methods of attackers and take preventive measures.

This article explains typical cracking methods and measures to prevent damage. Business owners and information system managers who want to acquire correct knowledge about cracking and create an environment where employees can work with peace of mind should definitely refer to this article.

What is Cracking?

Damage from Cracking
Differences from Hacking

Cracking Methods
5 Countermeasures Against Cracking

Introduce a System to Detect Unauthorized Access
Check the Settings of Network Devices
Implement Measures Against Vulnerabilities
Use Passwords That Are Difficult to Identify
Keep Data Logs

Summary

1. What is Cracking?

Cracking is the act of maliciously intruding into systems connected to a network. Cracking is a criminal act that violates the “Act on Prohibition of Unauthorized Computer Access (Unauthorized Access Prohibition Act),” and attackers are often subject to penalties such as imprisonment and fines.

Source: Shizuoka Prefectural Police “Cybercrime (Act on Prohibition of Unauthorized Computer Access)”

Source: e-Gov Legal Search “Act on Prohibition of Unauthorized Computer Access”

1-1. Damage from Cracking

Cracking causes various damages to companies. The main damages that companies can suffer from cracking are as follows:

Website Tampering: This is the damage of attackers who have intruded into a company’s system or server rewriting the code of the website or changing the link destination. Accessing a website that has been attacked may lead to being transferred to an external site that downloads malware.
Server Attacks: This is the damage of servers operating websites and services being overloaded and stopped. For example, if the server of a company operating an online shopping site is attacked, it will interfere with sales and lead to a decrease in sales.
Footprint for Other Attacks: Attackers of cracking may create a “backdoor” in the system they have illegally intruded into and attempt to intrude further inside. If a company’s computer is taken over, it may be used as a base for attacking other organizations, so be careful.

Attackers may steal customer information and confidential information stored on the company’s server and use it for crime. Companies that cause information leaks are considered to have “inadequate security measures” and cannot avoid social image degradation.

1-2. Differences from Hacking

In IT terminology, “hacking” refers to the act of technicians with specialized knowledge in the computer field analyzing and modifying data embedded in personal computers, etc. The big difference between hacking and cracking is the purpose of performing analysis and modification.

Performing hacking with malicious intent to satisfy one’s own desires is cracking.

However, since the definitions of hacking and cracking are not clearly distinguished, it is not incorrect to express cracking as “hacking.”

2. Cracking Methods

In order to prevent cracking damage, it is necessary to know the methods of attackers and consider appropriate countermeasures.

Attackers generally perform cracking by exploiting vulnerabilities (weaknesses against external attacks) and security holes (security-related problems).

Specific examples of typical cracking methods are as follows:

Zero-Day Attack: A zero-day attack is a method of launching an attack before vulnerabilities are discovered and companies take security measures or before a fix program is provided.
Brute Force Attack: A brute force attack is a method of searching for IDs and passwords in a brute force manner using special tools. Depending on the attacker, brute force attacks may be used in conjunction with dictionary attacks (a method of listing words that are likely to be IDs and passwords based on dictionaries, etc., and collating them in order).
Cross-Site Scripting: Cross-site scripting is a method of embedding malicious scripts (a type of program) in forms on websites. When people who view the website use the form in which the script is embedded, personal information is also sent to the attacker, which may be misused.
Rootkit Attack: A rootkit attack is a method of infecting a computer with a rootkit (a cracking support tool) and taking over the system administrator privileges. Attackers often infect rootkits by exploiting application vulnerabilities.

Note that attackers may use special tools to perform cracking.

3. 5 Countermeasures Against Cracking

If small and medium-sized enterprises suffer from cracking, the damage may spread to business partners, consumers, and socio-economic activities. Be aware that the cost of security measures is an essential expense for doing business, and take appropriate measures.

The following are countermeasures against cracking that small and medium-sized enterprises can implement.

3-1. Introduce a System to Detect Unauthorized Access

In order to prevent cracking, it is an option to introduce a system that detects and defends against unauthorized intrusion by attackers. For example, introducing a system called “IPS” or “WAF” can detect and prevent unauthorized intrusion.

IPS in cracking countermeasures can be likened to “surveillance cameras” that chase suspicious movements in communication, and WAF can be likened to “moats” that surround servers, etc. By using the two types of systems together, the defense power is increased, and security can be strengthened intensively.

3-2. Check the Settings of Network Devices

Using network devices with the initial settings increases the risk of cracking. When introducing network devices, change the ID and password to strengthen security.

Companies using Wi-Fi also need to encrypt the network to prevent information leakage. Network encryption refers to processing data into a format that cannot be deciphered by a third party. Since there are several types of network encryption technology, identify the one that matches the Wi-Fi router you are using and use it.

3-3. Implement Measures Against Vulnerabilities

Software vulnerabilities are suddenly announced one day, with some exceptions. In order to prevent overlooking information, check the developer’s website on a regular basis and make efforts to collect information.

If an update program to deal with the disclosed vulnerability is being distributed, update it after correctly predicting the impact on the system.

In order to prevent update omissions, it is a good idea to use a tool that automatically checks for update information and notifies you of the necessary actions. By using a tool with a function that allows security personnel to grasp the status of terminals within the company in a list, efficient management can be performed.

3-4. Use Passwords That Are Difficult to Identify

Reviewing how to create passwords and avoiding attacks is the basis of security measures. When creating passwords for work, it is a good idea to make employees aware of the following rules.

Combine numbers, alphabets, and symbols
Do not include personal information such as names and phone numbers
Avoid using meaningful words such as place names

In order to implement more intensive security measures, introducing two-factor authentication (authentication that is required again after logging in by entering a password) is also a good idea. Alternatively, you may want to limit the number of times a password can be entered, and prevent login if it fails a certain number of times.

3-5. Keep Data Logs

Logs mean access and operation history to electronic devices. In order to grasp unauthorized intrusion early and promote cause identification and countermeasures, keep data logs.

Keeping data logs also contributes to suppressing information leakage due to unauthorized PC operations and data removal by employees. If information leakage by employees occurs, it is possible to collect evidence from data logs and consider disposal.

Summary

Cracking refers to maliciously intruding into a system and performing website tampering, stealing confidential information, and attacking servers. In order to prevent cracking damage, it is necessary to take measures such as not neglecting regular updates and using passwords that are difficult for attackers to guess.

However, in order to implement measures to prevent cracking damage, in many cases, specialized knowledge about security is required. If you are considering measures that can be easily implemented even by people without specialized knowledge, please consider introducing “EXO Security.” By using EXO Security, you can easily take cracking countermeasures from 5,000 yen per month.

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